WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Total Recall' Can't Take Down 'Dark Knight Rises'

The Dark Knight Rises had little trouble this weekend taking the top spot for a clean threepeat victory at the box office with $36.4M. Sony's Total Recall starring Colin Farrell was the only major contender against Christopher Nolan's conclusion of his epic big screen Batman trilogy, and came up short trailing TDKR by over $10M.

Total Recall, which took to big special effects and a straightforward darker storyline over the campy 1990 Arnold Classic, didn't click with critics either, scoring only 31% on Rotten Tomatoes.

This week The Dark Knight Rises also became the third quickest movie to hit $300M in domestic ticket sales, crossing that mark in 12 days. The series' previous installment, 2008's The Dark Knight did it in ten days, while the all time champ, The Avengers, hit the mark in nine this summer.

Worldwide The Dark Knight Rises has amassed over $733 million since its July 20th debut, with a large play on IMAX screens. Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man has spun a world wide web to the turn of nearly $678 million, while Seth MacFarlane's Ted still holds extremely strong approaching $281 million in worldwide ticket sales.

1. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Weekend Gross: $36.4M, Total: $354.6M
2. TOTAL RECALL - Weekend Gross: $26.0M

3. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID - Weekend Gross: $14.5
4. ICE AGE 4  - Weekend Gross: $8M, Total: $131.5M
5. THE WATCH - Weekend Gross: $6.3, Total: $25.3
6. TED - Weekend Gross: $5.5M, Total: $203.4M
7. STEP UP REVOLUTION - Weekend Gross: $5.3M, Total: $23.1
8. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN - Weekend Gross: $4.5M, Total: $250.8M
9. BRAVE - Weekend Gross: $2.8M, Total: $223.2M

10. MAGIC MIKE - Weekend Gross: $1.7M, Total: $111.2M

Next week there are three major releases, and have classic counter programming all over them. Universal unveils the Matt Damon-less actioner The Bourne Legacy, Warner Bros has The Campaign with the one-two punch of Will Farrell and Zack Galifianakis, and for the older set there is Sony's Hope Springs starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.

With the final week of the Olympics upon us, which has been eating away at movie attendance, some big questions come into play: How long will The Dark Knight Rises remain at the top stop? Can the Bourne franchise move forward with Jeremy Renner in for Matt Damon? Will the powerhouse comedic team of Ferrell and Galifianakis equal a hit (bear in mind the teaming of Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn in The Watch did not)?

SOURCE: Deadline, Box Office Mojo

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