comment #1

D.Z. says ...

It looks like it should have no competition until The Mummy 3, but you never know with geeks who might choose to see X Files 2.

comment #2

D.Z. says ...

http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/dark-knight-joker.php

comment #3

TheJeff says ...

Would the dude who predicted that there was no way this would ever reach $250 million care to revise his prediction?

comment #4

D.Z. says ...

Jeff: $250 million in current dollars or '89 dollars?

comment #5

Arran says ...

Nope, the dude was flat-out saying "it won't crack $250m". He wasn't talking '89 dollars.

If he was saying it wouldn't match the admissions number of the '89 Batman, he might've had a point.

comment #6

CinemaPhreek says ...

TheJeff - dude was "Entropy" and I have a feeling that just as I can't recall seeing his name before this week, we won't be seeing much of him again.

Arran - that conversation will not begin for another week or two.

comment #7

fielding says ...

Good Lord. That means it could hit $300 million on its second weekend. Right?

comment #8

Mcflyboy says ...

'89 dollars? The Dark Knight delivers the goods, masterpiece or no. Is there a problem here?

comment #9

Dublin101 says ...

Heath Ledger's death has been a boon to this film's box office. Which leaves me feeling slightly queasy to be honest.

comment #10

JChasse says ...

While I grant you that Heath's death might have something to do with the film making so much money, wouldn't Gilliam's film be a better gauge as to how much his death would influence the box office? How many people would have seen "The Dark Knight" anyway? By this logic "Dr. parnissus" or whatver it's called (sorry, don't feel like looking it up) must have "Titanic" quaking in its booties to the all-time grossing films list because not only is HEATH LEDGER (RIP) in it, but he's coming off the "SINGING GREATEST PERFORMANCE SINCE THE INVENTION OF PERFORMING" as the Joker.

comment #11

K. Bowen says ...

$157m? I"m still betting the over.

comment #12

Josh Massey says ...

Good lord, it will match the entire gross of Batman Begins in, what, four days?

Oh, and D.Z., was that link an attempt at humor?

comment #13

Dan Revill says ...

Normally I don't give a rip about box office, but if it's to break a record held by Spider-man 3 then I'm all for cheering on this batty movie.

comment #14

romeoisbleeding says ...

I don't think anyone is really too surprised..I had seen estimates up to 175 million. I am wondering one thing.. when they do this figuring for all time box office do they take into account the number of screens the movie is playing on? I am pretty sure this movie was playing on more screens than any movie in history. Any thoughts on this?

comment #15

TalkingPie says ...

D.Z.,
Upon viewing your tasteless, and more importantly, unfunny link, I'd like to suggest having an adult filter for your submission content on future comment pages. I know your Mom's probably busy making you grilled cheese sandwiches, running bath water over your transluscent body, and standing on the front stoop waiting for your truck-drivin' stepfather to come home, but it would be a big favor to me if she could sit in with you the next time you're copying, pasting, and snickering faux brilliance through your moist nose hairs.

comment #16

Chase Kahn says ...

yeah, where's Entropy now???

Practically betting his life that it wouldn't break $250, saying Burton's Batman had more buzz...

And yes, Aladdin Sane: THE DARK KNIGHT was playing on more theaters than any other movie ever released, but I think it was only by 4 theaters. It was like 4,366 ro 4,362...so it's not really a huge difference.

comment #17

Rev. Slappy says ...

I agree, I don't think Heath's death is driving the box office all that much -- the buzz about his performance is. This is going to be a monster hit for Warners. Its quality and word of mouth are going to drive repeat business and also attract people who would normally never see a comic book movie.

comment #18

Rev. Slappy says ...

One more thing: Spider-man 3 did $151 million on the first weekend of May when there was virtually no competition. Mama Mia is going to do close to $30 million this weekend, so what Batman is grossing is even more impressive given the more crowded mid-July field.

comment #19

Balthazar says ...

It's no surprise that the four top non-animated movies of the summer box office are Indy, Iron Man, Hancock and Dark Knight.

We all need our heroes/superheroes, and all four of these films satisfy our need for quality hero entertainment, either by giving us exactly what we crave, or by giving us something a little bit different than we've ever seen before.

You can't deny they all work, in their own way.

comment #20

CinemaPhreek says ...

"It may hit $150 million, but forget anything over that."

Care to revise your statement, sir? Or better yet, stick to just reporting what others better suited to the task have said.

Romeo & Chase - that is only the THEATER count, KNIGHT still is far short on SCREEN count. I can't find the info/link (sure someone has it), but another film still has the record.

comment #21

CinemaPhreek says ...

Chase Kahn - its better than that, Entropy deleted his account sometime last night: "404 Not Found"

comment #22

Balthazar says ...

LOS ANGELES (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 $66.4 million on opening day, Warner Bros. head of distribution Dan Fellman said Saturday.
The movie’s Friday haul surpassed the previous record of $59.8 million set last year by “Spider-Man 3.” “The Dark Knight” might break the opening-weekend record of $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 $18.5 million from midnight screenings, topping the previous high of $16.9 million for “Star Wars: Episode III — The Revenge of the Sith.”
The opening day grosses for “The Dark Knight” far exceeded the full weekend haul of its predecessor, “Batman Begins,” which took in $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.”
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.”
“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.
While critics are taking the film seriously enough to suggest Ledger could be in line for an Academy Award nomination, the action-packed movie also delivers as pure summer movie escapism.
“If you’re worried about mortgage payments and gas prices, when you’re sitting in ‘The Dark Knight’ for two and a half hours, you’re not thinking about any of that stuff,” Dergarabedian said.

comment #23

The Winchester says ...

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SPACE CHIMPS?!?!?!?!?

comment #24

Balthazar says ...

Patrick Warburton can't open 'em like he used to.

Oh, wait, he could NEVER open 'em.

comment #25

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

Thank God we got Paul Dergarabedian's insights...

"Mama Mia is going to do close to $30 million this weekend, so what Batman is grossing is even more impressive given the more crowded mid-July field."

Um, just how many people do you think had to weigh the choice between Batman 6 and Mamma Mia?

comment #26

Chase Kahn says ...

I guess he did bet his Hollywood-Elsewhere life that it wouldn't break $250 domestically...

comment #27

tjfar67 says ...

Rumor has it, people are buying tickets to The Dark Kight and sneeking into Space Chimps......

Just kidding. I know that was stupid......

comment #28

CinemaPhreek says ...

Mgmax - he is even more off base than that: SATC did $57M for it's opening frame going for EXACTLY the same audience against no new big openings.

Which suggests that KNIGHT has chewed up much of MAMA MIA's audience by pulling away most of the older couples as well as the women attracted by the beefcake combo of Ledge and Bale.

Here's another aspect that I don't anyone has comment on: the dark crime thriller tone is a draw for women. Who the fuck do you think buys the vast majority of those type of books? Women are the reason Patterson, Turow, King, Evanovich, Coulter and Koontz all live in very nice houses.

comment #29

D.Z. says ...

Pie: Does someone write those jokes for you, or do you actually waste your life thinking about them?

comment #30

Mjs says ...

"Pie: Does someone write those jokes for you, or do you actually waste your life thinking about them? "

I've often wondered the same thing about you, DZ. Only with you, I'm not sure if they're meant to be jokes or if you're actually being serious with the stupid shit you write.

comment #31

Balthazar says ...

So, what do y'all think -- first gut thought -- for Oscar noms:

-- Art Direction
-- Sound Effects Editing
-- Supporting Actor
-- Costume Design
-- Visual Effects
-- Makeup

I don't think all six of those. ... Maybe 3 or 4 of those categories would be a great haul of nominations.

comment #32

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

"Here's another aspect that I don't anyone has comment on: the dark crime thriller tone is a draw for women. Who the fuck do you think buys the vast majority of those type of books? Women are the reason Patterson, Turow, King, Evanovich, Coulter and Koontz all live in very nice houses."

Well, except at some point it becomes obviously male/fanboyish, and then it's a female turnoff. I think you're right insofar as one reason they replaced a kewpie doll with a more serious and adult-seeming female actress in the main female role was to up the appeal to women. Still, given a noir spectrum with Ashley Judd thrillers at one end and Sin City at the other, any Batman movie is only so far away from the latter end by definition.

comment #33

Mjs says ...

I know a lot of women that really want to see this movie. Including my wife, mother in law, and my own mom. This is going to surpass your typical superhero audience.

I know very few people that don't want to see it.

comment #34

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

Here's something kind of funny. 14 years ago, when I was writing my book The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards (pick one up for 25 cents online!), I talked about the absurd hype for Gone With the Wind before it opened and how everyone took it for granted it would be the greatest movie ever made. (Read Frank Nugent's New York Times review, he reads like he fears lynching if he doesn't say it is.)

And I said, it's impossible to imagine a modern movie, however hyped, being regarded as likely to be one of the greatest of all time before it even opens. And I gave an example of the kind of modern heavily hyped movie I was talking about-- Batman (1989).

14 years later, I guess we're there now.

comment #35

dinovelvet says ...

Balthazar - Why not Best Picture? If The Fugitive and The Sixth Sense can get nominated, then this probably should too. Is there any reason to NOT nominate it?

comment #36

milestogo says ...

I read every page of that book, Mgmax. I still have a beat-up copy somewhere in a closet. You should have a sequel for the past 14 years.

comment #37

Rev. Slappy says ...

Mgmx: When Spider-Man 3 did $150 million last May it was the first big movie of the summer, it was out there pretty much alone. The number two move that week was the Disturbia in its fourth week. Batman is competing with other releases like Mama Mia (which has a huge built in audience since the stage musical has grossed $2 billion and been seen by 30 million people), the second frame for Hellboy and the third weekend for Hancock. My point is Batman is doing incredible business in a much more crowded part of the summer than Spider-Man 3.

comment #38

Balthazar says ...

Full list of superhero films that have been nominated for best picture: (___________)

I guess there's always a time for firsts, but I don't see it happening.

comment #39

dinovelvet says ...

Ya, but The Fugitive was an adaptation of an old tv show, hardly the kind of thing Best Picture nominations are usually made of. And The Sixth Sense a ghost story. Seems to me that after last year's arthouse fest at the Oscars, with No Country, There will be blood, and La vie en rose winning the major statues, which drew a collective "WHO? WHAT?" from the moviegoing public, it might be time to nominate a token blockbuster this year.

comment #40

BurmaShave says ...

Full list of Serial Killer films nominated for Best Picture as of 1990:

Full list of Fantasy films nominated for Best Picture as of 2001:

Just saying. I don't know how the Academy, especially one in ratings trouble, can ignore the phenomenon.

comment #41

BurmaShave says ...

By the way I put those colons in there because I'm not an expert on Academy history and I'm willing to be proven wrong.

Also dinovelvet said it better.

comment #42

D.Z. says ...

Mj: "Only with you, I'm not sure if they're meant to be jokes or if you're actually being serious with the stupid shit you write."

That's your call, I guess.

Slappy: Hellboy isn't really considered competition for TDK.

comment #43

K. Bowen says ...

After last year's Oscar telecast ratings plummet, if they don't nominate The Dark Knight for Best Picture, they are fools.

comment #44

Balthazar says ...

Well, we have a long, long way to go, but I'll be incredibly surprised if Dark Knight gets a Best Picture nomination.

comment #45

cheaplog says ...

In addition to technical categories very difficult to predict (like Art Direction), The Dark Knight has a solid chance for nominations in

Sound Mixing,
Sound Editing which are phenomenal in my opinion.
Cinematography which even BB managed and I guess will have the whole IMAX industry, let's say, interested this time around.
Adapted Screenplay, as writers are the most open minded of the lot (remember Borat?) and the Nolan brothers have already managed it with Memento.
Supporting Actor, totally deserving and possible (when Johnny Depp managed a Lead for a wacky pirate in a Disney film).

I agree that if the Academy has credible reasons to overlook TDK in the Best Picture category (too many high profile pictures or a domestic gross not in the $400Ms) then they will. But don't dismiss the possibility just yet.

comment #46

the sordid sentinel says ...

Finally saw this today. Incredibly well done and entertaining. My favorite moment in TDK..The Joker cackling with glee as he presumably was falling to his death. Ledger knocked that role completely out of the park.

I knew this movie was going to be huge, but the numbers posted here are mind boggling. Nice to see a movie that is actualy good raking in cash for a change.

comment #47

CinemaPhreek says ...

Some interesting patterns among the other films:
http://boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/

While most of the film saw the usual Thursday to Friday uptick in business, INDIANA/SKULL, SATC and HULK all saw declines (and before someone starts talking about release dates and theater counts, notice that IRON also bounced up nearly 10%).

Anecdotal evidence of my women & KNIGHT theory, a friend went to the afternoon screening up in the San Fernando Valley and said that the audience was overwhelmingly female. He thought he was in the wrong theater and had to double check.

comment #48

Ozwitch says ...

Burmashave, to be fair, Fellowship of the Ring was nominated for the 2001 awards, (ceremony of 2002), and it came VERY CLOSE to knocking off A Beautiful Mind for the top gong. Although if it had won I doubt that Peter Jackson would have been showered with the 11 statues he got for ROTK. Anyway.

FOTR also got pretty good critical reviews, and Ian McKellen was nominated for Gandalf, so comparisons are valid I think. What was seen as a niche market became a cultural phenom and suddenly Oscar got interested.

So it's not impossible, although that silly round of neg reviews by NY critics showed that they think TDK is overrated as an Oscar contender.

I've seen worse films win (Crash for example) and it would be a great step into the minds of the gen public for the Academy. But I wouldn't bet on it.

comment #49

Ozwitch says ...

Oh, and by the way Mgmax, I'm an older woman and have been a superhero geek for years. I queued with the X-Men fans on opening night with many other females and yelped and cheered with the rest.

The TDK audience on both sessions I went to was about 50% female with a lot of couples and groups of uni students comprising large numbers of girls, and a surprising number of older women like myself.

comment #50

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

Ozwitch, I understand a heterosexual man or two saw Sex and the City too, that hardly invalidates broad notions of who the movie is for.

comment #51

romeoisbleeding says ...

I think it is safe to say TDK will get a ton of Oscar nominations. And I think a best picture nod is coming for sure. I would not be surprised if the newest Indy gets none and I am hoping very much that Iron Man gets a few Oscar nominations too. Hell if Johnny Depp got nominated why not Heath and Downey too. Totally different movies but they were both the most entertaining movies of the year so far. Isn't that what it is all about? TDK is the darkest version of the Super Hero movie and Iron Man is the significant opposite end of the spectrum... and both are awesome.

comment #52

Balthazar says ...

Folks who think Dark Knight will get a slew of MAJOR nominations are just setting themselves up for disappointment. This is a (great) superhero movie in July. .... There will be five flicks this fall/winter that elbow it out. There just will. Save yourselves the angst.

comment #53

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

Odds are, Balthazar is right. Charlize Theron will play a crippled lesbian union worker who thinks she's Virginia Woolf, and Oscar will go apeshit for it and forget there ever was a Batman 6.

comment #54

Balthazar says ...

I'd actually pay to see that flick, if there's some good lesbian scenes.

comment #55

Ozwitch says ...

Mgmax, it doesn't matter who the movie is made for. Women will decide whether it appeals to them, not you.

In your original point you said that a comic book movie skewed to a male fanboy audience wouldn't attract women. History shows that is wrong, not every time, but enough to preclude stereotyping the audience as you did.

comment #56

NinnyintheTaintbox says ...

I don't think that referring to the THE DARK KNIGHT as Batman 6 is condescending enough. Could we please include the Adam West movie and the two Columbia serials? Batman 9 has that old timey pizzazz! While we're at it, could we start referring to Jim Cameron's Titanic as Titanic 5?

comment #57

CinemaPhreek says ...

"Mgmax, it doesn't matter who the movie is made for. Women will decide whether it appeals to them, not you."

Is there such a thing as love at first read?

Ozwitch, in the immortal, 20th anniversary words of E. de Souza and Stuart "Welcome to the party, pal/"

comment #58

K. Bowen says ...

Five this year? Which ones. Benjamin Button. That's one. And .... ? Burn After Readiing, maybe. And .....? This looks like one of the weaker years in a while.

Although for the record, I've only said they'd be fools not to nominate it. I don't discount their capacity for foolishness.

I mean, with The Dark Knight in the top five on most film critics' end of year lists, with Heath Ledger racking up critics circle awards, is it possible the Academy will ignore it and nominate Defiance or Revolutionary Road in its place? Sure, but then they'll deserve their low ratings.

comment #59

Howlingman says ...

TDK and Ledger's performance will stand the test of time without the validation of an award and ceremony that hasn't been relevant or interesting in years.

comment #60

CinemaPhreek says ...

Ledger will get the nom and the win.

My best film pal, who rarely discusses things-Oscar, put it thus: "When I was watching RAY, I knew Fox would not only get the nomination but would win. I had that same feeling last night."

comment #61

Mjs says ...

Mgmax,

Out of all my coworkers, family, and friends, I don't know a single straight guy that went to see Sex and the City. As I noted earlier, I know of at least a few women that are dying to see The Dark Knight.

Not the same thing at all. This movie is for everybody.

comment #62

Ozwitch says ...

A final comment on the gender distribution by way of Hollywood Reporter's weekend b.o. report:

"Audience demographics for "Dark Knight" were ideally broad. Males represented 52% of patrons, with ticket-buyers evenly split between those under 25 and older moviegoers."

There you go. A critically-acclaimed and commercial success with an audience mostly split between male/female, and over/under 25. How often does that happen eh?

comment #63

janee says ...

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