"The Dark Knight" ruled the North American box office for a fourth weekend Sunday to become the third-biggest movie of all time.
The Batman sequel earned an estimated $26 million during the three days beginning Friday, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said, taking its total to $441.5 million after 24 days.
It now ranks at No. 3 on the all-time list, behind "Titanic" with $601 million and "Star Wars" with $461 million.
But adjusted for inflation, the sales of "The Dark Knight" rank more modestly at No. 49, according to tracking form Box Office Mojo. The 1939 epic "Gone With the Wind" wins by that measure with $1.4 billion in today's dollars.
Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said it expects "Dark Knight" to end up with about $520 million.
The weekend's No. 2 slot went to the new Columbia Pictures release "Pineapple Express" with $22.4 million.
The stoner comedy undoubtedly would have been No. 1 had the unit of Sony not opted to open the picture two days earlier than usual Wednesday to maximize sales during the school holidays. The five-day total for the Seth Rogen film stands at $40.5 million.
Another Wednesday opener was "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," which came in at No. 4 with $10.8 million for the weekend. The Warner Bros drama has a five-day haul of $19.7 million.
Its 2005 predecessor, released before America Ferrera and Blake Lively became stars with their respective TV shows "Ugly Betty" and "Gossip Girl," earned $9.8 million during its first three days.