Jul 18, 2008 8:01 pm US/Pacific
No Joke: 'Dark Knight' Makes Box Office History
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
Heath Ledger plays the maniacal Joker in "The Dark Knight."
Warner Bros.
A tracking firm says "The Dark Knight" has set a box office record for a midnight debut.
Media By Numbers says the new Batman movie from Warner Bros. brought in $18.5 million Friday from its midnight screening in 3,040 theaters.
That bested the 2005 performance of "Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith," which took in $16.9 million at its debut.
"The Dark Knight" figure did not include any of its 3 a.m. or 6 a.m. showings.
Hollywood was betting Batman will crash through to box office history, CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker reports.
"There have only been in history 10 films that have opened with $100 million, and 'The Dark Knight' is poised to be one," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers.
The numbers tell the story.
"The Dark Knight" will be showing in 4,366 theaters in North America, on more screens than any movie ever.
And Fandango, one of the largest online ticket-sellers says "The Dark Knight accounted for 94 percent of all tickets sold this week.
"And some theaters are going to show this movie round-the-clock opening day. That's how much demand there is for this movie," Dergarabedian said.
Continuing the story set in motion with "Batman Begins" in 2005, this grimmer, darker sequel has Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne, fighting his internal demons - and one in flesh and blood: The Joker.
"It's simple," the Joker says. "Kill the Batman."
"He's uncompromising as Batman is," said Christian Bale, who returns as Batman in this sequel. "But the problem is, Batman has rules and the Joker doesn't."
Heath Ledger plays the menacing, maniacal Joker, who says, "This town needs a better class of criminal, and I'm going to give it to them."
Ledger's last big Hollywood role before his death from an accidental overdose in January already is generating Oscar buzz and has fans buzzing with anticipation. Christopher Nolan directed "The Dark Knight."
"With Heath's portrayal of the Joker, though, it was apparent to everybody on the set that there was something very special going on with that performance," Nolan said.
With "The Dark Knight, it seems the sky's the limit.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
