Unstoppable The Dark Knight

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Dark Knight" fended off a strong challenge from the new "Mummy" sequel to lead the North American box office for a third weekend, and is on track to become the second-biggest movie of all time.

The Batman blockbuster earned $43.8 million for the three days beginning Friday, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said on Sunday. Universal's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" followed with $42.5 million.

The Walt Disney Co. political comedy "Swing Vote" came in at No. 6 with just $6.3 million, the latest disappointment for its star, Kevin Costner, who has not had a $100 million movie since 1992's "The Bodyguard."

The total for "The Dark Knight" rose to $394.9 million. Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said it expects the film to add at least $100 million, surpassing the $461 million haul of 1977's "Star Wars" and its two reissues, the current No. 2 movie of all time in the United States and Canada. The $601 million record, held by 1997's "Titanic," seems watertight. Adjusted for inflation, though, "Titanic" ranks at No. 6, far behind "Gone with the Wind" at $1.4 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

"The Dark Knight" will add yet another record to its impressive tally on Monday or Tuesday, when it breaks $400 million, which would be its 18th or 19th day of release. The old record of 43 days is held by 2004's "Shrek 2."

Internationally, "The Dark Knight" has earned $205 million, Warner Bros. said. Top markets include Britain with $50 million and Australia with $32 million.

MUMMY BIG OVERSEAS

Pundits had predicted that the "Mummy" movie could open to upwards of $50 million domestically, roughly in between its two predecessors, but the critically mauled Brendan Fraser film was a little bruised by the Batman juggernaut.

It marks the follow-up to 2001's "The Mummy Returns," which opened to $68 million. The franchise relaunched in 1999 with a $43.4 million bow for "The Mummy."

Universal said "The Mummy" was big internationally. The film, co-starring Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, opened to $59.5 million from 28 territories. Top markets included Russia and South Korea, each with about $13 million. Because the action is set in China, and the olympics kick off in Beijing on Friday, Universal has been cross-promoting the movie with its General Electric Co corporate sibling NBC, which holds the U.S. broadcast rights to the games.

Fraser has had a low profile since appearing as part of the ensemble in the Oscar-winning 2004 movie "Crash." But he now has two movies in the top 5, with Warner Bros.' "Journey to the Center of the Earth" at No. 5 with a four-week total of $73.1 million.

#	Title	Aug 1 - 3				Weeks		Cumulative	Distributor
1	The Dark Knight	$ 43,800,000				3		$ 394,887,000	Warner Bros.
2	The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor	42,500,000				1		42,500,000	Universal
3	Step Brothers	16,300,000				2		62,966,000	Sony
4	Mamma Mia!	13,121,000				3		88,000,000	Universal
5	Journey to the Center of the Earth	6,875,000				4		73,145,000	New Line
6	Swing Vote	6,300,000				1		6,300,000	Buena Vista
7	Hancock	5,200,000				5		215,995,000	Sony
8	WALL•E	4,747,000				6		204,222,000	Buena Vista
9	The X-Files: I Want to Believe	3,425,000				2		17,060,000	Fox
10	Space Chimps	2,840,000				3		22,091,000	Fox