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Movie Monday: Dark Knight Makes It a Dynamic Three-o


dark knight 5.JPGIt’s said that the rich get richer. And while that may not always be true—the rich could hypothetically blow their richness during an ill-advised weekend trip to Vegas—it seems to be the case with Gotham’s richest billionaire playboy.

The Dark Knight Rises collected another $36.4 million this weekend, according to studio estimates. While that might not be quite enough for Bruce Wayne to buy another one of those cool helicopter-plane thingies, it was more than adequate to nail down the film’s third straight victory at the box office.

The film slid just 41% from the previous week’s tally, and that suggests that Rises has some flap left in its leathery wings. Its $354.6 million domestic haul still lags far behind The Avengers‘ $616.8 million take for the year, but Rises is creeping closer to The Hunger Games for 2012’s No. 2 slot. Katniss and Co. stand at $406.7 million right now.

And whether Rises eventually beats The Hunger Games in the final tally, I think we can call 2012 a seminal year for superheroes. As of now, three of the top four movies (including The Amazing Spider-Man at No. 4 with $250.6 mil) are all based on comic-book crimefighters.

Total Recall, the week’s biggest newcomer, couldn’t come close to knocking Batman out of the rafters. The PG-13 reboot of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1990 camp classic mustered just $26 million. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days paddled into third place with $14.7 million. But given that it cost loads less to make than Recall its creators had to be pretty pleased with its box office bronze.

The tenacious Ice Age: Continental Drift made another $8.4 million this weekend, which was good enough for fourth place. Meanwhile, Ben Stiller’s The Watch stared down Ted for fifth, banking $6.4 million.

Can The Dark Knight Rises make it four in a row next week, equaling the run made earlier this year by The Hunger Games? Doubtful. The PG-13 thriller The Bourne Legacy slides into theaters next week, making for a formidable rival.