‘Dark Knight’ sales below forecasts after shooting rampage

LOS ANGELES – “The Dark Knight Rises” recorded strong ticket sales in its opening weekend, but well below forecasts given by many in Hollywood, as some moviegoers appeared to have stayed away after a shooting rampage at a midnight showing of the film on Friday.

The film grossed an estimated $162 million in showings through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters, according to studio estimates from people with knowledge of the data. That was lower than the $173 million that had been projected on Saturday based on Friday receipts.

“The Dark Knight Rises” was one of the most-anticipated films of the year before a gunman opened fire on moviegoers in Aurora, Colorado, early Friday, killing 12 and wounding 58 more.

Before the shooting, box office forecasters had predicted sales in a range of $170 million to $198 million from Friday through Sunday, just shy of the record $207 million set by superhero movie “The Avengers” in May.

A spokeswoman for Warner Brothers, which produced “Dark Knight,” had no comment.

Fox’s animated family movie “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” which grossed $44.6 million last week and was the top-selling film, had a larger-than-anticipated 51 percent drop for its second week. It grossed $21 million, box office sources said.

“The Amazing Spider-Man,” which opened with near-record sales on July 3, collected $10.5 million over the weekend. The film, produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment, had passed $217 million in domestic sales on Thursday, according to Box Office Mojo.

Universal Pictures’ raucous comedy “Ted,” about a man and his foul-mouthed teddy bear, notched $10.1 million at the box office. Disney’s animated film “Brave” grossed $5.8 million.

Official figures were not released by movie studios for the first time box office watchers could remember, as the companies withheld weekend results in deference for the shooting victims. Full results are expected on Monday.

“The cable news networks were wall-to-wall with the shooting, so it had some shock value that will keep people away,” former Columbia Pictures marketing chief Peter Sealey said. “But it will be short-term. This movie will play for five or six weeks and still do great business.”

After the shooting, theaters tightened security, and Warner Bros. scaled back promotional plans, canceling a Paris premiere and appearances by the cast and crew in Mexico and Japan.

A representative for 20th Century Fox, which released “Ice Age,” was not available for comment, and a spokesman for Sony Pictures, which is behind “Spider-Man,” declined to comment.

“Dark Knight Rises” is the third and final film in a popular Batman series starring Christian Bale as the crime-fighting hero and directed by Christopher Nolan. Warner Bros. spent $250 million to produce it, plus tens of millions on marketing.

On Friday, the studio said showings just after midnight had grossed $30.6 million in the North American (U.S. and Canadian) market. Warner Bros. later said it would not release any updated sales figures until Monday.

“The Dark Knight” took in $158 million domestically over its debut weekend in July 2008, a record at the time. It went on to ring up sales of more than $1 billion around the world.

source: interaksyon.com

Batman could fly, but he’d crash and die

LONDON – Holy crash landing Batman! The crime-fighting caped crusader could fly but if he did, he would smash into the ground and probably die, a group of British physics students have calculated.

Dashing the dreams of comic fans across the world, four students from the University of Leicester said that while Batman could glide using his cape as he does in the 2005 film “Batman Begins”, his landing would almost certainly prove fatal.

The superhero is back in cinemas later this month in “The Dark Knight Rises” and they suggested Batman should go shopping before trying a similar attempt to become airborne over Gotham City.

“If Batman wanted to survive the flight, he would definitely need a bigger cape,” said David Marshall, 22, one of the students in the final year of their four-year Master of Physics degree.

“Or if he preferred to keep his style intact he could opt for using active propulsion, such as jets to keep himself aloft.”

In a paper titled “Trajectory of a falling Batman”, the group argued that if he jumped from a 150-meter (492-foot) high building, the 4.7 meter (15-foot) wingspan of Batman’s cape would allow him to glide 350 meters (1148 feet).

However, he would reach a speed of 68 miles per hour (109 km per hour) before hitting the ground at a life-threatening speed of 50 mph (80 kph).

source: interaksyon.com

Christian Bale hanging up his Batman cape

LOS ANGELES - "The Dark Knight Rises" may be Christian Bale's final performance as crime-fighting superhero Batman, the actor told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Set for release in July, the movie is Bale's third stint as Gotham's Caped Crusader for director Christopher Nolan, after "Batman Begins" (2005) and "The Dark Knight" (2008).

"I wrapped a few days ago, so that will be the last time I'm taking that cowl [Batman hood] off," Bale told the newspaper during an interview in Beverly Hills. "I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it's all done. Everything's finished. It's me and Chris -- that will be the end of that Batman era.

The 37-year-old actor's comments, published late last week, weren't his first indication that he might have reached the end of the Batmobile ride. Bale told E! News in November one year ago that "unless Chris says different, this will be the last time I'm playing Batman."

Bale, who received an Oscar last year for his supporting performance in "The Fighter," next appears on the big screen in Zhang Yimou's China-set period drama "The Flowers of War." He'll also star in two films from "Tree of Life" director Terrence Malick.

Joining Bale in "The Dark Knight Rises" are Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway, as Catwoman.

Film actors who have preceded Bale in the dual role of Batman and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, include Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney. - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Anne Hathaway's Catwoman: Experts Weigh In 'Dark Knight Rises' photo has comics and movie insiders cautiously optimistic.

Nothing sets the Internet ablaze like new info about Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" — especially when the latest sneak peek is a photo of Anne Hathaway in costume as Catwoman riding a fancy motorcycle.

MTV News consulted a few experts to gauge reactions to what looks to be Hathaway's Catwoman costume, as well as what we might expect from the actress' overall portrayal of Selina Kyle.

Check out our photo analysis of Hathaway's Catwoman.

"Listen, is this the costume that artist Darwyn Cooke revamped for his 'Catwoman' run? The one that marked her shift from slinky, skintight femme fatale to flawed-but-furious thief and defender of the downtrodden? No," said Marc Bernardin, a writer for Syfy's "Alphas" and DC Comics' "The Authority." "But it's shiny, black, seemingly functional, and has at least one zipper. Which makes it OK in my book — hey, I like zippers."


UGO movies editor Jordan Hoffman pointed out the fact that Kyle/Catwoman's suit is lacking a familiar feline element. "Clearly the suit's tail is detachable for when she's rollin' in the Bat-cycle," he said of the outfit's lack of a tail. "I mean, otherwise it's a real danger!"

With regard to how Hathaway will pull off the storied complexities of Kyle's character in the comics — depending, of course, on which direction Nolan's Catwoman may take — our experts are cautiously optimistic.

"I think I had the same feeling as everyone else when Anne Hathaway was cast. She looks too sweet to play Selina," said Jenna Busch, writer for AOL's Moviefone. "She looks too, well, totally sane. She doesn't exactly ooze sexuality. But I'm willing to buy it after seeing the photo," she admitted. "Now, there is no kitty-cat hat, and fans will probably flip if she spends the entire film as Selina, but she does look pretty darn badass. I'm in. And hey, at least she's not wearing that god-awful Halle Berry outfit!"

"Anne Hathaway was never my first choice — I was rooting for [Marion] Cotillard before she got the Talia role — but Nolan has earned enough good will for me to trust him," Hoffman said. "She certainly isn't hard on the eyes, and so long as Selina Kyle is crafty and that Catwoman eventually has a tail, I'll be happy."

"It's hard to say, just by a single image, if Anne Hathaway's gonna sell Selina Kyle's sultry strength," Bernardin added. "But if this Catwoman-in-the-making just stole Batman's ride ... she's gonna be formidable, to say the least."


Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668577/catwoman-costume-anne-hathaway-dark-knight-rises-2.jhtml