Pineapple Express was very close to knock The Dark Knight out of the No.1 at the box office, but the superhero/action based on the DC Comics character Batman continued its dominance for a fourth consecutive weekend at the box office.

The Dark Knight, the Warner Brothers movie starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, cashed in an estimated $26 million over the weekend and more than $441 million in the 24-day period since it was launched. Meanwhile, Columbia Pictures’ stoner comedy earned $22.4 million over the weekend, but cashed in $40.5 million since it opened on Wednesday. The Pineapple Express would have clinched the No.1 spot for the weekend if the unit of Sony Corp wouldn’t have decided to open the picture two days earlier than usual.

The last movie which managed to win the box office No.1 spot for 4 weekends in a row was the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ruled in 2003-04.

The money gathered by The Dark Knight over the past weekend moved the film up four spots on the all-time list. The Batman sequel left behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($423 million), Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace ($431 million), E.T. ($435 million) and Shrek 2 ($441.2 million).

Considering its good pace, The Dark Knight might overtake the original Star Wars ($461 million, including rereleases) by the end of next weekend. If it keeps its momentum, it could pass the $500 million milestone and head for the next box office giant – Titanic ($601 million).

However, if adjusted for inflation The Dark Knight ranks more modestly at No. 49, according to tracking from Box Office Mojo. The No.1 movie after the inflation adjustment is still the 1939 epic Gone With the Wind which earned approximately $1.4 billion in today's dollars.

The weekend’ box office Top 5 was completed by The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor; $16.1 million; The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, $10.8 million; and Columbia Pictures’s Will Ferrell comedy Step Brothers, $8.9 million.