Titanic out of Batman's Reach

The Dark Knight's seemingly endless box office rampage has sparked speculation about whether the film has what it takes to surpass James Cameron's classic, Titanic.

Following its launch in 1997, Titanic went on to collect an astonishing $601 million, with the movie's appeal reaching across virtually every generation. The slightly more esoteric Dark Knight, however, reaches out to a more contained audience, and despite the film's incredible run so far, Warner Bros. Pictures predicts that it will lose steam somewhere in between $510 million and $520 million, Reuters reported.

The film's DVD release will also play a huge part in its failure to catch up with Titanic. According to Reuters, Warner Bros. has yet to announce a release date for the Dark Knight DVD, however, the blockbuster is expected to hit shelves by December, claiming itself a stake in the profitable Christmas season.

Just like Titanic drew the masses into theaters with its accessible premise and powerful drama, not to mention a breakthrough performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, The Dark Knight has a special appeal of its own. Despite the late Heath Ledger's transcendent portrayal of the psychologically demented Joker, the movie brings with it a new era of comic book movies, casting a dark shadow over the genre.

While Titanic may escape The Dark Knight's grasp, it is not the true box office champion of all time. Inflation plays an important role in determining the highest grossing movie of all time, and when we take our ever inflating market into account, the true victor emerges as 1939's Gone with the Wind, which raked in today's equivalent of $1.4 billion.