Released last July, The Dark Knight -- the second installment in director Christopher Nolan's latest adaptation of the Batman mythology -- continues to score box-office dollars. Distributed by Warner Brothers, a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), the movie crossed the $1 billion mark late Friday, joining an elite quartet to pass this high-water mark.
Leading the list of top all-time box office grosses are Titanic ($1.84B), Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1.12B), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1.07B).
More than half of Dark Knight's box-office dough ($533.1 million, to be specific) was earned domestically, while $468 million was collected from overseas theaters. Movie-watchers were driven to the theaters in droves due to stellar reviews, positive reaction to its predecessor (Batman Begins) and the shocking and premature death of costar Heath Ledger, who died last January.
The $1 billion threshold was crossed just two days before this evening's Oscars broadcast. While Dark Knight was shut out of the Best Picture and Best Director categories, odds-makers and cinema fans worldwide have Ledger as a heavy favorite to clinch the Best Supporting Actor trophy.
Beth Gaston Moon works for WeSeed.com. The above comments are not intended as trading or investment advice.
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