$100M+ expected box office opening for Dark Knight
July 17, 2008 – 2:29 pmThe Hollywood Reporter expects a likely $100 million dollar opening for The Dark Knight. In an article via Reuters, the film is opening in 9,200 screens in North America, including 94 IMAX venues:
Nolan shot long segments using Imax-format cameras — and most of those giant-screen auditoriums were sold out by midweek. A Warners exec estimated that Imax presales totaled $3.5 million, with advance ticketing for other venues adding considerably to that total.
The box office projection would put The Dark Knight below the record $151.1 million Spider-Man 3 opening, but above this summer’s Iron Man, which opened to $102.1 million.
UPDATE 1: Toronto-based Cineplex Entertainment Theaters reports advance tickets sales for The Dark Knight have reached record levels close to $1 million. Ellis Jacob, President and CEO for Cineplex Entertainment, said, “Advance ticket sales for The Dark Knight have been unprecedented, breaking all previous records for pre-sales. In the week prior to its opening, we saw a surge in advance ticket sales and have scheduled additional screenings across the country to meet guest demand.”
UPDATE 2: The high box office projection could also mean The Dark Knight “will be a game-changer for IMAX.” Hollywood.com reports:
[A competing studio exec] believes that the IMAX scenes look spectacular, but also shooting in the big camera format will add to the movie’s “playability.” That is his way of saying that an above average number of moviegoers may see The Dark Knight twice.
UPDATE 3: The Wall Street Journal reaffirms the expected $100M+ box office, but beating the Spider-Man 3 record would be a “tall order.” The article is accompanied by a short scene from the film on Batman’s “limits” (which apparently are none).
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