The Dark Knight has shattered multiple box office records, raking in a staggering $158.4 million over its opening weekend. This figure surpasses the previous record of $151.1 million set by Spider-Man 3.

On Friday, the film grossed an impressive $67.1 million, including midnight showings. Saturday saw a slight dip to $47.6 million, and Sunday maintained strong momentum with $43.5 million. The weekend's total not only broke the non-holiday weekend record but also set a new benchmark for the best-ever Sunday performance.

Initially, Warner Bros. projected the weekend total at $155.3 million, but the final tally exceeded expectations. The film's success was evident from the start, with a record-breaking $18.489 million in midnight previews across 3,040 theaters.

The Dark Knight also set a new standard for IMAX releases, generating $6.214 million in 94 IMAX theaters, with some screenings reaching full capacity. The film's overall performance has been nothing short of spectacular, setting 10 records in total, including the largest number of opening theaters (4,366) and the highest single-day gross ($67.850 million).

In addition to breaking records, The Dark Knight outshone other films at the box office. Universal's Mamma Mia! secured second place with a $27.6 million opening weekend, appealing primarily to a female audience. Other notable performances included Hancock, which added $14 million to its $191.5 million domestic total, and Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, which took in $11.9 million.

The success of The Dark Knight is a testament to the enduring appeal of the Batman franchise and the exceptional storytelling of director Christopher Nolan.

The cinematic landscape trembled as Gotham’s shadowy hero rewrote financial history

with a thunderous $158.4M debut weekend – obliterating benchmarks once deemed untouchable

Friday’s $67.1M volcanic eruption shattered Spider-Man 3’s $59.8M single-day crown

fueled by midnight madness: $18.5M from darkened theaters where fans traded sleep for spectacle

IMAX screens roared with $640K preview earnings – a format revolution pioneered by Nolan’s lens

Six key sequences captured in towering 70mm transformed comic book films into high-art experiments

Saturday’s $47.6M proved stamina beyond typical superhero fare, defying 30% drop predictions

Sunday’s $43.5M sealed the deal, outperforming projections through relentless audience appetite

Warner Bros’ vaulting ambition saw Spider-Man 3’s $151M weekend record reduced to ashes

Non-holiday box office hierarchies crumbled as Bale’s Batman outgunned pirates and wizards alike

Ticketing servers burned white-hot – 15 sales per second at Fandango, 4,000+ sold-out shows nationwide

From Manhattan megaplexes to Bozeman matinees, theaters ran 24/7 marathons to quench demand

Industry skeptics gaped at the PG-13 thriller’s broad reach, its 152-minute runtime no deterrent

Ledger’s chilling swan song magnetized adults while Nolan’s gravitas lured prestige-film crowds

Rotten Tomatoes’ 90% critics’ score fused art-house credibility with popcorn-movie adrenaline

Studio executives privately dreamed of $170M before reality settled on history-making $158.4M

This box office quake redefined franchise potential – darker, longer, riskier narratives now validated

As midnight countdowns faded, Hollywood’s calculus shifted: quality and audacity could trump formula

The clown prince of crime didn’t just break records – he reshaped cinematic economics forever
"The Dark Knight" Shatters Box Office Records with Unprecedented Ticket Sales

Moviegoers are witnessing history as "The Dark Knight" dominates ticket sales across all major platforms. Fandango reports Friday could be their biggest ticket-selling day ever, with the Batman sequel representing an overwhelming 94% of the site's total sales.

MovieTickets.com confirms this phenomenon with over 1,600 sold-out performances nationwide by midday, including 300 in just New York and Los Angeles. The film has already secured the 9th position on MovieTickets.com's all-time pre-sale list, surpassing multiple Spider-Man, Harry Potter, and Pirates of the Caribbean blockbusters.

IMAX screenings are particularly in demand, with Warner Bros. reporting 1,400 of 1,600 available IMAX shows already sold out two days before opening. In New York City, every IMAX screening is booked solid through the weekend, including a 4am Friday showing. Desperate fans can still find seats at a 6:10am screening in New Rochelle.

Industry experts predict "The Dark Knight" will generate approximately $130 million in its opening weekend, potentially placing it third all-time behind only "Spider-Man 3" ($151.1M) and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" ($131.6M). Combined with Universal's "Mamma Mia!" debut and strong holdovers like "Hancock" and "WALL-E," this weekend could set the all-time record for North American box office revenue, surpassing last year's $151+ million benchmark.

The film's appeal spans demographics impressively. A MovieTickets.com survey reveals extraordinary "wannasee" percentages across age groups: 98% for under-24, 92% for 25-34, 78% for 35-44, and 66% for 45-59. Gender interest is similarly strong with 86% of males and 76% of females planning to see the film opening weekend.

Warner Bros. continues attempting to temper expectations, suggesting opening numbers between $90-100 million, below "Iron Man." However, with 4,366 theaters showing the film (an industry record) and approximately 3,000 venues screening midnight showings, the studio's conservative estimates seem increasingly unlikely to hold.

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