DARK KNIGHT TO BRIGHTEN BOX OFFICE

DARK KNIGHT TO BRIGHTEN BOX OFFICE

Box office analysts are forecasting record ticket sales this weekend when the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight , opens in 4,366 theaters -- the largest number of theaters ever to show any film. The record number of theaters is expected to offset the limited number of screenings imposed by the film's 2 1/2-hour length. Online ticket sellers have said that they are already doing record business and that some showings have already sold out. Carl DiOrio, who covers the box office for the Hollywood Reporter , wrote today that the "smart money has Dark Knight debuting somewhere south of Spider-Man 3 -- which unspooled to a record $151.1 million in May 2007 -- and north of Iron Man, which opened in May this year with $102.1 million." The box office in general is expected to expand as the musical Mamma Mia , which opened to sensational business overseas last weekend, hits theaters in North America. In addition a slew of well-received holdovers will be attracting their fair share of business, including last weekend's winner, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, WALL-E, and the 3-D Journey to the Center of the Earth.

17/07/2008