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‘Dark Knight’ poised to set opening weekend record

Zachary Barniger, left, of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and Justin Bettis, of York, Pennsylvania, dress as The Joker from the movie The Dark Knight as they wait in line to see the midnight showing in the West Manchester Mall in York on Friday. PHOTO: AP

Batman’s joust with the Joker has set another box office record.

Stoked by fan fever over the manic performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, The Dark Knight set a one-day box office record with US$66.4 million on opening day, Warner Bros head of distribution Dan Fellman said on Saturday.

The movie’s Friday haul surpassed the previous record of US$59.8 million set last year by Spider-Man 3. The Dark Knight might break the opening-weekend record of US$151.1 million, also held by Spider-Man 3.

“I think they’re in jeopardy,” Fellman said of the Spider-Man 3 records.

The Dark Knight began with a record US$18.5 million from midnight screenings, topping the previous high of US$16.9 million for Star Wars: Episode III — The Revenge of the Sith.

Opening day grosses for The Dark Knight far exceeded the full weekend haul of its predecessor, Batman Begins, which took in US$48.7 million in its first three days in 2005.

Reviews were excellent for director Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, but they were stellar for his Dark Knight.

“We’ve really never seen anything like this,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

“The death of a fine actor taken in his prime, a legendary performance and a movie that lives up to all the hype. That all combined to create these record-breaking numbers,” he said.

Buzz had been high for the Batman sequel well before Ledger died of an accidental prescription-drug overdose in January. Trailers last fall revealing Ledger’s demented Joker, with crooked clown makeup, turned up the heat even more. The critical acclaim over his performance that built from advance screenings left fans in a frenzy.

“It’s a combination of things. Certainly, that’s a great part of it, but I think this movie’s gross was partly because of the reviews it received and the incredible buzz and word of mouth that preceded it with our early screenings,” Fellman said.

“And the success and quality of the last one, Batman Begins, delivered by Chris Nolan just set the tone for the opening of this movie,” he said.

The Dark Knight reunites Christian Bale as Batman, the vigilante crime-fighter tormented by personal tragedy, and co-stars Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. Maggie Gyllenhaal also stars.

The film spins an epic crime duel as Ledger’s Joker orchestrates a reign of terror on the city of Gotham aimed to spread chaos and break down the restraint that keeps Batman on the right side of the law.
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