'Dark Knight' continues to break records

THE DARK KNIGHT Christian Bale's second Batman movie could break records as it wins the box office race this weekend

The Dark Knight continues to smash records at the box office. A mere five days into its domestic theatrical run, the second Batman movie from star Christian Bale and director Christopher Nolan has earned a whopping $203.8 mil. That utterly obliterates the old record for the fastest movie to reach the $200 mil mark, set by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which took eight days to achieve the feat. It's worth noting that the Pirates sequel went on to earn $423.3 mil domestically — a sum that now appears to be in reach for The Dark Knight in the long run.

Following a record-breaking opening weekend, during which it grossed a staggering $158.4 mil, the comic-book flick banked $24.5 mil on Monday (the best non-holiday Monday gross ever) and $20.9 mil on Tuesday (the best non-holiday Tuesday take of all time). The total earnings for The Dark Knight's first four days of release ($182.9 mil) and first five days out ($203.8 mil) are also new historical highs. What's more, in less than a week, the film has earned almost as much as its predecessor, 2005's Batman Begins, grossed during its entire run ($205.3 mil), and this film has already brought in more money than four of the previous six live-action Batman movies made in theaters.

At press time, The Dark Knight ranks No. 84 on the all-time domestic box office roster (a notch behind Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was the highest-grossing movie of 1991). To track its fast ascension up the list, check back with EW.com on Friday for our weekly Box Office Preview.