Christopher Nolan's final "Batman" pic opens at 12:01 a.m. Thursday in North America; pre-release tracking suggests the Warner Bros. movie will score the biggest opening of all time for a non-3D title.
Christopher Nolan's_brooding and acclaimed Batman trilogy is going out in style.
Pre-release tracking for The Dark Knight Rises is so big that the movie should have no trouble besting the $158.4 million opening of The Dark Knight_to score the best domestic debut of all time for a 2D pic. The next big question: Just how high will the number end up?_
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From Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, Dark Knight Rises_has already racked up $25 million in advance ticket sales, one of the best numbers of all time and underscoring the keen interest in the film, which returns Christian Bale_in the title role. Newcomers to Nolan's blockbuster franchise include villain Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway_and Marion Cottilard. Returning alongside Bale are Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and_Morgan Freeman. Liam Neeson, who starred in Batman Begins, also is featured.
One veteran box office observer believes Dark Knight Rises_could debut in the $185 million to $195 million range; Warners insiders say $170 million is a good starting point. "Anything above that is going into unknown territory," one insider said.
Earlier this summer, Disney and Marvel's The Avengers_posted the biggest three-day opening of all time at the domestic box office when grossing $207.4 million. The No. 2 opening of all time belongs to__Warners'_Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which grossed_$169.2 million.
Both those films had the advantage of being released in 3D; roughly $35 million of the opening weekend gross for Avengers_came from the 3D upcharge.
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There are several factors that could prevent Dark Knight Rises from reaching the level of Avengers, even though some think it could. One is the fact that Dark Knight Rises_isn't being released in 3D. Another is the film's lengthy running time of 243 minutes._
On the flip side, Dark Knight Rises_is getting the widest Imax release of all time, or 330 theaters. Nolan is a big fan of Imax, and shot more than an hour of the film with Imax cameras. Insiders expect Imax grosses for Dark Knight Rises_to eclipse the record-breaking $15.3 million earned by Avengers.
Dark Knight Rises_will have a massive footprint overall. By Friday morning, the pic will be playing in roughly 4,400 locations nationwide, virtually on par with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which enjoyed the widest release of all time with a theater count of 4,468.
Dark Knight_earned $18.4 million in midnight grosses, while Avengers_grossed $18.7 million.
Overseas, Dark Knight Rises_opens day and date in a number of territories, including the UK.
On the plus side I'll avoid all the opening weekend annoying families and their offspring.
