It has been 5 long weeks however The Dark Knight has finally been dethroned from the US top spot. Tropic Thunder starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. took around $37 million, compared to The Dark Knight’s $16 million. Although, it did make more than Star Wars: The Clone Wars which took around $15 million.

The Dark Knight has just crossed the $800 million mark worldwide and has overtook Star Wars to become the second highest grossing film ever in the US. Batman overtakes the Star Wars franchise twice in one week, how cool is that? Only Titanic stands in it’s way for the top spot, although it is unlikely it will beat it. Adjusted for inflation The Dark Knight sits around 39th above Goldfinger and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, and it would have to take around $900 million to overtake Stars Wars. Although most people don’t bother too much with inflation so, well done to The Dark Knight!

Edit: Tropic Thunder grossed $11 million on Wednesday and Thursday, then $26 million over the weekend. It still beat The Dark Knight either way.

There has been controversy surrounding Tropic Thunder starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr, over the repeated use of the word ‘retard’, as well as depictions of those with mental disabilities as the objects of humor.

At the center of the storm is Ben Stiller’s character in the movie, Tugg Speedman. Speedman is an actor who, in an effort to be taken more seriously, plays a mentally retarded character in a film called Simple Jack. The studio maintains that neither Stiller nor the movie is pointing and laughing at those with mental disabilities, but rather at a Hollywood system that cruelly seems to crave and reward such performances from its biggest stars.

Timothy P. Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, producer of the Special Olympics comedy The Ringer, and brother-in-law of Arnold Schwarzenegger, says he and his representatives are encouraging citizens to picket the film at its Monday night premiere in Westwood. One reason he’s planning to picket is DreamWorks’ refusal to alter the film in any way. The R-rated comedy will remain in tact, according to company spokesman Chip Sullivan. What has happened, as we speculated this past week, is the removal of Simple Jack references from the film’s marketing.

The only group that gain from this sort of controversy is the movie studios. In most cases controversy means bigger profits as people want to see what all the fuss is about. Ben Stiller must be a clever man. Not does he offend mental disability groups, there is a good chance some people will have a few things to say about Robert Downey Jr playing a black man.

Do people need to lighten up or do movies like Tropic Thunder cross the line?

Did anyone watch the final of American Idol last night? I know I didn’t. However, I did hear that Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. did some promotional thing for Tropic Thunder. The trio were backing singers/dancers for Gladys Knight singing “Midnight Train to Georgia”.

Check it out below!

I like the fact that Ben Stiller hasn’t fallen into the Will Ferrell trap by playing the same character in every single movie, just with a different setting. I also like that fact that Ben Stiller has finally made a movie I am looking forward to. If movies were based on the cast then Tropic Thunder could be up for an Academy Award next year. We have Jack Black doing what he does best, and the new King of Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr, who has taken a unique career movie by playing a black man. Can he be the next Samuel L Jackson? I believe so! He says motherf**ker enough anyway!

You can watch the trailer by clicking here! (Its an R-Rated trailer so there’s one of those age restriction things)