THE DARK KNIGHT RISES nears $500M worldwide

The box office as a whole had a pretty bad weekend in the US.  Total revenue was down 22% from this time last year but don’t worry Batman fans, The Dark Knight Rises had a good second weekend.

Here are some early preliminary details, courtesy of Deadline:

…+42% from this Friday to Saturday after the London Olympics opening show had aired. TDKR‘s domestic total of $290M through Sunday is the 3rd highest for a recent movie’s first 10 days in release, behind only The Dark Knight ($313.7M) and this early summer Marvel’s The Avengers ($373M). It soon will be the 3rd fastest to reach $300M behind the same two pics (not adjusting for inflation or IMAX or higher ticket prices)…

…Nolan’s Batman finale has a worldwide cume closing in on half a billion in its first 10 days – which ain’t too shabby given everything that’s gone on…

…NRG research showed that 20%-25% of the domestic moviegoing audience was still very hesitant to go this weekend because of the Colorado theater shooting…

…Besides adding $65M this domestic weekend, The Dark Knight Rises grossed $27.4M in 57 overseas markets for Friday. That brings the international cume to $176.1M…

Projected Box Office Standings, courtesy of Deadline:

1. The Dark Knight Rises (Legendary/Warner Bros) Week 2 [4,404 Runs] PG13
Friday $18.0M, Saturday $25.6M, Weekend $65.0M (-59%), Cume $290.0M

2. The Watch (Fox) NEW 3,168 Runs) R
Friday $4.5M, Saturday $4.9M, Weekend $13.3M

3. Ice Age 4 3D (Fox) Week 3 [3,869 Runs) PG
Friday $4.1M, Saturday $5.2M, Weekend $13.2M, Cume $114.8M

4. Step Up Revolution 3D (Summit/Lionsgate) NEW [2,567 Runs) PG13
Friday $5.0M, Saturday 3.9M, Weekend $11.8M

5. Ted (Universal) Week 5 [3,129 Runs) R
Friday $2.1M, Saturday $3.0M, Weekend $7.4M, Cume $193.7M

6. The Amazing Spider-Man 3D (Col/Sony) Week 4 [3,160 Run]
Friday $1.8M, Saturday $2.9M, Weekend $7.0M, Cume $242.2M

7. Brave 3D (Pixar/Disney) Week 6 [2,551 Runs] PG
Friday $1.2M, Weekend $3.7M, Cume $216.7M

8. Magic Mike (Warner Bros) Week 5 [2,075 Runs] R
Friday $800K, Weekend $2.2M, Cume $107.2M

9. Savages (Universal) Week 4 [1,414 Runs] R
Friday $480K, Weekend $1.5M, Cume $43.6M

10. Madea’s Witness Protection (TPerry/Lionsgate) Week 5 [1,111 Runs] PG13
Friday $400K, Weekend $1.2M, Cume $62.6M

So, why did this weekend see a dip in overall movie sales?  For starters the Olympics kicked off this weekend, there weren’t any must-see picks added to the mix and many moviegoers are still reeling in the aftermath of last weeks shooting in Colorado (you can read our initial report here).

So what do you guys think?  Are the TDKR numbers looking good?  Did you like the movie?  Sound off with your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

SOURCE: Deadline