The Dark Knight:

The Dark Knight:

Plot synopsis:

Batman raises his stakes in this brand new feature film ‘The Dark Knight. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordan and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman’s goal is to destroy the remaining criminal organisations located along the city streets. Their partnership proves effective, however, they soon realise that a reign of chaos has been allowed to run riot by a criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens as ‘The Joker.’

Certification, Director, Location and Box Office (Gross)

The film was rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace. Christopher Nolan directed the film ‘The Dark Knight.’ Previous films which he has directed were ‘Memento (2005), Insomnia (2002), Batman Begins (2005) and Inception (2010). The Dark Knight was mainly filmed in Chicago as well as several other locations in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Christopher Nolan used an IMAX camera to film a number of scenes, including the Jokers first appearance in the movie. The film also had a massive box office success, setting the record for the highest grossing weekend opening in the United States of America with over $158 million and becoming the fourth highest grossing film of all time.

Production:

The production companies were Warner Brother Pictures in association with Legendary pictures and as A Syncopy Production. Warner Brothers officially announced commencement of production for the sequel to Batman Begins titled ‘The Dark Knight.’ Christopher Nolan explains how this is the first Batman film without the word ‘Batman’ in its title. After Heath Ledgers death on January 22^nd 2008, Production Company Warner Brothers decided to adjust its promotional focus on The Joker, modifying some of its websites originally dedicated to promoting the film by posting a memorial tribute to Heath Ledger on the official films website.

Distributors:

The company which distributed The Dark Knight was also Warner Brother Pictures. The company devoted six months to an anti-piracy strategy which involved tracking down people who had pre released a copy of the film. In both the United States of America and Canada, the film was distributed in 4,366 theatres, breaking the previous record for the highest number of theatres which was held by Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End in 2007. The number of theatres which the film was distributed in was also shown in 94 IMAX theatres, with the film estimated to play on 9,200 screens. What is more, is that the online ticket service sold an vast amount of tickets for approximately 3,000 midnight showings as well as the day time showings for the films opening day. Every IMAX theatre that the film was distributed was also sold out on its opening weekend. Due to the massive box office success, Warner Brother Pictures decided to re-release the film in traditional and IMAX theatres in the United States of America on January 23^rd 2009, in order to increase their chance of the film winning an Oscar.

Consumption:

In the United Kingdom the film had combined sales of 513,000 units on its first day of release, of which 21% were Blu-Ray Discs. The film topped the highest number of Blu-Ray Discs sold on its first day of release. However, in the United States of America it also set a sales record for the most DVD sales on its first day, selling 3 million copies on DVD, 600,000 of which were on Blu-Ray Discs.