“The Dark Knight” keeps doing brisk business - and it doesn’t open for another 9 days.
Fandango, the movie ticket mavens, is reporting many of its pre-opening Thursday midnight shows on July 17 are already sold out in cities from New York to Boise, Idaho. Theaters are adding 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. screenings to meet the demand.
Can any movie live up to the hype? And how can you not expect a performance for the ages from the late Heath Ledger? Anything less than perfection may be a letdown.
Update: “The Dark Knight” will play in 94 IMAX theaters starting July 18, the widest IMAX release yet.
(Photo: Heath Ledger, his mug smeared with greasepaint, plays the maniacal Joker in “The Dark Knight”)
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Dagnabbitt 07.09.08 at 6:31 pm
Indeed, the hype may undermine the film’s actual quality, and even its ability to be assessed on its own merit…some of the long-form preview scenes appear to be throwaway action sequences better found in lesser films.
Whilst I find the Ledger port-mortem praise similarly to be overblown in the James Dean tradition, I do expect his acting talent to raise the bar for four-color-to-film villains, but am concerned that his serious read will be misinterpreted, as was “Batman Returns” DeVito.
~ Dagnabbitt
cftoto 07.09.08 at 7:12 pm
Good points, all, Daggy. The James Dean syndrome is clearly in effect here, but his performance still holds a chance to be an utter classic. Fingers crossed
chase 07.09.08 at 7:46 pm
I’d love to see someone put together a video mashup of the joker as portrayed by Nicholson vs. Ledger ,,, would make for a very interesting study.
cftoto 07.09.08 at 7:55 pm
Good idea, Chase, but don’t leave out Cesar Romero from the ’60s “Batman” - an actor who refused to shave his ’stache for the role.