If anyone has been to the movie theaters this summer, they have undoubtedly heard that “The Dark Knight,” Warner Brothers’ sixth Batman movie, is the film of the summer.
“The Dark Knight,” which stars Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as the Joker, is directed by Christopher Nolan. It builds on his “Batman Begins,” which took in more than $200 million at the domestic box office for Warner Brothers after opening to a solid, but not spectacular, $49 million in domestic ticket sales in June 2005.
“The Dark Knight” has done considerably better than “Batman Begins,” setting the record for best opening weekend making $155.3 million, just edging out “Spider-Man 3,” which made $151.1 million in its first weekend.
“The Dark Knight,” which has been out since July 18, has become the second movie in Hollywood history to top $500 million at the domestic box office, raising its total to $502.4 million, according to estimates from distributor Warner Bros. The film hit that mark in just over six weeks, half the time it took “Titanic,” which reached $500 million in a little more than three months. “Titanic,” the biggest modern blockbuster, remains No. 1 on the domestic charts with $600.8 million.
Movie experts estimate that “The Dark Knight” will not surpass “Titanic,” but will end earning anywhere from $530-550 million. In my own opinion this film really did give the audience a mix of great action, twists and turns and not to mention good acting. Of course the big talk surrounds Heath Ledgers phenomenal performance as the Joker.
Much of the fan interest has been driven by word of a career-topping performance by the Australian actor who died in January. His interpretation of the Joker has already inspired Oscar talk.
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