3:56 pm - 06/28/2012
"The Dark Knight Rises" doesn't come out for three weeks, but the film is already tracking to open with as much as $150 million in ticket sales, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday.
Considering "The Dark Knight Rises" has 21 promotional days remaining, the film could potentially reach the opening weekend record that "Marvel's The Avengers" set earlier this year.
Not that you'd be totally surprised: "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan's 2008 Batman film, earned $158.4 million during its opening weekend, a record which stood until "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" broke it last summer. "Marvel's The Avengers" surpassed "Potter's" record when it earned $207.4 million during its opening weekend in May.
Of course, should "The Dark Knight Rises" top "The Avengers," it would be quite impressive because of what the film has working against its success. Unlike "The Avengers," the Batman finale will not be available in 3D, which adds an additional charge to movie tickets. Nolan's film is also rumored to run for two hours and 45 minutes, more than 20 minutes longer than "The Avengers"; the longer a film, the less showtimes it can squeeze into a given day.
For more on the early "Dark Knight Rises" tracking numbers, head over to the Los Angeles Times. "The Dark Knight Rises" is out in theaters on July 20.
Source
'Dark Knight Rises' Box Office: Batman Could Be Bigger Than 'The Avengers'
"The Dark Knight Rises" doesn't come out for three weeks, but the film is already tracking to open with as much as $150 million in ticket sales, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday.
Considering "The Dark Knight Rises" has 21 promotional days remaining, the film could potentially reach the opening weekend record that "Marvel's The Avengers" set earlier this year.
Not that you'd be totally surprised: "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan's 2008 Batman film, earned $158.4 million during its opening weekend, a record which stood until "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" broke it last summer. "Marvel's The Avengers" surpassed "Potter's" record when it earned $207.4 million during its opening weekend in May.
Of course, should "The Dark Knight Rises" top "The Avengers," it would be quite impressive because of what the film has working against its success. Unlike "The Avengers," the Batman finale will not be available in 3D, which adds an additional charge to movie tickets. Nolan's film is also rumored to run for two hours and 45 minutes, more than 20 minutes longer than "The Avengers"; the longer a film, the less showtimes it can squeeze into a given day.
For more on the early "Dark Knight Rises" tracking numbers, head over to the Los Angeles Times. "The Dark Knight Rises" is out in theaters on July 20.
Source
So hype has been building since 2008, but as you say, obviously the word of mouth after it opened was what really got it going.