'Dark Knight' tops summer box office

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The superhero picture "The Dark Knight" earned more than $500 million and was No. 1 at the North American box office this summer, industry analysts say.

The latest entry in the Batman franchise has also secured the No. 2 spot on the list of Hollywood's biggest movies, behind the 1997 epic romance/action movie "Titanic."

Citing data from Exhibitor Relations, E! Online said $4.13 billion in tickets were sold this summer -- a slight dip from last summer when North Americans spent $4.16 billion at the movies.

"The Dark Knight" was No. 1 at the domestic summer 2008 box office with $505 million, followed by "Iron Man" at No. 2 with $318 million, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" at No. 3 with $316 million, "Hancock" at No. 4 with $227 million and "WALL-E" at No. 5 with $218 million, E! Online said.

Rounding out the top tier were "Kung Fu Panda" at No. 6 with $214 million, "Sex and the City" at No. 7 with $153 million, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" at No. 8 with $142 million, "The Incredible Hulk" at No. 9 with $135 million and "Wanted" at No. 10 with $134 million.