'Batman', 'Abba' assault box-office records

Jul 20, 2008 NR



New York, July 21 (DPA) "Batman" sequel "The Dark Knight" and pop musical adaptation "Mama Mia" opened over the weekend to set very different box-office records, according to preliminary studio estimates.


Starring Christian Bale for a second time as billionaire Bruce Wayne and his superhero alter ego, "The Dark Knight" lit up cinema cash registers with $155.3 million in three-day weekend ticket sales, shattering the $151.1 million Friday-Sunday record of "Spider-Man 3" set in 2007.


"The Dark Knight" was fueled by excellent critical reactions particularly for a comic-book adaptation, building on expectations from 2005's "Batman Begins", which successfully relaunched the Batman movie franchise, and curiosity for the last performance of co-star Heath Ledger. The Australian native, who plays the villainous Joker opposite Bale, died in January of a drug overdose.


Meanwhile, "Mama Mia", a screen adaptation of the Broadway show featuring songs from Swedish 1970s pop icons Abba, set a record for a movie musical with a three-day gross of $27.6 million. It stars Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan in the story of a young woman's wedding and her mother's ex-lovers.


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