The Dark Knight lit up the box office in North America as "Batman Begins" sold an estimated $46.9 million worth of tickets in its first weekend, reigniting a lucrative superhero franchise that burned out eight years ago. The $150 million film was released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc., which is also resurrecting fellow DC Comics superhero Superman.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the Warner Bros. Pictures release has earned $71.1 million across the United States and Canada since opening on Wednesday. The figures were within expectations.
"Batman Begins" also earned an estimated $41.7 million from 73 international markets, led by Britain with $7.8 million and France with $3 million, both in three days, while Mexico contributed $4.2 million in five days. Thus bringing it up to a worldwide total of $112.8 million.
The five-day haul was the best start among the five films in the "Batman" franchise. The record of $66 million was held by the third film, 1995's "Batman Forever," which starred Val Kilmer. The franchise folded in 1997 with the next film, "Batman and Robin," starring George Clooney in a batsuit with nipples. It bowed to $52 million for the first five days.
Although, the cash registers rang up 2 percent less business than last year, extending Hollywood's dubious streak to 17th straight down weekends.
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