While steeped in tragedy, "The Dark Knight Rises" continued to bring in big bucks at the box office this weekend.
Out of respect for the victims of the tragedy in Aurora last Friday, Warner Bros. -- as well as other studios -- would not release their debut numbers on Sunday. (Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, and Christopher Nolan have all released personal statements expressing their sympathies over the shooting at a Colorado "Dark Knight Rises" screening, which took the lives of 12 people.)
However, various media outlets have reported that Christopher Nolan's finale brought in $160 to $162 million. That sum would make "TDKR" the highest 2-D opening ever, besting its brethren "The Dark Knight," which earned $158.4 million its first weekend. The film comes in third overall, behind this year's gangbusters superhero flick "The Avengers" ($207.4 million), along with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" ($169.2 million).
The Batman flick benefited from its overseas release, as well; the film reportedly earned $70 million, globally.
We will update this story as the official numbers come in.
[via AP]
UPDATE: The official figures for "The Dark Knight Rises" show that the film earned $160,887,295 during its weekend release, giving it the highest opening ever for a non-3D film.
1. The Dark Knight Rises $160,887,295
2. Ice Age: Continental Drift $20,416,978
3. The Amazing Spider-Man $20,416,978
4. Ted $10,011,610
5. Brave $6,024,987
6. Magic Mike $4,291,432
7. Savages $3,398,880
8. Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection $2,253,074
9. Moonrise Kingdom $1,831,471
10. To Rome with Love $1,420,891
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Posted: 07/23/2012 9:22 am Updated: 07/24/2012 5:24 pm