'Dark Knight' reaches $343 million

NEW YORK, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The Hollywood blockbuster "The Dark Knight" has grossed $343 million in its first 12 days and industry experts expect the movie to soon surpass "Star Wars."

The New York Daily News reported Friday that while some experts expect the newest Batman film will surpass the science-fiction classic's $461 million total, it will likely not dethrone "Titanic" as the highest-grossing film of all time.

"Titanic" grossed a total of $600 million, easily surpassing "Star Wars" for the top spot on the top-grossing list.

Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., said if "Knight" does become No. 2 all-time, it would be a thrilling accomplishment.

"We knew we had something very special, but we didn't know how special it could be," he told the Daily News.

"Knight" set an opening weekend record with $158 million and its $343 million total in 12 days of release marked the fastest a movie has ever reached that total.