Holy Crap, Batman! "The Dark Knight" Broke Midnight Showing Record

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Holy Crap, Batman! "The Dark Knight" Broke Midnight Showing Record

Written by Arya Ponto

Friday, 18 July 2008

There's no doubt about it, The Dark Knight is going to be the biggest movie of the year. Nevermind the fact that we have 3 and 6 AM showings selling out, and that pre-sales are going through the roof... last night at the stroke of midnight this film broke the record for largest midnight showing ever.

Here's the press release that Warner Bros just issued:

BURBANK, CA, July 18, 2008 – Just past the stroke of midnight, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Dark Knight” broke the record for a 12:01 a.m. film opening, earning an unprecedented $18,489,000 at the box office, it was announced today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. That total does not include the grosses from the subsequent 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. showings.

The 12:01 a.m. grosses soared past the previous record of $16.9 million, which had been held by “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” since May of 2005. “The Dark Knight” also surpassed Warner Bros. Pictures’ own studio record for midnight showings, previously held by “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “We have been thrilled by the response to ‘The Dark Knight,’ first from the critics and now from audiences. From our earliest screenings, the buzz on the film has been white hot and it hasn’t let up. Now that the opening weekend is here, we are very excited to finally share ‘The Dark Knight’ with moviegoers nationwide.”

Take that, Star Wars and Harry Potter!

If you haven't seen The Dark Knight already—what in tarnation are you waiting for? Hurry up and get your tickets or you might not get your chance, especially if you're planning to see it on IMAX.

I'm supposed to see this again (for the third time!) tonight... Got my IMAX tickets weeks ago like a smart little boy, but then the missus got sick so we decided to stay in and sell our opening day tickets. So I trolled around Craigslist, looking to see if there are people dying for tickets. I came across a posting from one hardcore Batman fan who was actually offering people his new unopened Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit for opening day tickets. Jeez. And there are others willing to pay up to $100 for one ticket, and they don't care what time the film is. Not a concert, not an event... just a movie showing.

This baby's going to be huuuge.