Batman film breaks another record

The late Heath Ledger has received rave reviews as the Joker

Batman film The Dark Knight has broken another box office record after taking just 18 days to make more than $400 million (£204m) in North America.

That was less than half the time which previous record-holder Shrek 2 needed to pass the milestone, having taken 43 days to cross the $400m mark in 2004.

The Dark Knight has already smashed the record for best opening night and best opening weekend in the US and Canada.

Last week it became the fastest movie ever to pass the $300m (£153m) barrier.

According to distributor Warner Bros, the sequel to 2005's Batman Begins had generated $400.03m by the end of Monday.

Successful

Directed by Britain's Christopher Nolan, the film has now spent three weeks at the top of the North American box office chart.

It is also the number one movie in the UK and Ireland, having made almost £50m ($97.8m) since its release on 25 July.

The Dark Knight remains on course to become only the second movie to make $500m (£256m) in North America, according to box office tracking company Media by Numbers.

But it said it was unlikely The Dark Knight would match the $601m (£307m) made by Titanic.

This was the most successful film ever at the North American box office, using figures unadjusted for inflation.