BATMAN BEGINS - JANUARY RE-RELEASE FOR THE DARK KNIGHT CONFIRMED

JANUARY RE-RELEASE FOR THE DARK KNIGHT CONFIRMED

The Dark Knight will be re-released in the US on January 23rd in a bid to take its box office gross past the $1 billion (£684 million) mark.

The Batman Begins sequel was released in July and shattered box office records, with its current worldwide takings standing at $996 million (£678 million).

Only Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King have ever grossed more than $1 billion globally.

And just six weeks after its DVD and Blu-Ray release on December 8th, The Dark Knight will return to US cinemas in an effort to join that exclusive club.

"We wanted to provide one more opportunity for moviegoers to experience it on the big screen as it was meant to be seen," said Dan Fellman, president of Warner Brothers' domestic distribution in the US.

A Warner Bros source revealed in September that the studio is also looking to jog Academy members' memories with a re-release.

Speaking earlier this week, lead actor Christian Bale revealed his thoughts on the film's chances of Oscar glory.

"The serious contenders in this movie in my mind are Heath [Ledger], Chris [Nolan] for director because he's done an extraordinary job, and I do believe best picture as well," Bale was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.

The US re-release of The Dark Knight comes on day after the nominees for the 2009 Oscars are revealed.