Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight reigned supreme at the box office again, taking in a whopping $75 million in its second week to drive its domestic gross well beyond the $300 million mark. The record-setting blockbuster starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger has earned an estimated $355 million worldwide and has yet to open in a lot of territories overseas. Getting a rougher start out of the gate is 20th Century Fox’s The X Files: I Want to Believe.
The Sony comedy Step Brothers starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly debuted in the No. 2 spot with a $30 million opening. The latest film from Talladega Nights and Anchorman director Adam McKay pushed the Universal musical Mamma Mia! down a notch to No. 3. Earning an estimated $17.8 million in its second weekend, the Meryl Streep vehicle has made roughly $62 million in North America and has done even better overseas. Worldwide receipts have reached about $135 million so far.
Directed by Chris Carter, creator of the popular FOX television series, The X Files: I Want to Believe opened in fourth place with a disappointing $10.2 million (est.). The lure of seeing series stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reunited to take on the supernatural once more surely had the die-hard fans out to support the film, but it wasn’t enough to make believers of the uninitiated. Mixed reviews and lackluster marketing have done little to help the cause. Vfx for the fim were provided by EntityFX and Frantic Films.
New Line Cinema’s CG-laden, 3-D adaptation of the Jules Verne classic Journey to the Center of the Earth rounds out the weekend’s top five, adding and estimated $9.4 million to bring its domestic to roughly $60.1 million. Made for about $60 million, the adventure flick starring Brendan Fraser has brought in approximately $71.9 million worldwide since opening three weeks ago. Fraser’s next film, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, should fare better at the box office next weekend.
