For a third week in a row, The Dark Knight has managed to hold on to top spot at the box office. However, it was a spectacularly close race, with number two and newcomer The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, coming in only a little more than $1.3 million behind with $42.4 million.

The Dark Knight is on target to be at least the second all-time highest grossing film, with a total of just under $400 million after three weeks at the box office. This week it took in an additional $43.8 million domestically, bringing its worldwide gross up to $523 million.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the third installment of The Mummy films starring Brendan Fraser, may have done well at the box office at its opening weekend — even opening ahead of TDK on Friday — but I’m predicting it’s going to plummet by next week. Rotten Tomatoes has currently seen the movie suffer an average rating of 3.6 (out of 10), and has hit 9% on its “Tomatometer.”

One Fred Topel, reviewing the movie, commented; “Makes me miss Uwe Boll.” No worse a fate there could be for a movie than to inspire longings for Uwe Boll.

The rest of the top five played out pretty much as expected, with Step Brothers taking third spot, Mamma Mia! continuing its good run taking the fourth spot and bringing its overall tally to just under $88 million, leaving the fifth spot to Fraser’s Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Not sure what is going to happen next week. There is definitely no opposition to TDK from movies currently residing at the box office, but maybe The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 could bump it from its spot. A lighthearted movie such as this might be just what people need after the intensity of TDK.

Speaking of which, I need a smoke.

As always, special thanks to Box Office Mojo for estimated takings.