‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Passes $100 Million In IMAX – Second Film To Do So

Closely following the news that the exhilarating finale to Christopher Nolan’s Batman saga has reached the $1 billion milestone, IMAX and Warner Bros have just announced that ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ has passed the $100 million global box office mark in 557 IMAX theatres worldwide after its 7th week of release. As of September 3rd, the third and final Dark Knight film reached a total of $65.1 million from 332 IMAX screens in the US and $37.3 million from 225 IMAX screens internationally. These figures include box office receipts from China, which began playing ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ on August 27th in 75 IMAX theatres. ”The Dark Knight Rises: The IMAX Experience” is still playing in IMAX theatres worldwide. For full theatre locations and showtimes head on over to IMAX.com/Theatres. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ represents the second IMAX DMR® film to cross this $100 million milestone, after James Cameron’s ‘Avatar.’

For the previous film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, ’The Dark Knight,’ Nolan was the first filmmaker to use IMAX cameras in a major motion picture release. Nolan employed the extremely high-resolution cameras even more extensively on “The Dark Knight Rises: The IMAX Experience” – including the film’s gripping prologue – incorporating a record of more than an hour of footage filmed with IMAX cameras. These specific sequences, which expand to fill the entire screen exclusively in IMAX, deliver unprecedented crispness and clarity and a truly immersive experience for moviegoers. ’The Dark Knight Rises’ sees Christian Bale returning to the dual role of Bruce Wayne and Batman alongside series regulars Commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and Alfred (Michael Caine). Newcomers to Nolan’s Batman saga include Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s John Blake, Marion Cotillard’s Miranda Tate, Matthew Modine’s Foley, Ben Mendelsohn’s Daggett, and Tom Hardy’s dastardly, physically imposing and oddly charismatic villain, Bane.

Once the credits started to roll after the final scene in ‘The Dark Knight’ – the visually stunning montage scene featuring Gordon’s epic “he’s the hero Gotham deserves” monologue, capped off with that last beautiful shot of Christian Bale’s Batman on his Bat-pod going off in the distance – a third instalment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman series had been sitting gloriously and comfortably at the top of my “most anticipated film” list. The screenplay for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, from a story by the Nolan’s and David S. Goyer. Based upon the characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Jim Gordon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, and Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate. Matthew Modine, Daniel Sunjata, Christopher Judge, Ben Mendelsohn, Juno Temple, Aidan Gillen, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Josh Pence, Daniel Sunjata, Nestor Carbonell, Tom Conti, Joey King, Brett Cullen, Chris Ellis, Josh Stewart, Christopher Judge, Adam Rodriguez and Rob Brown co-star. My interviews for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ can be read here: Christian Bale interview #1, Christian Bale interview #2, Christopher Nolan interview #1, Christopher Nolan interview #2, Anne Hathaway interview #1, Anne Hathaway interview #2, Gary Oldman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt joint interview, and finally Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman joint interview.

It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Returning to the main cast, Oscar® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) reprises the role of Lucius Fox.

The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

Behind the scenes, “The Dark Knight Rises” reunites the director with several of his longtime collaborators, all of whom worked together on the “The Dark Knight.” The creative team includes director of photography Wally Pfister, who recently won an Oscar® for his work on Nolan’s “Inception”; production designer Nathan Crowley; editor Lee Smith; and Oscar®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). In addition, Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, who both won Oscars® for the effects in “Inception,” supervised the visual and special effects, respectively. The music is composed by Oscar® winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”).

In helming the film, Christopher Nolan is utilizing IMAX® cameras even more extensively than he did on “The Dark Knight,” which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was partially shot with IMAX cameras. The locations span three continents and include the American cities of Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles, as well as sites in India, England and Scotland.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures. Slated for release beginning July 20, 2012, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.