The latest Batman movie, a product of the Warner Bros. Legendary Pictures, sold an estimated $155.3 million in tickets this weekend, setting a record for biggest three-day take. It surpassed the bar set last year by the Spiderman flick by $4.2 million and set the stage for what turned out to be the top-grossing overall box office weekend in U.S. history, with an estimated $253 million in ticket sales.

The previous highest weekend was set two years ago by “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” that had raked in $218 million.

This time the role of “the capped crusader” has been played by Welsh actor Christian Bale. The movie was directed by English filmmaker Christopher Nolan. They had previously worked together in “Batman Begins,” which earned $48.7 million during its first weekend in 2005, and finished up with $205 million.

The new film reportedly cost about $180 million to make. It pioneered the use of heavy Imax cameras which were used to shoot 30 minutes of the 152-minute film for giant-screen theaters. The filmmakers also blew up bits of Chicago, which doubles for the fictional Gotham City.