The Dark Knight had ticket sales of $155.34 million in its opening weekend, which is the highest grossing weekend for a film in history. Spiderman 3 was the previous record holder with $151 million its opening weekend in 2007. Dark Knight set several other records at the box office including highest midnight opening at $18.5 million compared to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith’s $16.9 million. It also made $67.85 million in one day to bring it to the top of the single day box office vs. Spiderman 3 at $59.8 million.
It was the best three day weekend in history at the box office thanks to The Dark Knight and second place Mama Mia, which earned a respectable $27.6 million to make it the top musical opening ever.
Advance buzz for the film coupled with Heath Ledger’s untimely death may have helped increase sales, but given the subject matter and what a great film it is it was likely to do incredibly well without the added tragedy. Critics have lauded the film’s dark plot, depth, and fast-paced action. Some reviewers say that it’s too frenetic and overlong, but they’re in the minority. The film has a 94% aggregate critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
[Details from The Huffington Post and Wikipedia]
Pictures from AllMoviePhoto
Forget all the hype. Just go see it. I guarantee you will be entertained. I saw it twice this weekend and liked it even more the second time.
Not only is Heath Ledger’s Joker right up there with all time creepy performances on film (we’re talking Jack Nicholson in “The Shining” and Anthony Hopkins in “Silence of the Lambs”), but Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart, who plays Harvey Dent/Twoface, also give very solid performances. The stunts and effects were a lot of fun too.
Don’t let the long lines discourage you. It’s a great summer movie.
I saw it last night. heath was great but the movie was stupid for the last half hour. just over blown and way way too long. Erin Eckhart’s (sp) character development was completely over the top, medically impossible, and not something i could take seriously. it was totally extraneous.
was anyone else distracted by bale’s weird speech lisp impediment and his really odd teeth configuration that contributes to his weird speech?
It was amazing. I loved every minute of it – the story was fantastic and not weighed down by origin explanations like Batman Begins, Maggie Gyllenhaal was a dramtic improvement over Katie Holmes (who was the only part of the first film I couldn’t stop shaking my head about – I was like, “Katie Holmes? Really?”), and everything from the camera angles to the performances was spot-on. Christopher Nolan sure knows how to make a movie.
bros- it’s a comic book movie, and Christopher Nolan worked hard to make sure his Batman films stayed as close to the source material as possible (hence the darker nature of this films compared to even the first Tim Burton workup). At it’s core, though, it’s a film based on a comic book series – how realtistic do you want it to be?
And the only thing any part of Christan Bale distracts me from is my husband. 🙂
Of course Heath Ledgers death has helped the movie dramatically, even though the movie would still have done well by its own they would never had this success with out the sympathizing people who wanted to see Ledgers last movie and one of the possible causes of his death (due to the depression and problems this role apparently brought him, according to all those speculation surrounding his death).
I saw Batman Begins last night and let just say I still prefer the very first Batman movie with Michael Keaton.
I agree with MSat, it was a great movie.
But have to agree with bros about Aaron Eckhart. That was weird.
Love Bale, he was great.(Even with the lisp)
The real stand out was Ledger. He should be nominated for an Oscar.
Bros- I was! The first time I saw it I wondered if it was because he had been shot, but then no, because he has armor. What was with the lips/lisp thing?
The movie is great and the way they made Aaron Eckhart’s face was more realistic than the former movie with Two-Face, albeit I think it would really pain him a lot more to walk around without skin grafts AND drink alcohol through a burned mouth. Heath Ledger is fantastic, and everytime I’ve gone to see it, he only gets better, if possible. Aaron Eckhart did a great job, as did Gary Oldman, but the movie could’ve ended a little sooner, like at the hospital.
I get that it was a comic book movie. but come on, Aaron yelling at the top of his lungs with his tendons and gums showing? sorry-that part was just farcical, compared to the pains the movie took to make things pretty close to reality, such as Bruce’s very real tiredness, wounds from dogs, the joker’s paint smearing and scars. nothing was as unrealistic as Aaron’s face and subsequent character development.
Yeah, but bros – that’s what Two Face looks like. I thought they did a pretty good job considering how detailed the work was. Nolan is notorious for staying away from CGI, so I was impressed that the one major foray into it in this film turned out so well.
And Christian Bale has always had a lisp.
I think during these shitty times it’s great for the masses to get something watchable….I remember Jaws premiere….come to think of it we were suffering the same economic crap.Just shoot me.
I loved both the Batman films made by Nolan. It took they campy corny angel out and made something new. I loved that factor, but I must say I was a wee bit let down. The movie was great, but I think it just packed waaay too much into the film. If the plot wasn’t so twisty and long and just focused on either of the villians instead of cramming both stories in…it would have been much better. Heath….he was fantastic. His tragic end aside, his acting was outstanding. He totally made me eat my words when I heard he was the Joker and thought…”why?”
Anyone debating the realism of the movie, or the medical impossibility of Two-Face should remember:
how realistic is a man that wears a bat-suit, not to mention all the incredible feats he performs, and basically the entire premise of “Batman”?
Not really realistic.
That’s why movies are so awesome – it lets the impossible become possible.
As for me:
Heath Ledger was INCREDIBLE. The more I learn about him, the more I appreciate him, and the sadder I am that he didn’t live to see probably his GREATEST performance.
Christian Bale is also one of the most talented and versatile actors I can think of.
I was also really impressed with Aaron Eckhard and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and I agree that she was DEFINITELY a step up from Katie Holmes.
Seriously, Katie Holmes – when you are asked to be in “The Dark Knight”, you FIND TIME to be in it! You don’t turn the role down because of “scheduling conflicts”….
I hope she’s kicking herself. But I’m glad they got Maggie instead of her, too.
Bros… this is not a DRAMA crime piece, it is a comic novel come to life. Pulp fiction is a closer genre. So there are no boundaries in the ability to speak with tendons, medically impossible scenarios, etc because it is a different type of film…call it fantasy pulp fiction if you would. The film was brilliant. Well done and reaching across to people who are not normally fans of this type of work. I understand your point completely but I think you are missing the core which is that this is not a dramatic crime piece. I would be right there with you if this were a Training Day type of movie.
As far as Heath Ledger, bastardizing “you complete me” and digging at Jack Nicholsons dancing with the devil (when he says dont ya wanna dance around with me) were icing on the cake of genius in this Alex from Clockwork Orange meets Charles Manson character. I have never been one to heap praise like that but wow what a portrayal and interpretation.
I loved this movie and I am NOT a fan of this genre. I am glad it toppled Spiderman.
Batman… is not real… could not be real… and so I kinda think debating the realism is a moot point.
BOOYA! Iron man is absolute trash and looks like KG compared to this awesome hero movie masterpeice. I loooooooooooove the action sequences and am going to watch it at least four more times. I’ve waited for like three years for this baby and it’s just what I wanted to see and more! Nolan is an artist!
silly lilly, im not retarded so I dont need clarification as to the genre of movie. Im saying that the plot twist/makeup/character development of Ekhart was campy, jarring, and made an otherwise really subtle comic book/hero movie a little silly and overdramatic. up until that point, I was going along just fine with the ‘suspension of disbelief’ that movies offer their viewers, because the directing was great.
I could buy the batman flying from buildings, for example. the cramming in of the ridiculous two-face man and his mother-loving freaking quarter in every scene jolted me out of the pleasant fantasy land I was in for the first two hours.
I’ve not seen it yet but just have one thing to say… Maggie Gyllenhaal a “step” up from Katie Holmes? A friggin’ flight of stairs up I shouldn’t wonder! 😛
(and it’s nothing to do with anyone’s respective spouses; I just find one bland and the other brilliant 😀 )
This movie was amazing. I always knew Heath could do it. Everyone was saying not that brokeback fag. But I just knew he had it in him.
Christian and Aaron were also excellent. Maggie, I thought, sucked. She wasn’t that much of an improvement compared to Katie.
Apart from the fact he would have suffered a major infection from all the exposed tissue, I’m not seeing what was so unbelievable about his face? That he would be talking? That he would be conscious with that much pain?
The character is supposed to be someone so physically and mentally traumatized that they become the monster they’re trying to destroy. Order and justice becomes chaos and revenge. It’s a classic dichotomy that was completely avoided in the earlier portrayals of the character.
Dent was supposed to be what COULD have happened to Batman if he’d allowed himself to become judge, jury, and executioner instead of living by his ‘rules’. That’s why so many references were made to the limits of how far Bruce Wayne was willing to go to catch the bad guys. Why he wouldn’t kill the Joker, why he programed his spy machine to destroy itself when it wasn’t needed, ect.
Sorry, but I view Dent’s character arc in the movie as a central pillar that had to be played up in a huge way to show the difference between justice and revenge.
Well said, Scott. 🙂
I really liked this movie. It wasn’t too long or anything. I liked everything about it. Heath really did a great job with the Joker role. I hope it earns him a standing ovation and an oscar at the Academy Awards. 😉
Geekazoid, Iron Man was wonderful as well. I loved the plot and animation in it.
That being said, I loved this movie to death. I’m not a huge fan of these kind of movies(I see one if it sounds good), but this one took my breath away. It was awesome, and I think it’s one of the best movies I have every seen.
Even though I thought Batman Begins was the best of the Batman movies I wasn’t real excited to see this one, but I got nagged into going and walked out of the theater saying “Wow”. One of the best movies in a LONG time.
Bros, if I called you retarded… you would know it. Slow your roll there dude. IMHO after reading your post, it seemed to me you were wanting more of a crime drama than a comic novel. Nobody called you retarded. I questioned your familiarity with the genre. That was essentially ALL I did. No disrespect even to your opinion, but when you got into a reality based discussion… it seemed odd.
Not liking Ekharts portrayal and interpretation or even the development of that character are all within your perspective and with no question regarding that. I questioned the direction you were going in with the statement of it not being realistic.
My point was, what is realistic in any Batman story.
Nobody acused you of being retarded. Seriously slow your roll before you jump to the conclusion that anyone was calling you retarded.
i never saw any of christian Bale’s movies before never was a fan but after seeing Batman i’m officially a fan now it was awesome the best Batman movie ever Heath was magnificent but for me Batman was the best part of the movie.