'The Dark Knight' Breaks Five U.S. Box Office Records

The movie took the record for the top selling opening weekend with an estimated $155.34 million, according to its distribution studio, Warner Bros. "Spider-Man 3," the previous record holder, sold $151.1 million in tickets in May 2007.

The remaining four records are: most theater showings nationwide, with 4,366 theaters; best midnight opening, with $18.5 million beating $16.5 million by 'Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith'; best opening day and best single day sales of $66.4 million, surpassing Sony Entertainment's Spider-Man 3 which posted $59.8 million last year; and best sales ever for IMAX screens with $6.2 million earned at 94 screens.

It was also the best three-day weekend in Hollywood's history with an estimated $253 million in ticket sales. The previous weekend record was $218 million in 2006 when "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" opened.

While the success of "The Dark Knight" is supported by sell-outs at midnight shows and high overnight sales figures, the numbers remain studio estimates. Final results for the July 18-20 weekend will be released Monday.