BEN STILLER's hilarious new war movie TROPIC THUNDER has ended BATMAN's reign at the top of the box office.

The comedy, which features Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, grossed $26 million in its first weekend on release, giving the film a $37 million five-day tally.

But there's still plenty for the cast and crew of Batman's The Dark Knight to celebrate - by scoring a healthy $16.8 million over the weekend, the film becomes the second-highest-grossing film ever, according to new estimates.

The action movie, starring Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger, has now amassed more than $471 million in ticket sales. Only Titanic has made more at the box office.