'The Dark Knight' sets record

Nothing dark about Batman's first night at the box office.
``The Dark Knight'' lit up cash registers during its midnight U.S. debut, stealing away with a record $18.5 million from 3,040 theaters, distributor Warner Bros. said Friday.
That bested the 2005 performance of ``Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith,'' which took in $16.9 million during its midnight debut in 2,915 venues.
``The Dark Knight'' figure did not include any of its 3 a.m. or 6 a.m. showings.
And while Batman only strikes at night, all indications are that ``The Dark Knight'' will keep landing blows: Advance ticket sales were booming.
The early numbers mean ``The Dark Knight'' will likely join the ranks of 10 other films that debuted on non-holiday weekends and cleared more than $100 million from Friday to Sunday, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of tracking firm Media By Numbers LLC.
`There is an unbelievable demand for this movie,'' he said. ``The Heath Ledger factor is a major part of this. Beyond that, the movie is so good, it's worthy of all these accolades.''
The movie directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale as Batman cost $185 million to make, excluding money spent marketing, said Dan Fellman, Warner's head of distribution.
Critics have heaped praise on the movie _ especially the late Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker, which has already generated whispers of a posthumous Oscar nomination.
``We're very proud of the film,'' Fellman said. ``It's the magic of the movie business, how one film just stands out above the others.''