Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull earned an estimated $101 million between Friday and Sunday and might well outdo the current Memorial Day holiday champ, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, for the five-day record. Pirates earned $153 million during that period last year. Currently Crystal Skull is expected to come in at about $151 million. Final figures are due to be released on Wednesday. The film is expected to earn nearly the same amount internationally, due primarily to the greater strength of foreign currency. Nevertheless, it will take more than a single Indiana Jones success to lift the box office to its year-ago level. Currently, total ticket sales for 2008 are down almost 4 percent from 2007 and admissions are down 6.7 percent, according to box-office trackers Media by Numbers. In an interview with the London Financial Times, Dergarabedian said, "Indiana Jones is a shot in the arm but we're going to need consistency in the entire marketplace to catch up to last year." The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $101 million; 2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $23 million; 3. Iron Man, $20.1 million; 4. What Happens in Vegas, $9 million; 5. Speed Racer, $4 million; 6. Made of Honor, $3.4 million; 7. Baby Mama, $3.3 million; 8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $1.7 million; 9. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay, $900,000; 10. The Visitor, $800,000.
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