Just past the stroke of midnight, Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Dark Knight broke the record for a 12:01 a.m. film opening, earning an unprecedented $18,489,000 at the box office, it was announced today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. That total does not include the grosses from the subsequent 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. showings.
The 12:01 a.m. grosses soared past the previous record of $16.9 million, which had been held by Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith since May of 2005. The Dark Knight also surpassed Warner Bros. Pictures’ own studio record for midnight showings, previously held by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “We have been thrilled by the response to ‘The Dark Knight,’ first from the critics and now from audiences. From our earliest screenings, the buzz on the film has been white hot and it hasn’t let up. Now that the opening weekend is here, we are very excited to finally share ‘The Dark Knight’ with moviegoers nationwide.”
