Can even the surprising news about Christian Bale slow the franchise down now?
Louis Aquiler bought his tickets for the first midnight showing of The Dark Knight two weeks early.
And its a good thing he did.
Credit: Stephen Vaughan
Because by the time the movie opened, they would be selling for $150 onCraigslist.
They stood in front of the mirror and plastered their faces with white makeup.
Hell, they wouldnt even be the first Jokers in line.
This is going to be amazing!
Its going to absolutely rip our faces off!
Or melt them off.
After hours baking in therealGothams heat, Aquilers white facepaint began to bleed.
Which, in his friends opinion, just made him look more likeHeath Ledgers smeared villain.
Aquiler nods: I think this really explains my lack of a girlfriend at the moment.
Meanwhile, executives at Warner Bros., possibly still smarting from their candy-colored crash-and-burnSpeed Racer, downplayed those expectations.
Yes, their movie was opening in a record 4,366 theaters, including nearly 100 IMAX screens.
First came the Thursday midnight grosses: $18.5 million.
Then the rest of Friday: $48.7 million.
Saturday: $47.6 million.
And Sunday: $43.6 million.
It was a surprise, says Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. president of worldwide marketing.
I didnt imagine this would be as huge as it was.
This is one of those things that you cant plan for.
You look at this cast and it could just as easily do Shakespeare as a Batman film.
