The Dark Knight (2008)

One of the best trailer you'll see this year in cinemas, and it got batman series fans and movies fans in high anticipation and frenzy when it was released prior to the movie release.

Most of the excitment was built upon seeing the Joker for the first time. And hype over the Joker reached a new height following the news of the death of Heath Ledger, who portray the Joker in what was his last complete work, due to accident drug overdose.

Meanwhile Christian Bale returned for the role of the main character, The Batman. Bale has praised director Christopher Nolan vision and directing of the series as well as the critical reaction to his first performance in the first film Batman Begins as main reasons for his confidence in his participation in the series.

As of August 1, 2008, The Dark Knight has grossed over $363 million in the domestic box office, breaking the previous record of the fastest film to hit $300 million
its total worldwide gross stands at $491.9 million.

The Dark Knight is currently highest grossing movie of the year in domestic box office and third worldwide.

The Dark Knight is a 2008 American superhero/crime film co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role.

Batman's primary conflicts in the film include his fight against his arch-nemesis the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his rivalry with district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) for the affections of assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

For his conception of the film, Nolan was inspired by the Joker's first two appearances in the comics and Batman: The Long Halloween.

The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. The director used an IMAX camera to film six major action sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film.

Warner Bros. created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screenshots of Heath Ledger as the Joker.

After Ledger's death in January 2008, however, the studio refocused its promotional campaign.The film was released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, on July 18, 2008 in North America, and on July 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom.

Prior to its box office debut in North America, record numbers of advance tickets were sold for The Dark Knight. The film has broken multiple box office records, and achieved an overall approval rating of 94% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times describes The Dark Knight as a "haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy." He praises the performances, direction, and writing, and says the film "redefine[s] the possibilities of the comic-book movie".

Ebert states that the "key performance" is by Heath Ledger, and ponders whether he will become the first posthumous Academy Award winner since Peter Finch in 1976

David Ansen in Newsweek says the film is "impressive" in discussing the moral dilemma at its heart: the question about whether a vigilante has to abandon his code in order to defeat the villain

Before the release of Batman Begins, screenwriter David S. Goyer wrote a treatment for two sequels which introduced the Joker and Harvey Dent. His original intent was for the Joker to scar Dent during the Joker's trial in the third film, turning Dent into Two-Face

On July 31, 2006, Warner Bros. Pictures officially announced initiation of production for the sequel to Batman Begins titled The Dark Knight; it is the first live-action Batman film without the word "Batman" in its title, which Bale noted as signaling that "this take on Batman of mine and Chris' is very different from any of the others."