'Dark Knight' stays steps ahead of 'Pineapple Express'
The caped-crusader hit becomes the third-highest grossing film of all time.
Score one for Batman versus the stoners as "The Pineapple Express" fell just short of knocking "The Dark Knight" off its perch as box-office leader for the fourth weekend in a row.
Sony Pictures' R-rated comedy about a pothead and his small-time dealer on the run from the law and a drug lord scored $22.4 million for the weekend, for a total of nearly $40.5 million since opening Wednesday.
Strong numbers for a movie that cost about $27 million but not quite strong enough to overtake Warner's caped-crusader hit, which pulled in $26 million for the weekend, raising its domestic total to $441.5 million.
That makes "The Dark Knight" the third-highest grossing film of all time, behind "Titanic" and "Star Wars," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers, a box-office tracking service.
"The staying power of this film is somewhat unprecedented," he said, noting that the last movie to enjoy a four-week run at the top was "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," which opened in December 2003.
"What makes it even more impressive is the fact that it's a summer film and it's taking on all competitors and prevailing in such a profound way," he said.
kim.christensen@latimes.com
