[78][79] The cameras used for non-IMAX 35 mm scenes were Panavision's Panaflex Millennium XL and Platinum. [101] Environmentalists also criticized the filmmakers' request to tenants of the waterfront skyscrapers to keep their lights on all night to enhance the cinematography, describing it as a waste of energy. [169], The Dark Knight is the highest-grossing film of 2008, the second-highest-grossing superhero film, the second-highest-grossing film based on comics, and the fourth-highest-grossing North American film of all time. [256] Meanwhile, Michael B. Jordan named Ledger's performance as an influence for the former's portrayal of Killmonger, the villain in Black Panther. [13] The Batpod is steered by shoulder instead of hand, and the rider's arms are protected by sleeve-like shields. [134], Warner Bros. devoted six months to an anti-infringement strategy that involved tracking the people who had a pre-release copy of the film at any one time. [140], In the United States and Canada, The Dark Knight was distributed to 4,366 theaters, breaking the previous record for the highest number of theaters held by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in 2007. [121] On October 31, 2007, the film's website morphed into another scavenger hunt with hidden messages, instructing fans to uncover clues at certain locations in major cities throughout the United States, and to take photographs of their discoveries. [96] ", "What's Up With Batman's Voice in 'The Dark Knight'? [112], Costume designer Lindy Hemming described the Joker's look as reflecting his personality, in that "he doesn't care about himself at all"; she avoided designing him as a vagrant, but still made him appear to be "scruffier, grungier", so that "when you see him move, he's slightly twitchier or edgy". [157] The weekend per theater average of $36,283 stands as the fifth-largest of all time. [247] Reviewing the film in The Sunday Times, Cosmo Landesman reached the opposite conclusion to Klavan, arguing that The Dark Knight "offers up a lot of moralistic waffle about how we must hug a terroristâokay, I exaggerate. [233] The BD/iTunes version presents the film in a variable aspect ratio, with the IMAX sequences framed in 1.78:1, while scenes filmed in 35 mm are framed in 2.40:1. & Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Bat-Manga! The Joker gives Dent a gun and convinces him to seek revenge for Rachel's death, then destroys the hospital and escapes with a busload of hostages. Roger Ebert noted, "Throughout the film, [the Joker] devises ingenious situations that force Batman, Commissioner Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent to make impossible ethical decisions. This entry, unlike the previous ones, can only apply to … The defunct Van Buren Street post office doubles as Gotham National Bank for the opening bank robbery. [227][228] In a question-and-answer session that followed the announcement, the Academy's then president Sidney Ganis said; "I would not be telling you the truth if I said the words Dark Knight did not come up. 6 talking about this. By Andy Behbakht Published Mar 07, 2021 Share Share Tweet Email Home > Batman > The Dark Knight > Quotes « Movie Details The Dark Knight 94% PG-13,152 min. Each of these segments, written by Josh Olson, David S. Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg, and Alan Burnett, presents its own distinctive artistic style, paralleling numerous artists collaborating in the same DC Universe. Before he can, however, Dent announces that he is Batman. [186][187] In 2009, Paste magazine named it one of "The 50 Best Movies of the Decade (2000â2009)", ranking it at No.11. [126] Also on July 8, 2008, the studio released Batman: Gotham Knight, a direct-to-DVD animated film, set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and featuring six original stories, directed by Bruce Timm, co-creator and producer of Batman: The Animated Series, and starring veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy. [102] Cinematographer Wally Pfister found the Chinese government officials âwho wanted to limit helicopter activity over the cityâ a "nightmare", and ultimately Nolan had to create Batman's jump from a skyscraper digitally. "[263] Nick Pope of Esquire accused The Dark Knight of encouraging future superhero films "to take [themselves] far too seriously. [91] Noticeably, unlike Batman Begins, less CGI was used to disguise Chicago. Batman: The Dark Knight was a cancelled action - stealth game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by Pandemic Studios from September 2006 until its cancellation in October 2008. [108], The film introduces the Batpod, which is a recreation of the Batcycle. Designed to be an alternative vehicle to Batman’s Tumbler for both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, the bike quickly caught the imaginations of fans near and far. Most notable among the nominations were Heath Ledger's almost complete sweep of over twenty awards for acting, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor â Motion Picture, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. ", "Why So Seriously Good? "[113] In creating the "anarchical" look of the Joker, Hemming drew inspiration from such countercultural pop culture artists as Pete Doherty, Iggy Pop, and Johnny Rotten. He praised the performances, direction, and writing, saying the film "redefine[s] the possibilities of the comic-book movie. Dent is taken into protective custody, but the Joker appears and attacks the convoy. [195] The vocalization of Christian Bale's Batman (which was partly altered during post-production) was the subject of particular criticism by some commentators, with David Edelstein from NPR describing Bale delivering his performance with "a voice that's deeper and hammier than ever." There are no shades of gray to himâmaybe shades of purple. Confidently directed, dark, brooding, and packed with impressive action sequences and a complex story, The Dark Knight includes a career-defining turn from Heath Ledger as well as other Oscar worthy performances, TDK remains not only the best Batman movie, but comic book movie ever created. [242], According to David S. Goyer, the primary theme of The Dark Knight is escalation. "[68] Nolan reiterated to IGN, "We never wanted to do an origin story for the Joker in this film", because "the arc of the story is much more Harvey Dent's; the Joker is presented as an absolute. The Joker escapes with Lau, whom he later kills along with the Chechen. He bursts in just as he did in the comics. [68] A theatrical teaser was also released with non-IMAX showings of I Am Legend, and also on the official website. Which Year is Your Highest Rated on IMDb (1980-2014)? In Batman #108, the Dark Knight just tried to use Matches Malone against the Unsanity Collective, only for the plan to fall apart almost immediately since these villains weren't fooled by the identity in the slightest. [69] Nolan also cited Heat as "sort of an inspiration" for his aim "to tell a very large, city story or the story of a city": "If you want to take on Gotham, you want to give Gotham a kind of weight and breadth and depth in there. And in 2008, Christian Bale's Batman found his in Heath Ledger's demented dervish, the Joker. [118] The gauntlets have retractable razors which can be fired. [142], The Dark Knight earned $534.9 million in North America and $469.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $1 billion. At its heart, however, is a long and tedious discussion about how individuals and society must never abandon the rule of law in struggling against the forces of lawlessness. [109] Crowley built a prototype in Nolan's garage, before six months of safety tests were conducted. The rider lies belly down on the tank, which can move up and down to dodge any incoming gunfire that Batman may encounter. It premiered in 20 other territories on 4,520 screens, grossing $41.3 million in its first weekend. The Joker threatens a string of murders unless Batman reveals his identity, and starts by killing Police Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb and Judge Surrillo, who is presiding over the mob trial. Written by Both the civilians and the prisoners refuse to kill each other, while Batman apprehends the Joker after a brief fight. "Gotham is in chaos. "[191] BBC critic Mark Kermode, in a positive review, said that Ledger is "very, very good" but that Oldman's turn is "the best performance in the film, by a mile"; Kermode felt Oldman was deserving of an Oscar nomination. Cryptozoic Entertainment is raising funds for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - The Game on Kickstarter! This corruption, this decay in the texture of the look itself. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. The terrible logic of human error is another theme as well. [9] In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The Dark Knight won two awards: Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger and Best Sound Editing. It was constructed from 200 individual pieces of rubber, fiberglass, metallic mesh, and nylon. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing 55-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the It was difficult simulating fire on Eckhart because it is inherently unrealistic for only half of something to burn. What was the purpose of each step in the bullet/fingerprint analysis. "[264] Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter disagreed, saying the true lesson is "comic book characters are malleable. Batman's struggle against The Joker becomes deeply personal, forcing him to "confront everything he believes" and improve his technology to stop him. [161] It achieved the largest Sunday gross with $43.6 million[149] and the largest opening week from Friday to Thursday with $238.6 million (both records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers). ", "Great America Getting New 'Dark Knight' Coaster Next Year", "Mattel on Board for Speed Racer & The Dark Knight", "The Dark Knight Torrent Used To Mess With Hollywood", "Batman almost got an open-world game 3 years before Arkham City", "WB to Re-Release The Dark Knight Jan. 23", "Sixth 'Harry Potter' Posts Franchise-Best Opening Day", "Movies With the Widest Openings at the Box Office", "Batman beats Spidey with $158.4 mil haul", "Biggest Opening Weekends at the Box Office", "Single Day Records: Highest Grossing Sundays at the Box Office", "Biggest Opening Weeks at the Box Office", "Top Movies Opening Grosses After 3-Days in Release", "Fastest Movies to Hit $100 Million at the Box Office", "Top Grossing Movies in Their 2nd Weekend at the Box Office", "BIGGEST WEEKENDS Aggregated Top 12 Weekend Totals, 1982âPresent", "DOMESTIC GROSSES Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation", "Titanic (1997) â Weekend Box Office Results", "The 50 Best Movies of the Decade (2000â2009)", "Film Critics Pick the Best Movies of the Decade", "The best films of 2008... and there were a lot of them", "The Dark Knight-Showdown in Gotham Town", "100 greatest movies, TV shows, and more", "Mark Kermode reviews 'The Dark Knight' â BBC 5 Live", "The Dark Knight reviewed by Mark Kermode", "Christian Bale's Batman: Was The Voice Ridiculous? He said the film's mood is one of "constant climax," and that it feels rushed and far too long. Zimmer compared its style to that of Kraftwerk, a band from his native Germany, as well as bands like the Damned. [182] The Dark Knight appeared on 287 critics' top-ten lists, more than any other film of 2008 with the exception of WALL-E, and more critics (77) named The Dark Knight the best film released that year. Those who sent photos were mailed a copy of a fictional newspaper called The Gotham Times, whose electronic version led to the discovery of numerous other websites. Joshua Harto plays Coleman Reese, an M&A law accountant at Wayne Enterprises who deduces Bruce's persona of Batman from Fox and plans to reveal it to Gotham. [234] The DVD versions feature the entire film framed in a uniform 2.40:1 aspect ratio. ‘Batman: The Dark Knight’ by Tom Taylor and Andy Kubert Debuts Tuesday, April 13 Batman Goes International in An All-New Miniseries This April! [110], Nolan designed Dent's scarred appearance in the film as one of the least disturbing, explaining, "When we looked at less extreme versions of it, they were too real and more horrifying. "[90] Production of The Dark Knight in Chicago generated $45 million in the city's economy and created thousands of jobs. Additional IMAX shots throughout the film that are presented in 1.78:1 on the Blu-ray release are not, however, included in the DVD's special features. They were thugs, but there was a kind of order. When you have Gary Oldman, who's one of our greatest actors, and he's in awe of what Heath was doing, it showed what a performance Heath was giving. [68] He also chose to compress the overall storyline, allowing him to develop Dent into a criminal in The Dark Knight, thus giving the film an emotional arc the unsympathetic Joker could not offer. [228], Several critics have noted that later films imitated The Dark Knight's dark and gritty tone. Isn't It Obvious? Batman comes to Dent's rescue and Gordon, who faked his death, apprehends the Joker, securing a promotion to Commissioner. [99] A similar incident occurred during the filming in Chicago, when an abandoned Brach's candy factory (which was Gotham Hospital in the film) was demolished. "[180] Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating based on reviews from top mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim. [74] In August 2006, one of the film's producers, Charles Roven, stated that its principal photography would begin in March 2007,[75] but filming was pushed back to April. The site's critical consensus reads, "Dark, complex and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga. [88], Pinewood Studios, near London, was the primary studio space used for the production. [54] United States Senator Patrick Leahyâa fan of Batman comics who was previously an extra in the 1997 film Batman & Robin and also was a guest voice actor on Batman: The Animated Seriesâappears as a guest at Bruce Wayne's party. [4][5] The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. Several sequences, including one car chase, were shot on the lower level of Wacker Drive. [158] It sold an estimated 22.37 million tickets during its first weekend with 2008's average admission of $7.08, meaning the film sold more tickets than Spider-Man 3, which sold 21.96 million with the average price of $6.88 in 2007. "[229], A British-American production, the film was nominated for the 2009 Goya Award for Best European Film. The new cowl was modeled after a motorcycle helmet and separated from the neck piece, allowing Bale to turn his head left and right and nod up and down. You can almost imagine what he smells like. [218] In 2019, the film was ranked 15th on Time Out's list of the "100 best movies of all time" list,[219] and was included in The Guardian's list of "The 100 best films of the 21st century". He has no motive, no orders, and no desires but to cause havoc and "watch the world burn". [24] Christopher had Jonathan watch Fritz Lang's 1933 crime film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse prior to writing the Joker,[63][64] with the Joker resembling Mabuse's characteristics. [165] Finally, it achieved the largest second-weekend gross (a record first surpassed by Avatar). [217] Film critic Barry Norman included The Dark Knight in his ranking of the greatest 100 films of all time. Batman persuades Gordon to hold him responsible for the killing spree and preserve Dent's heroic image. All IMAX theaters showing The Dark Knight were sold out for the opening weekend. [253][254][255] For example, director Ryan Coogler cited The Dark Knight's depiction of Gotham City as a partial inspiration for the representation of Wakanda in the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther. From the revolutionary 2008 blockbuster: The Dark Knight. Batman arrives at the site but realizes that the Joker sent him to Dent's location instead. [189] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote, "Pitched at the divide between art and industry, poetry and entertainment, it goes darker and deeper than any Hollywood movie of its comic-book kind. Nestor Carbonell appears as Anthony Garcia, the mayor of Gotham. ISIS is the Joker. An old Brach's factory was used as Gotham Hospital. The Dark Knight is perhaps the most powerful exploration of guilt the modern American blockbuster has given us. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows â Part 2, Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time, List of accolades received by The Dark Knight, Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor â Motion Picture, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, "Academy Awards Database â ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE, 2008", "Dark Knight: Christian Bale: Batman/Bruce Wayne", "A Director Confronts Darkness and Death", "IESB Exclusive: Heath Ledger Talks the Joker!