Yes, it is possible and yes, “The Dark Knight” has done it: “Spider-Man 3’s” box office record in 2007 has been bested by the Batman film’s estimated $155.45 million in ticket sales in the Friday thru Sunday period.

Director Chris Nolan has clearly excelled at envisioning the fantastic realm of comic book superhero Batman. With Christian Bale donning the batsuit once more and the late Heath Ledger giving life to the very creepy Joker, “The Dark Knight” had long been a heavily anticipated movie prior to its nationwide release on July 18.

Distributor Warner Bros. Pictures announced on Sunday that the action film broke the impressive weekend record set by “Spider-Man 3” in 2007, of $151.1 million, selling tickets worth an estimated $155.45 million during its first three days of release across the United States and Canada.

Whether moviegoers were eager to see the newest Batman adventures, Christian Bale’s embodiment of the complex character, Chris Nolan’s vision of Gotham, of good vs. evil, of Bruce Wayne vs. Batman, Heath Ledger’s last completed role before his tragic death or the newly added cast members – Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman…. they certainly did make all the difference.

Warner Bros. completed the box office portrait it traced Sunday by adding that the film had generated $40 million from 20 foreign markets, reigning at the top of the box office in Heath Ledger’s native Australia ($13.1 million) and Mexico ($6.6 million).

Chris Nolan and Christian Bale first worked together on 2005’s “Batman Begins,” which earned $48.7 million during its first weekend and ultimately earned some $205 million.

Debuting at No. 2 is “Mamma Mia!” the film adaptation of the Broadway musical based on Abba’s best-known hits, with the incomparable Meryl Streep belting them out enthusiastically while she runs through a Greek village – yes, you have to see it to believe it.

“Mamma Mia!” whose singing cast includes Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried and Christine Baranski, took in $27.6 million.

This is a record as well, with the highest earnings for a musical, distributor Universal Pictures said, inching past last year’s “Hairspray.” “Mamma Mia!” did well elsewhere around the world too, the studio added, earning $26.8 million from 21 foreign markets. This brings its international total to $72.6 million.

“The Dark Knight” has set a memorable date in the history of the U. S. box office, helping to shape the top-grossing overall box office weekend, with an estimated $253 million. Heroes of a different kind set the previous record in 2006, when “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” opened and the three-day take rose to $218 million.

The event so many of us have been waiting for is finally here, unfolding before our very eyes. Heath Ledger, who passed away so young, has been hailed by film critics as the best Joker ever, having surpassed even Jack Nicholson’s uncanny portrayal in 1989’s “Batman.”

There has ever been Oscar buzz surrounding his role. Should Heath Ledger receive an Academy Award for best supporting actor, it would only be the second time this happened, following Peter Finch’s win for the 1976 movie “Network.”

Now that “The Dark Knight” has opened, we are left to await the project Heath Ledger had been filming at the time of his death, Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.” Slated for a 2009 release, the film will now feature actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell as multiple incarnations of Ledger’s character in the film.

Update: The final figures the three-day box-office sales for “The Dark Knight” have been released. During the weekend, the movie earned $158.3 million, slightly more than the previous estimations. The higher figure placed the movie comfortably ahead of Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man 3,” the previous record holder.