Batman film The Dark Knight has set a box office record for best opening weekend ever at the US box office, distributor Warner Bros has said.

The sequel took $155.3m (£77.7m) surpassing the previous opening weekend record set by Spider-Man 3 last year, which took $151.1m (£75.5m).

Batman, which opened on Friday, took $66.4m (£33.2m), which was also a single-day box office record.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, it cost $185m (£92.5m) to make. Critics have praised the film, which stars Christian Bale as Batman and the late actor Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker.

‘Proud’
“We have been thrilled by the response to The Dark Knight, first from the critics and now from audiences,” said Dan Fellman, Warner’s head of distribution.

Ledger died following a drug overdose in January aged 28. Some supporters have suggested that he should get a posthumous Oscar nomination. Last week Ledger’s co-stars paid tribute to him at the world premiere of the film in New York. “We’re very proud of the film,” said Fellman.

“It’s the magic of the movie business, how one film just stands out above the others.” The Dark Knight will be premiered in the UK on 21 July. The last Batman movie, Batman Begins, in 2005, grossed nearly $49 million (£24.5m) in its first weekend in North America. It went on to collect about $372 million (£186m) worldwide. [BBC NEWS]

Batman film The Dark Knight has set a single-day box office record by taking $66.4m (£33.2m) on its opening night, distributor Warner Bros has said.

The movie, which debuted in the US on Friday, has surpassed the previous record of $59.8m (£29.9m) set last year by Spider-Man, the studio said.

Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale as Batman, it cost $185m (£92.5m) to make. Critics have praised the film, which also stars the late actor Heath Ledger.

‘Proud’
“We have been thrilled by the response to The Dark Knight, first from the critics and now from audiences,” said Dan Fellman, Warner’s head of distribution. Ledger, who died following a drug overdose in January aged 28, played the Joker. Some supporters have suggested that he should get a posthumous Oscar nomination.

Last week Ledger’s co-stars paid tribute to him at the world premiere of the film in New York. “We’re very proud of the film,” said Fellman. “It’s the magic of the movie business, how one film just stands out above the others.” The Dark Knight will be premiered in the UK on 21 July.

The last Batman movie, Batman Begins, in 2005, grossed nearly $49 million (£24.5m) in its first weekend in North America. It went on to collect about $372 million (£186m) worldwide. [BBC NEWS]

Batman and James Gordon join forces with Gotham’s new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, to take on a psychotic bank robber known as The Joker, whilst other forces plot against them, and Joker’s crimes grow more and more deadly.

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets.

The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker. Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) continues to eliminate crime in Gotham City with the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart).

The Dark Knight Teaser Trailer HD

The Dark Knight wants to finally get rid of organized crime for good and be free of their corruption. Batman soon finds that a new psychopathic mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) has taken over organized crime. After the fall of Carmine Falcone, the remaining crime bosses try to pick up the pieces. However, the Joker is killing them off one by one. The Joker’s plan is to terrify the citizens and throw the city into chaos, and then kill Batman. Batman takes the fight with the Joker personal, which makes him confront his own beliefs. The Joker is the most dangerous criminal that Batman has encountered, and he will need all his strength and vigilance to defeat him.