The long awaited Batman sequel “The Dark Knight,” broke box office and local movie theater records when it flew into cinemas across the United States, collecting more than $155.3 million in it’s opening weekend, said Pat O’Boyle, the promotions and marketing manager for NCG Cinemas, 2500 Showtime Dr. in Lansing.
Tickets for the show, which were available to order three weeks prior to Thursday’s midnight showing, were sold out on all 17 screens it was playing on at NCG Cinemas and on all five screens it was showing on at Celebration! Cinema, 200 E. Edgewood Blvd. in Lansing.
“That was a new record for us,” O’Boyle said.
“We have 18 screens in total, and have never shown a single movie on that many screens at once.”
The movie also broke additional box office records including biggest single day gross sales and biggest Friday gross sales pulling in more than $67 million nationwide that day, O’Boyle added.
The movie’s record-breaking numbers however, did not come as a surprise to Susan Woods, director of the East Lansing Film Festival, who said the success of 2005’s “Batman Begins,” was one reason people flocked to the theaters over the weekend.
In order to accommodate the large crowds that came to see “The Dark Knight” on opening night, both theaters added additional showings of the movie through the early hours of Friday morning.
“There was such a strong demand to see it on opening night, we had shows playing until 4 a.m. that were all sold out,” said Dan Boyer, the general manager for Celebration! Cinema.
The IMAX theater at Celebration! Cinema was especially popular, Boyer said, as some die-hard fans dressed in movie-related costumes, and waited outside the theater hours prior to midnight on opening night.
“People started lining up outside during Thursday afternoon for all showings, including the IMAX showings,” Boyer said. “I think people came early for the experience of being around other fans, and for the quality experience IMAX has to offer.”
“There is always a big movie every summer, and for this summer, this was it,” he added.
In addition, Woods said the death of actor Heath Ledger, who played The Joker in the film, prior to the movie’s release also played a part in drawing such large crowds.
“There has been a constant buzz about the movie since (Ledger’s) death,” Woods said.
“The movie not only attracted those that are Batman fans, but also those that were curious to see the last role he would play and show a final insight on his life.”
Michael Murphy, a 2008 MSU graduate, said although he had not seen the movie yet, Ledger’s death has little impact on his decision to see it.
“I think (Ledger’s death) broadens the scope of people that may want to see it,” Murphy said.
“People who are not necessarily a comic book or Batman fan, but maybe a Heath Ledger fan, would want to go see it.”
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