‘The Dark Knight’ expected to scare up big business at local theaters
Steve Fogarty | The Chronicle-Telegram
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — “The Dark Knight” — the latest installment in the Batman series — certainly has enough prerelease hype to make it a top movie of the summer.
But will it be?
One local who’s banking on the new Batman film to take off is Debbie Sherman, owner of the Aut-O-Rama Twin Drive-In on Lorain Road. In business since the 1960s, the twin-screen drive-in will open the film Friday night.
“It should be one of the big ones,” said Sherman, who predicts the Christian Bale-Heath Ledger film will continue the summer’s strong slate of movies for people looking to kick back and have some summer fun.
“Even the ones that didn’t get good reviews have done well for us. People just want to come out.”
The drive-in’s biggest movies this summer include “Iron Man,” “Hancock,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Wall-E.”
Heath Ledger’s twisted take on the Joker — a far cry from Jack Nicholson’s giddy Joker who sparred with Michael Keaton in the Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman” — already is building strong buzz for the new film, as is the fact “The Dark Knight” marks Ledger’s final film appearance and the second outing for Christian Bale’s edgier Batman.
Ledger died at age 28 in April from what was ruled an accidental overdose of prescription medicine, including painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs.
Meanwhile, at the six-screen AMC Westwood Town Center complex in Rocky River, a female manager who declined to identify herself said “The Dark Knight” has generated a lot of hype, but it hasn’t been big for advance ticket sales.
“It’s no more or less than other movies have been this summer as far as that’s concerned,” she said. “I assumed it would be big.”
The theater will show the movie on one screen, with a special 12:01 a.m. screening Friday.
Westwood’s business for “The Dark Knight” may benefit from its $4.25 all-day admission price during the week, which is substantially lower than those of most area theaters.
Managers for the Regal Cinema Cobblestone Square 20 complex in Sheffield and Regal Crocker Park Stadium 16 declined comment about the movie or its summer box office potential.
Despite all the hype, “The Dark Knight” will have its work cut out for it to score among the season’s top flicks. To date, “Iron Man” has earned $313 million, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” $310 million, and “Kung Fu Panda”
$202 million.
Bale’s critically and commercially hailed debut as Batman in 2005’s “Batman Begins” grossed $205 million, which ranks second behind the 1989 version. That movie remains the series’ top earner, with $251 million.
The worst was 1997’s “Batman and Robin” starring George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell, which earned $107 million.
Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Steve Fogarty | The Chronicle-Telegram July 17th, 2008 in Top Stories. Popularity: 4% |
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Comment from
vonbryner
July 17, 2008, 7:57 pm
please get your information right before you print an article, heath ledger dies in january,not april,
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