A look at films with huge box office success

MSN Movies

When Christopher Nolan's bleak, thrilling "The Dark Knight" hit theaters in the summer of 2008, it shattered the record for the largest box office opening in film history (set the year before by "Spider-Man 3"), earning more than $150 million in the U.S. Critics raved (to the tune of a 94 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences flocked to the film in droves. Heath Ledger's harrowing performance as the Joker was especially noteworthy, and would bring the talented and tragic actor a posthumous Oscar -- a first for a superhero flick. The film remains -- along with "Titanic," "Avatar" and "The Avengers" -- one of only four films to break $500 million domestically.

Will "The Dark Knight Rises" reach such box office heights? Have audiences been pining to hear Christian Bale's gravelly Batman voice rumble for the past four years? Will a lesser-known actor (Tom Hardy) as a lesser-known villain (Bane) diminish the gate? Or will audiences, who have already sent "The Hunger Games" and "The Avengers" to massive returns this year, return Batman to the top of the list?

All will soon be revealed, but for now, here's a list of the current top 30 opening weekends of all time.

(Warner Bros.)

Bing: Watch the trailer for 'The Dark Knight Rises'