"Batman" captures lackluster box office crown

Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" earned 64 million dollars (USD) at U.S. and Canadian theaters during its second weekend, topping box office charts in a sluggish overall market facing Olympic television coverage and the impact of the Colorado shooting.

The finale in director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale added 122 million from international markets and has pulled in 248 million overseas since its July 20 debut.

Add in cumulative ticket sales of 289 million in domestic markets - the United States and Canada - and the global haul now stands at 537 million for the film that cost its backers some 250 million to make and tens of millions more to market.

While "Dark Knight Rises" ranks as one of the year's highest-grossing movies, sales are weaker than pre-release forecasts after the opening was overshadowed by the killing of 12 moviegoers at a midnight screening in Aurora, Colorado.

The No. 2 spot belonged to animated children's movie "Ice Age: Continental Drift," with just over 13 million.

"The Watch" came in third, earning $13 million at domestic theaters. The film stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill as men who start a neighborhood watch group to battle aliens. The movie earned largely negative reviews.

"The Watch" also was affected by real-life events. In May, 20th Century Fox changed the movie's title from "Neighborhood Watch" to distance it from the fatal shooting of black teenager by a neighborhood watch volunteer.

"Step Up Revolution" finished in fourth place with 11.8 million domestically. Its distributor had forecast a domestic opening in the low- to mid-teens.

John Russell, Reuters.