'Dark Knight' eyes world-beater status

July 21, 2008 "The Dark Knight," the sequel to Christopher Nolan's 2005 "Batman Begins," showed over the weekend that the daddy of the comic book superheroes can stand up to recent upstarts, posting a lusty $41.3 million from 4,520 screens in only 20 markets. The Caped Crusader's opening represents a major coup for the Warner Bros./DC Comics franchise in the international market. The $40 million opening take from a limited number of territories made the film a close second to non-comic book superhero "Hancock," which topped the overseas market for a third weekend with $45.2 million from 8,510 screens in 71 markets.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.