Fanmade Films 4 Wiki
in: Films, 2000s films, 2008 films,
and 2 more

The Dark Knight

Sign in to edit
The Dark Knight 2008 poster 14

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the second installment of Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale and supported by Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. In the film, Bruce Wayne / Batman (Bale), Police Lieutenant James Gordon (Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart) form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City, but are menaced by an anarchistic mastermind known as the Joker (Ledger), who seeks to undermine Batman's influence and throw the city into anarchy.

Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Harvey Dent's origin. The "Dark Knight" nickname was first applied to Batman in Batman #1 (1940), in a story written by Bill Finger. 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. The film was the first mainstream feature to partially utilize IMAX 70 mm cameras, with Nolan using them for 28 minutes of the film, including the Joker's first appearance. Warner Bros. initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screenshots of Ledger as the Joker. Ledger died on January 22, 2008, some months after he completed filming and six months before the film's release, leading to attention from the press and movie-going public.

Considered one of the best films of its decade and one of the best superhero films of all time, the film received critical praise for its screenplay, visual effects, musical score, themes, performances (particularly Ledger), cinematography, action sequences and direction. The film also set numerous records during its theatrical run. 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. With over $1 billion in revenue, it became the fourth-highest-grossing film at the time, and the highest-grossing film of 2008, it also set the record for highest-grossing domestic opening with $158 million, a record it held for three years. At the 81st Academy Awards, the film received eight nominations, it won the award for Best Sound Editing and Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor. The Dark Knight Rises, the final film in the trilogy, was released on July 20, 2012.

Storyline[]

Plot[]

When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Genres[]

  • Action
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Thriller

Motion Picture Rating[]

  • 13 (Argentina)
  • M (Australia)
  • 14 (Austria)
  • 12 (Brazil)
  • 14A (Canada)
  • 15 (Denmark)
  • K-12 (Finland)
  • Tous publics (France)
  • 16 (Germany)
  • K-13 (Greece)
  • IIB (Hong Kong)
  • 16 (Hungary)
  • 12 (Iceland)
  • UA (India)
  • 12A (Ireland)
  • T (Italy)
  • G (Japan)
  • U (Malaysia)
  • B (Mexico)
  • 16 (Netherlands)
  • M (New Zealand)
  • 15 (Norway)
  • 14 (Peru)
  • PG-13 (Philippines)
  • M/12 (Portugal)
  • 12+ (Russia)
  • PG12 (Saudi Arabia)
  • PG (Singapore) (original rating)
  • PG13 (Singapore) (re-rating)
  • 13 (South Africa)
  • 15 (South Korea)
  • 12 (Spain)
  • 15 (Sweden)
  • 14 (Switzerland)
  • PG-12 (Taiwan)
  • 12A (UK)
  • PG-13 (USA)

Images[]

Cast and Crew[]

Director[]

  • Christopher Nolan

Writing Credits (WGA)[]

  • Jonathan Nolan (screenplay) and
  • Christopher Nolan (screenplay)
  • Christopher Nolan (story) and
  • David S. Goyer (story)
  • Bob Kane (characters)

Cast[]

  • Christian Bale - Bruce Wayne
  • Michael Caine - Alfred Pennyworth
  • Heath Ledger - Joker
  • Gary Oldman - James Gordon
  • Aaron Eckhart - Harvey Dent
  • Maggie Gyllenhaal - Rachel Dawes
  • Morgan Freeman - Lucius Fox
  • Monique Gabriela Curnen - Anna Ramirez
  • Ron Dean - Michael Wuertz
  • Nestor Carbonell - Anthony Garcia
  • Chin Han - Lau
  • Eric Roberts - Sal Maroni
  • Ritchie Coster - Chechen
  • Anthony Michael Hall - Mike Engel
  • Keith Szarabajka - Gerard Stephens
  • Joshua Harto - Coleman Reese
  • Melinda McGraw - Barbara Gordon
  • Nathan Gamble - James Gordon Jr.
  • Michael Jai White - Gambol
  • Colin McFarlane - Gillian B. Loeb
  • Nydia Rodriguez Terracina - Judge Surrillo
  • Tommy 'Tiny' Lister - Tattooed Prisoner (as Tommy Tiny Lister)
  • Vincenzo Nicoli - Crime Boss
  • William Fichtner - Bank Manager
  • Cillian Murphy - The Scarecrow
  • Patrick Leahy - Gentleman at Party
  • David Dastmalchian - Thomas Schiff

Producers[]

  • Kevin de la Noy (executive producer)
  • Jordan Goldberg (associate producer)
  • Philip Lee (line producer: Hong Kong)
  • Benjamin Melniker (executive producer)
  • Christopher Nolan (producer)
  • Lorne Orleans (producer) (IMAX version)
  • Charles Roven (producer)
  • Emma Thomas (producer)
  • Thomas Tull (executive producer)
  • Michael E. Uslan (executive producer)

Details[]

Countries[]

  • USA
  • UK

Language[]

  • English
  • Mandarin

Release Dates[]

  • July 14, 2008 (Argentina) (Buenos Aires) (premiere)
  • July 14, 2008 (USA) (New York City, New York) (premiere)
  • July 16, 2008 (Australia)
  • July 16, 2008 (Taiwan)
  • July 17, 2008 (Argentina)
  • July 17, 2008 (Bolivia)
  • July 17, 2008 (Chile)
  • July 17, 2008 (Greece)
  • July 17, 2008 (Hong Kong)
  • July 17, 2008 (Malaysia)
  • July 17, 2008 (Peru)
  • July 17, 2008 (Philippines)
  • July 17, 2008 (Singapore)
  • July 17, 2008 (Thailand)
  • July 17, 2008 (Uruguay)
  • July 18, 2008 (Brazil)
  • July 18, 2008 (Canada)
  • July 18, 2008 (Colombia)
  • July 18, 2008 (Indonesia)
  • July 18, 2008 (India)
  • July 18, 2008 (Mexico)
  • July 18, 2008 (Panama)
  • July 18, 2008 (USA)
  • July 18, 2008 (Venezuela)
  • July 21, 2008 (UK) (London) (premiere)
  • July 21, 2008 (Iceland) (premiere)
  • July 22, 2008 (Denmark)
  • July 23, 2008 (Belgium)
  • July 23, 2008 (Egypt)
  • July 23, 2008 (Spain) (Barcelona) (premiere)
  • July 23, 2008 (Iceland)
  • July 23, 2008 (Italy)
  • July 24, 2008 (United Arab Emirates)
  • July 24, 2008 (Ecuador)
  • July 24, 2008 (Finland) (limited)
  • July 24, 2008 (UK)
  • July 24, 2008 (Croatia)
  • July 24, 2008 (Ireland)
  • July 24, 2008 (Israel)
  • July 24, 2008 (Kuwait)
  • July 24, 2008 (Lebanon)
  • July 24, 2008 (Lithuania)
  • July 24, 2008 (Netherlands)
  • July 24, 2008 (New Zealand)
  • July 24, 2008 (Portugal)
  • July 24, 2008 (Serbia)
  • July 24, 2008 (Slovenia)
  • July 24, 2008 (Slovakia)
  • July 25, 2008 (Bulgaria)
  • July 25, 2008 (Estonia)
  • July 25, 2008 (Finland)
  • July 25, 2008 (Latvia)
  • July 25, 2008 (Nigeria)
  • July 25, 2008 (Norway)
  • July 25, 2008 (Romania)
  • July 25, 2008 (Sweden)
  • July 25, 2008 (Turkey)
  • July 25, 2008 (South Africa)
  • July 28, 2008 (Japan) (Tokyo) (premiere)
  • August 1, 2008 (Germany) (limited)
  • August 2, 2008 (Japan) (limited)
  • August 2, 2008 (Poland) (limited)
  • August 6, 2008 (South Korea)
  • August 7, 2008 (Czech Republic)
  • August 7, 2008 (Hungary)
  • August 8, 2008 (Poland)
  • August 9, 2008 (Japan)
  • August 13, 2008 (Switzerland) (French speaking region)
  • August 13, 2008 (Spain)
  • August 13, 2008 (France)
  • August 14, 2008 (Kazakhstan)
  • August 14, 2008 (Russia)
  • August 14, 2008 (Ukraine)
  • August 21, 2008 (Austria)
  • August 21, 2008 (Switzerland) (German speaking region)
  • August 21, 2008 (Germany)
  • August 28, 2008 (Armenia)
  • August 29, 2008 (Vietnam)
  • October 10, 2008 (Rawalpindi)
  • January 23, 2009 (USA) (IMAX version) (re-release)
  • January 24, 2009 (Japan) (re-release)
  • February 6, 2009 (Brazil) (IMAX version) (re-release)
  • February 12, 2009 (Singapore) (re-release)
  • February 13, 2009 (Mexico) (re-release)
  • February 19, 2009 (South Korea) (re-release)
  • February 19, 2009 (Peru) (re-release)
  • September 24, 2009 (Hong Kong) (IMAX version) (re-release)
  • January 31, 2015 (Spain) (Barcelona) (re-release)
  • August 24, 2018 (USA) (IMAX version) (re-release)

Home Media Release Dates[]

  • December 8, 2008 (UK) (DVD)
  • December 8, 2008 (UK) (Blu-Ray)
  • December 9, 2008 (USA) (DVD)
  • December 9, 2008 (USA) (Blu-Ray)
  • December 22, 2008 (UK) (UMD)
  • November 13, 2009 (USA) (UMD)
  • June 25, 2012 (UK) (Blu-Ray re-release)
  • April 15, 2013 (UK) (Blu-Ray re-release)
  • December 19, 2017 (USA) (4K UHD Blu-Ray)
  • September 14, 2020 (UK) (4K UHD Blu-Ray)

Also Known As[]

  • Batman Begins 2 (working title)
  • Untitled Batman Begins Sequel (working title)
  • The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience (IMAX version)
  • Batman: The Dark Knight (informal title)

Release[]

Warner Bros. held the world premiere for The Dark Knight in an IMAX theater in New York City on July 14, 2008. Leading up to The Dark Knight's commercial release, the film had drawn "overwhelmingly positive early reviews and buzz on Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker". The Dark Knight was commercially released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, grossing almost $2.3 million on its first day.

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. The number of theaters also included 94 IMAX theaters, with the film estimated to be played on 9,200 screens in the United States and Canada. Online, ticketing services sold enormous numbers of tickets for approximately 3,000 midnight showtimes as well as unusually early showtimes for the film's opening day. All IMAX theaters showing The Dark Knight were sold out for the opening weekend. The Dark Knight was re-released in IMAX for its 10th anniversary for a week starting on August 24, 2018. It played at the AMC IMAX theaters in Universal CityWalk, Lincoln Square, Manhattan, and Metreon, as well as the Ontario Place Cinesphere.

Reception[]

Box office[]

The Dark Knight grossed $1,005,081,674 worldwide on a $185 million budget.

North America[]

The Dark Knight opened on Friday, July 18, 2008. It set a record for midnight showings, earning $18.5 million from 3,040 theaters (a record first surpassed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). The midnight opening included $640,000 from IMAX screenings. It was then shown on 9,200 screens at a record 4,366 theaters (a record first surpassed by Iron Man 2), also setting an opening and single-day record gross, with $67.2 million (both records first surpassed by The Twilight Saga: New Moon), and an opening-weekend record, with $158.4 million (first surpassed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2). The weekend per theater average of $36,283 stands as the fifth-largest of all time. 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. Additionally, the film set an IMAX opening-weekend record, with $6.3 million (a record first surpassed by Star Trek). It achieved the largest Sunday gross with $43.6 million and the largest opening week from Friday to Thursday with $238.6 million (both records surpassed by The Avengers). It also achieved the largest cumulative gross through its third and fourth days of release (both records first surpassed by Deathly Hallows - Part 2) and so on until its tenth day of release (records surpassed by The Avengers). Moreover, it was the fastest film to reach $100 million (a record first surpassed by New Moon), $150 million and each additional $50 million through $450 million (records surpassed by The Avengers), and $500 million (a record first surpassed by Avatar). Finally, it achieved the largest second-weekend gross (a record first surpassed by Avatar).

It has grossed the fourth-largest Saturday gross ($51,336,732). On its first Monday, it grossed $24.5 million, which stands as the largest non-holiday Monday gross and the fourth-largest Monday gross overall, and on its first Tuesday, it grossed another $20.9 million, which stands as the largest non-opening Tuesday gross and the second-largest Tuesday overall. Notably, it topped the box office during the second-biggest weekend of all time in North America (aggregated total of $253,586,871) and it was the only 2008 film that remained on top of the box office charts for four consecutive weekends.

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. Adjusted for ticket-price inflation though, it ranks 28th. In contrast to Avatar and Titanic, both of which grossed more than The Dark Knight in North America and had slow but steady earnings, The Dark Knight broke records in its opening weekend and slowed down significantly after its first few weekends.

Outside North America[]

Overseas, The Dark Knight is the highest-grossing 2008 film and the fourth-highest-grossing superhero film. It premiered in 20 other territories on 4,520 screens, grossing $41.3 million in its first weekend. The film came second to Hancock, which was screening in 71 territories in its third weekend. The Dark Knight's biggest territory was Australia, where it grossed $13.7 million over the weekend, setting a record for the largest superhero film opening. It topped the weekend box office outside North America three consecutive times and four in total. Its highest-grossing market after North America was the UK, Ireland, and Malta, where it earned $89.1 million. Also, in Australia, it earned $39.9 million, still remaining in the all-time top 10 of the country. The five highest-grossing markets outside North America also include Germany ($29.7 million), France and the Maghreb region ($27.5 million) and South Korea ($25 million).

Critical response[]

The film has a 9.0 rating on IMDb and a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Company Credits[]

Production Companies[]

Distributors[]

Special Effects[]

  • Double Negative (visual effects) (as Double Negative Ltd.)
  • Framestore (visual effects)
  • BUF (visual effects) (as BUF Compagnie)
  • Cinesite (visual effects) (as Cinesite Europe Limited)
  • New Deal Studios (miniature effects and photography) (as New Deal Studios, Inc.)
  • Nviz (previsualization)
  • Blind (computer graphics and animation)
  • The Visual Effects Company (motion control) (uncredited)

Technical Specs[]

Runtime[]

  • 152 mins

Color[]

  • Color

Aspect Ratio[]

  • 2.35:1
  • 4:3 (Full screen and open matte prints)

Trivia[]

  • This was the first comic book movie to reach the $1 billion mark worldwide.
  • The film made more money than the entire domestic run of Batman Begins (2005) in only six days of release.
  • Cillian Murphy reprised his role as Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow from Batman Begins (2005) in this movie. This makes him the first actor to reprise the role of a Batman villain in the whole film franchise. He also reprised his role as a cameo in The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
  • Many believe that one of the key reasons why the Academy moved from five Best Picture nominations to ten was because two of the best received movies of the year, this movie and WALL-E (2008), were not amongst the five nominees.
  • Like Batman Begins (2005), there are no opening credits or titles in this film.
  • Even though Christopher Nolan offered her the part, Katie Holmes decided not to reprise her role as Rachel Dawes. Instead, she opted to co-star with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah in Mad Money (2008) that same year. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Isla Fisher, Emily Blunt, and Rachel McAdams were all considered for the role before Maggie Gyllenhaal stepped in.
  • This was the comic book with the most Academy Award nominations (eight) before being beaten by Joker (2019) with eleven.
  • Along with Spider-Man 3 (2007) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), this movie reached the $100 million mark the fastest, in only two days. Since it had a larger opening day than those two blockbusters, it reached the milestone even sooner.
  • This is the first Batman theatrical movie that doesn't incorporate the word "Batman" in its title.
  • Matt Damon was offered the part of Harvey Dent, but had to turn it down because of a schedule conflict with Invictus (2009), which also starred Morgan Freeman.
  • Writer, producer, and director Christopher Nolan called this movie "The Dark Knight" to make a definitive statement about the character of Batman.
  • Bob Hoskins and James Gandolfini auditioned for the part of Sal Maroni.
  • On February 20, 2009, it became the fourth movie to have earned more than $1 billion worldwide.
  • Ryan Phillippe and Hugh Jackman were also considered for the part of Harvey Dent.
  • William Fichtner was cast as the bank manager because of his previous role in the bank heist thriller Heat (1995).
  • This movie reached the $400 million mark after only eighteen days of release, less than half as long as it took Shrek 2 (2004), the former record-holder, to reach.
  • Willem Dafoe was considered for the role of The Joker. Dafoe was one of the actors considered for The Joker in Batman (1989).
  • Gary Oldman and Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr. previously appeared in The Fifth Element (1997).
  • This is the second time that Christian Bale has acted with an actor (Heath Ledger) who played The Joker. The first was Jared Leto in American Psycho (2000), who played The Joker in Suicide Squad (2016).
  • Both Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal would go on to appear in similar films featuring a terrorist attack on the White House, both released in 2013. Eckhart played President Benjamin Asher in Olympus Has Fallen (2013), while Gyllenhaal played Secret Service Agent Finnerty in White House Down (2013).
  • This film was released thirteen years after Batman Forever (1995), in which Tommy Lee Jones portrayed Harvey Dent/Two-Face.

Connections[]

Follows[]

Followed by[]

References[]

  • RoboCop (1987) - Scene in which Batman bends the barrel of a gun.

Legacy[]

According to David Sims of The Atlantic, The Dark Knight "legitimized" the genre of the comic book movie in the eyes of film studios, thereby setting the stage for the success of franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Darren Franrich of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the film "cemented a new way of talking about superhero movies", specifically one that acknowledged them as serious vehicles for political commentary and artistic achievement.

Multiple elements of The Dark Knight had a profound influence on a number of subsequent motion pictures. 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. Meanwhile, Michael B. Jordan named Ledger's performance as an influence for the former's portrayal of Killmonger, the villain in Black Panther. Director Sam Mendes called The Dark Knight a "game changer for everybody", saying that it influenced his approach to making Skyfall (2012): "What Nolan proved was that you can make a huge movie that is thrilling and entertaining and has a lot to say about the world we live in... That did help give me the confidence to take this movie in directions that, without The Dark Knight, might not have been possible." Furthermore, in a tenth anniversary retrospective for Rotten Tomatoes, Erik Amaya credited Ledger's performance with providing a novel interpretation of the Joker for the general public, one that proved to be a template for later cinematic portrayals.

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.