Source:Nielsen EDI, Box Office Mojo

July 28, 2008

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.

Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight earned an estimated $75.6 million from 4,366 theaters in its second weekend, surpassing Shrek 2's $72.2 million for biggest second weekend ever. Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins follow-up has reached $314.2 million in just 10 days, another record. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest held the previous record in the amount of days it took to cross the $300 million mark - it needed 16 days to do so. On Monday, The Dark Knight will surpass Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to become the biggest movie of 2008 domestically. It is already up to #23 on the all-time domestic blockbuster list and has a good shot at surpassing Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope's $460.998 million (not counting inflation) to become the second-biggest domestic earner of all-time, trailing only Titanic's $600.788 million. The Dark Knight, budgeted at $185 million, stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.

Columbia Pictures' Step Brothers opened in second place with a strong $30 million from 3,094 theaters. The Adam McKay-directed comedy, starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen, averaged $9,696 per theater. The movie cost about $65 million to make.

Universal Pictures' Mamma Mia! dropped one spot to third and lost only 35.6% in ticket sales from its first weekend. The musical, carrying a budget of $52 million, added $17.9 million and has pushed its total to $62.7 million in two weeks.

20th Century Fox's The X-Files: I Want to Believe failed to pull in moviegoers its first weekend as it collected just $10.2 million from 3,185 theaters, according to estimates. The Chris Carter-directed film, starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Xzibit, Amanda Peet and Billy Connolly, averaged $3,202 per location. One thing going for it is that it had a budget of just $30 million, making the risk for the studio minimal.

Warner Bros./New Line's Journey to the Center of the Earth rounded out the top five with $9.4 million and has earned $60.2 million in three weeks. The family adventure was made for $60 million.

Columbia Pictures' Hancock took in $8.2 million in its fourth weekend in sixth place, sending the $150 million Will Smith superhero film over the $200 million mark with $206.4 million.

In seventh, Disney/Pixar's WALL•E earned $6.3 million and has collected $195 million after five weeks. The animated film cost the studio $180 million to make.

Eighth place belonged to Universal's Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which made $4.9 million in its third weekend for a total of $65.9 million, followed by Fox's Space Chimps in ninth which made $4.4 million and has earned $16 million in two weeks.

Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films.