
After Warner Bros. canceled the European promotion for The Dark Knight Rises, it seems like Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Anne Hathaway were brought back to LA via Warner’s private jet. All three of those actors issued personal statements of condolence to the victims of the Colorado mass-shooting, and everyone involved with the film seems genuinely devastated by what happened. Batman himself, Christian Bale, even decided to make a personal, non-studio-endorsed trip to Colorado to meet with some of the survivors of the massacre:
Christian Bale is making a quiet trip to Aurora, Colorado to visit with the victims of last week’s movie theater massacre.
With free time thanks to the cancellations of premieres and press appearances for The Dark Knight Rises in Mexico and Japan, Bale took it upon himself to visit, a rep for Warner Bros. told The Denver Post.
On Friday, the Oscar-winner issued a brief statement expressing his sympathies to those impacted by the mass shooting, allegedly carried out by James Holmes, at the midnight screening of Bale’s final Batman film.
“Words cannot express the horror that I feel,” he said at the time. “I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them.”
Last week, a petition urging Bale to visit the victims in Colorado emerged online.
[From THR]
I was fine until I read the part about the petition. Really? That makes me feel queasy – while I think it’s a really nice thing that Bale would take it upon himself to fly to Colorado and meet with these people, I hate the idea that some people were like, “Yeah, he SHOULD do that. Start a petition.” It negates Bale’s good intentions and makes it seem like he was giving into external pressure, or that it’s a PR move – which I doubt it was, honestly. Mostly I don’t think it’s a PR move because Bale doesn’t seem to give a sh-t about good PR. He probably just wanted to spend time with the injured kids, and I bet most of those kids just wanted to shake his hand and have their photos taken with Batman. Maybe we should start a petition to have Christian Bale scream at and berate the POS shooter for the next 40 years too. That should be a petition.
Speaking of good PR moves mixed with good intentions, Warner Bros. has also made some large donations to the charities working with the victims of the Colorado shooting. Considering TDKR made $160 million-plus in its opening weekend, and it’s in line to make a billion (or more), Warner can definitely afford it. Still, they don’t NEED to do it – it’s just a really nice gesture:
The studio behind ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ has been in contact with the state governor’s office and will make a lump sum contribution. Warner Bros., the studio behind The Dark Knight Rises, is making a donation to charities supporting victims of the Aurora, Colo., shooting rampage.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the studio has been in contact with Colorado governor John Hickenlooper’s office and will contribute to a fund identified by the governor on the website givingfirst.org, which is a program of Colorado’s Community First Foundation. The fund distributes monies across several charities that will support victims of the July 20 killing spree that left at least 12 dead and dozens injured.
The studio will not release publically the amount of the lump sum donation but sources say it is “substantial.”
Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer also is set to send a companywide email on Monday evening advising employees of the donation and explaining how they can donate personally to the victims.
Warner Bros. has reacted swiftly in the wake of the July 20 killing spree at a midnight screening of the latest Batman movie. The studio quickly released a statement saying that Warners “and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time.”
The studio then canceled a planned Paris premiere and other press events and declined to release box office figures for Dark Knight Rises over the weekend out of respect for the families of the victims. The Christopher Nolan-directed film grossed a robust $160.9 million in three days, the best opening ever for a 2D film.
Warners is the first of the Hollywood organizations to make a charitable gift. Cinemark, which owns the Century Aurora 16 theater where the shooting took place, has yet to announce any donation, nor has the MPAA or the National Association of Theatre Owners.
[From THR]
I have to say, I think Warner Bros. hasn’t made a false step thus far. It was very smart for them to go through the governor’s office and existing charities instead of trying to reinvent the wheel and create their own, separate victims’ foundation or something. They’ve treated the victims of the tragedy with respect, they avoided being drawn into the debates about violence and guns, and what could have been a huge PR disaster for Warner ended up becoming an example of a Hollywood studio managing a crisis with timely, respectful efficiency. Someone at Warner Bros, knows what the hell they’re doing, you know?
PS… If you want to have a good cry, you should read this story about how three of the young men died protecting their girlfriends.
UPDATE: Here are some photos of Bale in Colorado, meeting with some of the victims.




Photos courtesy of WENN.