"The Dark Knight Rises", the third and final installment of the Batman trilogy, will hit screens tonight at midnight and is slated one of the strongest opening weekends of all time.
Warner Bros.' $250 million sequel "The Dark Knight" is directed by Christopher Nolan. Christian Bale reprises his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the film, which also stars Tom Hardy, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard.
When "The Dark Knight Rises" launched in 2008, it was an instand hit. Not only had 2005′s Batman Begins (which made a rather humble - by comparison - $205.3 million) found a massive audience on home video, but Heath Ledger's death and much-talked-about performance as the Joker mad the film a must-see.
These factors, when combined with deafening buzz for the well-reviewed sequel, helped "The Dark Knight" set an opening weekend record with $158.4 million. Until the $169.2 million bow of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 in 2011, that record still stood. (Less than a year later, The Avengers stole the record from Potter.)
So how much will "The Dark Knight Rises" make? "I can see it opening to more than $180 million this weekend," Box Office Guru editor Gitesh Pandya said, according told MTV News. "It will certainly beat the last movie's record as the biggest debut ever for a 2-D film."
"We should expect a significant bump on opening weekend, probably $30 million or more than 'The Dark Knight,' partially due to ticket price inflation but also because many of the people who saw 'Dark Knight' after opening weekend and enjoyed it will go out to see this new one earlier," Douglas agreed.
SPOILER ALERT: Contains David Letterman's interview blunder
While promoting the movie, Anne Hathaway, who stars as Catwoman, stopped by the Late Show with David Letterman last week Thursday to discuss the movie and share some behind the scenes jokes.
In the interview, David Letterman says he watched the movie and "loved it" and that even though it's 2 hours and 45 minutes, the time just "flew by." The interview hit an awkward note when Letterman shocked the 28-year-old actress - and many viewers and fans alike - after he seemed to reveal a crucial plot element while discussing the final installment in Nolan's trilogy.
"It's not essential to watch previous installations of Batman, and I think this is it," Letterman told Hathaway. "And in the end, Batman is dead."
Hathaway looks awkward for a while and genuinely shocked and turns to the late night host and says "Dave!," after a temporary pause, before laughing it off.
"I just want you to know the wrath that you have just invited onto yourself. Chris [Nolan], I had no part in it, I'm sorry." Of course, there is no way of knowing for sure if Bruce Wayne does or does not die in the end. This could just be a joke, which he normally pulls with his celebrity guests.
Letterman just laughed and insisted that Bruce Wayne does not die in the end of the new Batman movie.
