The Dark Knight Rises - Nolan's Batman III

The 2012 trilogy-ender for the Dark Knight Saga movies
Worldwide earnings $1,081,041,287 (Feb 2013)
$632,902,188 International. $448,139,099 domestic.
Actual production budget $250 million

Summer box-office damaged by Aurora Theater shooting

DARK KNIGHT RISES Oct 22, 2012: Writer David Lieberman at Deadline Hollywood reports IMAX chief Greg Foster saying the Aurora Theater shooting damaged movie box office.

It seems to CBB that the shooting knee-capped Dark Knight Rises just as the ballyhoo surrounding the premiere was getting underway. The record-setting midnight showings seemed to set up an easy run for DKR into the billion-dollar-plus club, but with the shootings, progress slowed.

As it is, Dark Knight Rises reached the billion mark (Worldwide number $1,077,204,558 Boxoffice mojo) anyway, but the tragic event put an overall damper on summer box office, not just on IMAX showings.

Dark Knight Rises beats "Dark Knight" 2008 numbers

Aug 20, 2012: DKR has pulled in $488.6 million in oversea markets so far, well beyond the domestic market take which at present is at $407.7 million, and beats out the 2008 The Dark Knight which topped out at $469.7 million overseas. With many weeks of theater time left, and opening finally in Italy and China later this week, DKR should easily continue to mount the receipts toward something over the $1 billion mark from combined USA/Domestic/Foreign totals.

Below: Photo of Theater Lobby after the Aurora Shootings (notice the cleared off merchandise tables). Amazing Spider-Man promo still hanging from ceiling.

August 20, 2012: Dark Knight at $898,387,260 worldwide totals

Dark Knight Rises numbers still rising:

The shooting in Aurora knocked a big hole in the earnings trend for this film, but it has recovered considerably since then. DKR is only the third film for 2012 to stay in the lead three weekends in a succession.

$358,660,592 domestic earnings as of Aug 6, 2012

$378,400,000 foreign earnings as of Aug 6, 2012

= Toal $737.1 Millions

The Dark Knight Rises Page

Dark Knight Rises still going strong

Aug 5, 2012: Amazing Spider-Man swung across $250 million USD domestic this weekend, but Nolan's Dark Knight Rises has stayed at the top for the third weekend in a row. This is only the third film for 2012 to stay in the lead three weeks in a succession.

Aftermath of the Shooting at the Aurora Movie Theatre

Daily Mail Screenshot Update July 30, 2012: Many people who survided the Aurora Movie Theater shooting (some wearing casts) have appeared today in Batman t-shirts at the courthouse to attend the second hearing for alleged killer James Holmes.

Update July 25, 2012: Christian Bale has visited the shooting victims and the makeshift memorial at the Aurora movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, USA. Daily Mail UK has the story and plenty of photos.

Warner Bros has contributed money for the benefit of the shooting victims. There was a lot of online rumour for a few days that Warners might pull Dark Knight Rises entirely, and re-release in a few months, but that idea seems to have been scrapped.

Initially news reports on the shooting were heavily connecting Dark Knight Rises/Batman with the event, but stories since have shifted into psychiatric focused discussions of the alleged killer James Holmes, thus the negative-branding effect on Nolan's film and the entire Batman franchise is quickly decreasing. You can only imagine the fear on a corporate level that must have been in play following the first news reports. "Batman" has been a billion-dollar merchandising and entertainment property for Warners, and tarnishing that was (and is, if a copy-cat killer were to act, or if it were to be revealed Holmes is a devoted Batman fan) a frightening possibility.

Holmes himself is in police-custody and his mental condition is being debated in the media. It was found that a package with notes describing a plan for a shooting attack (illustrated with stick people being shot by a stick figure holding a weapon) was mailed from a return address supposedly Holmes' own, intended for a University of Colorado professor who treated people via a psychiatric outpatient facility. The man had not received the envelope, apparently the package languishing in the University mailroom. Whether the package could have been received earlier than the Aurora Theatre attack is not known.

"Killer Finale" - Entertainment Weekly DKR Covers

Bad timing for the enthusiastic Entertainment Weekly headline on the cover of their July 20, 2012 issue "KIller Finale."

Here it comes: Dark Knight Rises

Update July 20: In the wake of the Aurora movie theater shootings in Colorado, in which at least 13 people seated for a midnight screening of Dark Knight Returns were killed, the question arises whether this will slow down the DKR opening weekend juggernaut.

Dark Knight Rises is already at $68.4 million worldwide, with $28 million from midnight screenings, which beats out the Avengers Records.

MANY opening night theaters sold out, and tickets going for up to $150

The Wall Street Journal/Smart Money Blog reports on the demand for opening night tickets for Dark Knight Rises pushing up scalping prices to ranges of $150:

"As we reported earlier this year, some theaters introduced and swiftly sold out of IMAX tickets for the movie in January. In recent weeks, theaters in various markets reported even more sold-out midnight showings for regular and IMAX showings of “The Dark Knight Rises.” The allure: getting to see the movie first and in the company of other avid, and possibly costumed, fans. "

Nikki Finke is reporting that there are already $25+ million USD in ticket sales for the Thursday midnight opening across North America. Regarding the inevitable question, though:

"...can The Dark Knight Rises beat Marvel’s The Avengers in weekend grosses and records? Some moguls are telling me no, some moguls are telling me yes."

Fandango has reported that online ticket sales for Dark Knight Returns is constituting some 91%+ of their sales going into the weekend. They're also showing off the new IMAX BANE DKR poster.

Fandango would also be delighted to sell you some DKR tickets: The Dark Knight Rises tickets now on sale.

Another Bane Poster: "Control Your City"

The Dark Knight Rises Advance Tickets from Fandango.

Dark Knight Rises, Imax Theater, Washington DC

Dark Knight Rises Smithsonian Air and Space Imax

Getting ready for Dark Knight Rises: inside the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, their Imax Theater (above). Below is the lobby area of the museum showing off Soviet missiles.

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

July 2012: Empire Magazine Batman Dark Knight Covers

June 2012: Anne Hathaway Catwoman Promo Poster

A United Kingdom poster image

More Dark Knight Rises Promo images

June 22, 2012: Catwoman Promo Art for Dark Knight Rises

More Anne Hathaway promo pieces for Dark Knight Rises

June 2012: New Dark Knight Rises Trailer

"Your wife said you were taking a cab..."

May 2012: Batman Dark Knight Rises Posters

Dark Knight Rises Page

Dark Knight Rises Catwoman Anne Hathaway

JULY 2012

Dark Knight Rises Poster

Dark Knight Rises

A teaser-trailer is now out, attached to the last Harry Potter film (Deathly Hallows II). Cast for the Chris Nolan film 'Dark Knight Rises: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Liam Neeson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Juno Temple, Michael Caine, Matthew Modine

Dark Knight Rises