Source: Scoop comics magazine
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After a successful relaunching of the Batman film series in 2005, excellent promotion, and promises of a much, ahem, darker approach to the franchise, expectations were high for The Dark Knight’s opening weekend. According to the head of distribution for Warner Bros., Dan Fellman, the studio was surprised by how much the film made. Just how much? A whopping $155.34 million.
The colossal amount, produced in only three days, marks a new Hollywood record for highest grossing opening weekend. That record was made only a year ago in May 2007 by Spider-Man 3 with an opener of $151.1 million. It also broke the record for IMAX opening with $6.2 million versus Spider-Man 3’s $4.7 million. However, based on the rise in admission prices, Spider-Man 3 may still have sold more tickets. Media By Numbers estimated that Spider-Man 3 sold 21.96 million tickets, while The Dark Knight sold slightly less at 21.94 million, making the record somewhat of a superhero tie.
The Dark Knight was released amid a grand range of filmmaker and film-goer opinions. First, there was speculation at how Australian actor Heath Ledger would fair as the Joker, a role previously mastered by the iconic Jack Nicholson, then after snippets of his performance were revealed excitement built higher for the flick, followed by a sorrowful reaction to the talented young actor’s untimely death last January, ending with a fevered pitch of excitement for the film’s release over the past few weeks. It is speculated that Ledger’s performance may not only earn him a posthumous Academy Award, but will mark the first tangible Oscar nomination to an actor for a comic character role.
Demand was so high for opening day showings that some theaters added, not just midnight shows but also ones at 3:00 and 6:00 AM. With such a massive first weekend, which made $67.85 million on the first day alone, The Dark Knight may create a new box office record for total sales. The current box office record for the Caped Crusader is held by Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, also featuring a battle between Batman and the Joker, with a worldwide total of $251 million, Batman Begins came in second with $205 million. The Dark Knight will most likely beat that within the next ten days.
