ROTTEN TOMATOES: Holy Box-Office, Batman! Dark Knight Makes $66M On Record-Breaking Opening Day

Holy Box-Office, Batman! Dark Knight Makes $66M On Record-Breaking Opening Day

Reports say Batman's latest could overtake records set by Spider-Man 3.

by Jen Yamato | July 19, 2008

With anticipation so high theaters across the country were adding midnight and early a.m. shows to meet demand, Christopher Nolan's Batman sequel The Dark Knight took in an estimated $66.4 million on opening day. If projections are accurate, it could also become the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time.

According to Box Office Mojo and Exhibitor Relations, The Dark Knight recorded the highest-grossing single opening day in history, beating the $59.8 million mark set by previous record holder Spider-Man 3.

The Certified Fresh Dark Knight has already earned the approval of critics (see this week's Critics Consensus column). At 94 percent on the Tomatometer, it is one of the best-reviewed films of the year. This weekend it may also become the rare blockbuster that reaches both critical and commercial success, as three-day estimates have it projected to take in a weekend total of $155 million -- topping previous record holder Spider-Man 3 ($151 million).

Pre-opening projections had The Dark Knight pegged to approach $132 million territory, but Warner Bros.' decision to open in a staggering 4,366 theaters and in higher-priced IMAX showings, exhibitors' move to slot in midnight and early morning screenings, incredibly high buzz generated by stellar reviews and the appeal to fans of attending multiple screenings on opening weekend have contributed to a greater than expected performance. [Check back Sunday for Gitesh Pandya's Box Office Wrapup report.]

Numbers provided by Exhibitor Relations also state that this weekend's overall box office take (combining all films) is expected to gross $250 million. The highest previous weekend was recorded in 2006 when the combined forces of Superman Returns and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest helped to rake in an overall $218 million weekend.

Find more news, reviews, showtimes and movie information at the Dark Knight movie page, watch this week's Review Revue video for our discussion of The Dark Knight and this week's opening films, and check out the Critics Consensus column to find out what exactly the critics are saying about The Dark Knight.

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Movie:	Batman Begins
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Celeb:	Christian Bale
	Christopher Nolan

(1-20 of 147 posts) | Reply

AntonChigurh writes:
on Jul 19 2008 01:54 PM

Bad ***. first.

(Reply to this)

cgcbooks writes:
on Jul 19 2008 02:01 PM

Go TDK

(Reply to this)

Mister_Prophet writes:
on Jul 19 2008 02:16 PM

It's great when a movie like this actually gets the reaction it deserves.

(Reply to this)

Joker_Phantom writes:
on Jul 19 2008 02:29 PM

Spiderman 3 sucks and does not deserve to be the fastest grossing movie ever.

(Reply to this)

the-russian writes:
on Jul 19 2008 02:37 PM

well yeah spidey 3 sucked, but we figured that one out AFTER we paid to see it, right?

(Reply to this)

mariner fan writes:
on Jul 19 2008 02:44 PM

tdk was the best movie ever

(Reply to this)

Lex77 writes:
on Jul 19 2008 02:45 PM

Woot go DK.....

(Reply to this)

FreakyNipples69 writes:
on Jul 19 2008 02:57 PM

I wish all great films got this much respect and privilege and every other POS pulled an epic fail.

In a perfect world...

(Reply to this)

cypress550 writes:
on Jul 19 2008 02:59 PM

great movie the best comic book movie ever deserves to be at the top spot

(Reply to this)

nathanpoitras writes:
on Jul 19 2008 03:00 PM

It would be nice to see an actual good movie hold some records for a change. Nolan's gonna have impossible expectations for the third movie.

(Reply to this)

kaitune writes:
on Jul 19 2008 03:07 PM

If the third Batman is as good as this one (or BETTER), Nolan is just godlike!

(Reply to this)

darfurFTW_rofl_ writes:
on Jul 19 2008 03:07 PM

TDK FTW!!

It deserves this kind of recognition.

(Reply to this)

WarSuxLetsParty writes:
on Jul 19 2008 03:07 PM

i personally hope they don't do a third one.

there is no way in hell they will ever be able to top The Dark Knight.

(Reply to this)

MattBaerFTW writes:
on Jul 19 2008 03:10 PM

****ing awesome

(Reply to this)

cartwrightStuff writes:
on Jul 19 2008 03:10 PM

this is so unfair it hasn't opened in the UK yet and i have to wait another week =(

(Reply to this)

Kokushi writes:
on Jul 19 2008 03:11 PM

#1 in imdp top 250. The Godfather #2, A RIOT is about to start in imdb.

lol

(Reply to this)

The_Duckling writes:
on Jul 19 2008 03:25 PM

BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE EVER!!! After the Godfather Pts 1 and 2, my fave movie of all time. Isn't it kinda funny how the two movies fighting for #1 BO spot of all time are superhero sequels with a flawed hero in a black suit? The main difference between the two is that Spidey 3 sucked ****, and TDK was amazing

(Reply to this)

mberko1 writes:
on Jul 19 2008 03:59 PM

i got a little dick, its pathetic

(Reply to this)

speakeasy87 writes:
on Jul 19 2008 04:07 PM

all i can say is Nolan and everyone else in Dark Knight deserves every bit of glory that comes from all of this

(Reply to this)

Ned Adams writes:
on Jul 19 2008 04:07 PM

The Dark Knight is a cinematic Rohrschach ink blot. What we see in it says as much about us as it does about the movie itself.

(Reply to this)