Christopher Nolan is on track to break records yet again this weekend with the release of the most anticipated film of the year, The Dark Knight Rises. The final installment in the writer-director’s acclaimed superhero trilogy is believed to have drawn in between $80 and $85 million on Friday alone. If the number holds true, the film will have the third all-time highest opening day ever, and the best single day for a 2D film in box office history.
Comic Book Movie is reporting that The Dark Knight Rises has garnered $125.5 million at the global box office so far. The predicted domestic opening weekend gross is in the $180 million to $200 million range, which would mean Nolan’s second Batman sequel will be on par with the opening of Marvel‘s The Avengers.
While Warner Bros. released midday box office grosses on Friday, it subsequently suspended all reports. The studio, which was initially considering pulling the film from theaters and re-releasing it closer to Christmas, decided to instead stop weekend box office reports. The decision was made out of respect for the victims of the shooting tragedy in Auora, Colorado.
Final reports for the weekend gross are still too early to release, but the horrific actions of alleged gunman James Holmes at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises on Thursday hasn’t appeared to slow down momentum of the film. It’s set to become the largest grossing 2D opening weekend ever in North America and will surely pass the $1 billion mark in no time, perhaps even quicker than The Avengers did.
