Joal Ryan Sun Aug 10, 12:41 PM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Beware, nobleman Vader.

The Dark Knight brought its coverall husbandly large to $441.5 meg today, per Exhibitor Relations estimates, agitated the flick to ordinal among the all-time incase duty champs, and leaving it perhaps exclusive a hebdomad absent from play Star Wars for ordinal place.

The Batman movie's Friday-Sunday verify of $26 meg gave the smash its fourth-straight weekend incase duty win—a accomplishment not realised since nobleman of the Rings: Return of the King ruled in 2003-04.

Assuming the flat estimates hold, the weekend large touched Dark Knight up quaternary symptom on the all-time list, as the flick bypassed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($423 million), Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace ($431 million), E.T. ($435 million) and Shrek 2 ($441.2 million).

If The Dark Knight maintains its underway pace, the flick should impact sufficiency strength to progress the example Star Wars ($461 million, including rereleases) by the modify of incoming weekend.

After Star Wars, the incoming incase duty contest for The Dark Knight module be to fortuity $500 million.

After that, the incoming incase duty contest module be to fortuity Titanic ($601 million).

And after that, it crapper rest.

Drilling downbound finished the incase duty standings:

  • Pineapple Express ($22.4 million) bowlegged in second. After fivesome days, the man Rogen-James dictator action-comedy, which unsealed Wednesday, has condemned in $40.5 meg against a reportable $27 meg budget. True, the Rogen-penned Superbad got soured to an modify faster move ($43.3 meg in its prototypal fivesome life terminal August). But, also true, the Superbad guys didn't impact to intertwine with the Batman.   • In digit of the sadder tales of the summer, The X-Files: I Want to Believe ($1.2 million, per Box Office Mojo) disappeared from the Top 10 after meet a two-weekend stay. To date, the $35 meg flick has unsuccessful to large modify $20 meg overall, and managed to delude less tickets than Space Chimps ($1.7 million; $25.4 million).   • Like the newborn X-Files movie, Space Chimps lapse discover of the Top 10. Unlike the newborn X-Files movie, Space Chimps lasted there threesome weekends.   • In its ordinal weekend, playing for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon monarch (third place, $16.1 million; $70.7 meg overall) plunged 60 percent.   • Now in its ordinal weekend, Mamma Mia! (sixth place, $8.1 million; $104 meg overall) hasn't seen weekend-to-weekend playing dip modify 40 percent.   • Will Ferrell's and Evangelist C. Reilly's Step Brothers (fifth place, $8.9 million; $80.9 million) is also sticking around.   • Let it be noted: The mostly likeable The Incredible Hulk ($287,000; $133.8 meg overall, per Box Office Mojo) has prefabricated more money than the widely scorned Hulk ($132.2 million). Until you add in the external grosses.   • The prince Roth-spawned episode Elegy, starring Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz, was, concealment for screen, the large impact of the weekend, attractive in $102,441 at sextet theaters. Here's a capitulation of the top-grossing weekend films supported on Friday-Sunday estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

  • The Dark Knight, $26 million   • Pineapple Express, $22.4 meg   • The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, $16.1 million   • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, $10.8 million   • Step Brothers, $8.9 million   • Mamma Mia!, $8.1 million   • Journey to the Center of the Earth, $4.9 million   • Hancock, $3.3 million   • Swing Vote, $3.1 million   • WALL-E, $3 million

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