The Dark Knight Christopher Nolan

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005), and the second installment in The Dark Knight trilogy. The plot follows the vigilante Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent, who form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are derailed by the Joker, an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far Batman will go to save the city from chaos. The ensemble cast includes Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman.

Warner Bros. Pictures prioritized a sequel following the successful reinvention of the Batman film series with Batman Begins. Christopher and Batman Begins co-writer David S. Goyer developed the story elements, making Dent the central protagonist caught up in the battle between Batman and the Joker. In writing the screenplay, the Nolans were influenced by 1980s Batman comics and crime drama films, and sought to continue Batman Begins' heightened sense of realism. From April to November 2007, filming took place with a $185 million budget in Chicago and Hong Kong, and on sets in England. The Dark Knight was the first major motion picture to be filmed with high-resolution IMAX cameras. Christopher avoided using computer-generated imagery unless necessary, insisting on practical stunts such as flipping an 18-wheel truck and blowing up a factory.

The Dark Knight was marketed with an innovative interactive viral campaign that initially focused on countering criticism of Ledger's casting by those who believed he was a poor choice to portray the Joker. Ledger died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January 2008, leading to widespread interest from the press and public regarding his performance. When it was released in July, The Dark Knight received acclaim for its mature tone and themes, visual style, and performances—particularly that of Ledger, who received many posthumous awards including Academy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actor, making The Dark Knight the first comic-book film to receive major industry awards. It broke several box-office records and became the highest-grossing 2008 film, the fourth-highest-grossing film to that time, and the highest-grossing superhero film.

Since its release, The Dark Knight has been assessed as one of the greatest superhero films ever, one of the best movies of the 2000s, and one of the best films ever made. It is considered the "blueprint" for many modern superhero films, particularly for its rejection of a typical comic-book movie style in favor of a crime film that features comic-book characters. Many filmmakers sought to repeat its success by emulating its gritty, realistic tone to varying degrees of success. The Dark Knight has been analyzed for its themes of terrorism and the limitations of morality and ethics. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2020. A sequel, The Dark Knight Rises, concluded The Dark Knight trilogy in 2012.

A gang of masked criminals rob a mafia-owned bank in Gotham City, betraying and killing each other until the sole survivor, the Joker, reveals himself as the mastermind and escapes with the money. The vigilante Batman, district attorney Harvey Dent, and police lieutenant Jim Gordon ally to eliminate Gotham's organized crime. Batman's true identity, the billionaire Bruce Wayne, publicly supports Dent as Gotham's legitimate protector, as Wayne believes Dent's success will allow Batman to retire, allowing him to romantically pursue his childhood friend Rachel Dawes, despite her relationship with Dent.

Gotham's mafia bosses gather to discuss protecting their organizations from the Joker, the police, and Batman. The Joker interrupts the meeting and offers to kill Batman for half of the fortune their accountant, Lau, concealed before fleeing to Hong Kong to avoid extradition. With the help of Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox, Batman finds Lau in Hong Kong and returns him to the custody of Gotham police. His testimony enables Dent to apprehend the crime families. The bosses accept the Joker's offer, and he kills high-profile targets involved in the trial, including the judge and police commissioner. Although Gordon saves the mayor, the Joker threatens that his attacks will continue until Batman reveals his identity. He targets Dent at a fundraising dinner and throws Rachel out of a window, but Batman rescues her.

Wayne struggles to understand the Joker's motives, but his butler Alfred Pennyworth says "some men just want to watch the world burn." Dent claims he is Batman to lure out the Joker, who attacks the police convoy transporting him. Batman and Gordon apprehend the Joker, and Gordon is promoted to commissioner. At the police station, Batman interrogates the Joker, who says he finds Batman entertaining and has no intention of killing him. Having deduced Batman's feelings for Rachel, the Joker reveals she and Dent are being held separately in buildings rigged to explode. Batman races to rescue Rachel while Gordon and the other officers go after Dent, but they discover the Joker gave their positions in reverse. The explosives detonate, killing Rachel and severely burning Dent's face on one side. The Joker escapes custody, extracts the fortune's location from Lau, and burns it, killing Lau in the process.

Wayne Enterprises accountant Coleman Reese deduces and tries to expose Batman's identity, but the Joker threatens to blow up a hospital unless Reese is killed. While the police evacuate hospitals and Gordon struggles to keep Reese alive, the Joker meets with a disillusioned Dent, persuading him to take the law into his own hands and avenge Rachel. Dent defers his decision-making to his now half-scarred, two-headed coin, killing the corrupt officers and the mafia involved in Rachel's death. As panic grips the city, the Joker reveals two evacuation ferries, one carrying civilians and the other prisoners, are rigged to explode at midnight unless one group sacrifices the other. To the Joker's disbelief, the passengers refuse to kill one another. Batman subdues the Joker but refuses to kill him. Before the police arrest the Joker, he says although Batman proved incorruptible, his plan to corrupt Dent has succeeded.

Dent takes Gordon's family hostage, blaming his negligence for Rachel's death. He flips his coin to decide their fates, but Batman tackles him to save Gordon's son, and Dent falls to his death. Believing Dent is the hero the city needs and the truth of his corruption will harm Gotham, Batman takes the blame for his death and actions and persuades Gordon to conceal the truth. Pennyworth burns an undelivered letter from Rachel to Wayne that says she chose Dent, and Fox destroys the invasive surveillance network that helped Batman find the Joker. The city mourns Dent as a hero, and the police launch a manhunt for Batman.

• Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A wealthy socialite who as a child was traumatized by his parents' murder. Wayne secretly operates as the heroic vigilante Batman.[4]
• Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth: Wayne's father-figure, trusted butler, and confidant.[5][6]
• Heath Ledger as the Joker: A criminal mastermind and anarchist who is determined to sow chaos and corruption throughout Gotham.[4][7][8]
• Gary Oldman as James Gordon: One of the few honest officers in the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) who assists Batman's war on crime.[7][9]
• Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two-Face: Gotham's noble district attorney-turned-violent vigilante.[7][10][11]
• Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes: Gotham's assistant district attorney and Wayne's childhood friend, who is divided between her feelings for him and for Dent.[12]
• Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox: Wayne Enterprises' CEO who supplies technology and equipment for Batman's campaign.[13][14][15]

Additionally, Eric Roberts, Michael Jai White, and Ritchie Coster appear as crime bosses Sal Maroni, Gambol, and the Chechen, respectively; while Chin Han portrays Lau, a Chinese criminal banker.[d] The GCPD cast includes Colin McFarlane as commissioner Gillian B. Loeb, Keith Szarabajka and Ron Dean as detectives Stephens and Wuertz, Monique Gabriela Curnen as rookie detective Anna Ramirez[2][21][22] and Philip Bulcock as Murphy.[2]

The cast also features Joshua Harto as Wayne Enterprises employee Coleman Reese,[23] Anthony Michael Hall as news reporter Mike Engel,[24][25] Néstor Carbonell as mayor Anthony Garcia, William Fichtner as a bank manager, Nydia Rodriguez Terracina as Judge Surrillo,[2] Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr. as a prisoner, Beatrice Rosen as Wayne's Russian ballerina date, and David Dastmalchian as the Joker's paranoid schizophrenic henchman Thomas Schiff.[2][25][26] Melinda McGraw, Nathan Gamble, and Hannah Gunn portray Gordon's wife Barbara, his son James Jr., and his daughter, respectively.[2][27] The Dark Knight features several cameo appearances from Cillian Murphy, who reprises his role as Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow from Batman Begins;[28][29] musical performer Matt Skiba;[30] as well as United States Senator and Batman fan Patrick Leahy, who has appeared in or voiced characters in other Batman media.[31]

Development

Following the critical and financial success of Batman Begins (2005), the film studio Warner Bros. Pictures prioritized a sequel.[32] Although Batman Begins ends with a scene in which Batman is presented with a joker playing card, teasing the introduction of his archenemy, the Joker, Christopher Nolan did not intend to make a sequel and was unsure Batman Begins would be successful enough to warrant one.[33][34] Christopher, alongside his wife and longtime producer Emma Thomas, had never worked on a sequel film[35] but he and co-writer David Goyer discussed ideas for a sequel during filming. Goyer developed an outline for two sequels, but Christopher remained unsure how to continue the Batman Begins narrative while keeping it consistent and relevant, though he was interested in utilizing the Joker in Begins's grounded, realistic style.[32][34][35] Discussions between Warner Bros. Pictures and Christopher began shortly after Batman Begins's theatrical release, and development began following the production of Christopher's The Prestige (2006).[32]

Writing

Goyer and Christopher collaborated for three months to develop The Dark Knight's core plot points.[35] They wanted to explore the theme of escalation and the idea that Batman's extraordinary efforts to combat common crimes would lead to an opposing escalation by criminals, attracting the Joker, who uses terrorism as a weapon. The joker playing card scene in Batman Begins was intended to convey the fallacy of Batman's belief his war on crime would be temporary.[34][36] Goyer and Christopher did not intentionally include real-world parallels to terrorism, the war on terror, and laws enacted to combat terrorists by the United States government because they believed making overtly political statements would detract from the story. They wanted it to resonate with and reflect contemporary audiences.[35] Christopher described The Dark Knight as representative of his own "fear of anarchy" and Joker represents "somebody who wants to just tear down the world around him."[37]

Although he was a fan of Batman (1989), starring Jack Nicholson as the Joker, Goyer did not consider Nicholson's portrayal scary and wanted The Dark Knight's Joker to be an unknowable, already-formed character, similar to the shark in Jaws (1975), without a "cliché" origin story.[e] Christopher and Goyer did not give their Joker an origin story or a narrative arc, believing it made the character scarier; Christopher described their film as the "rise of the Joker". They felt the threat of cinematic villains such as Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader had been undermined by subsequent films depicting their origins.[f]

With Christopher's help, his brother Jonathan spent six months developing the story into a draft screenplay. After submitting the draft to Warner Bros., Jonathan spent a further two months refining it until Christopher had finished directing The Prestige. The pair collaborated on the final script over the next six months during pre-production for The Dark Knight.[35][41] Jonathan found the "poignant" ending the script's most interesting aspect; it had always depicted Batman fleeing from police but was changed from him leaping across rooftops to escaping on the Batpod, his motorcycle-like vehicle. The dialogue Jonathan considered most important, "you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain", came late in development.[41] Influenced by films such as The Godfather (1972) and Heat (1995), and maintaining Batman Begins's tone, their finished script bore more resemblance to a crime drama than a traditional superhero film.[g]

Comic-book influences included writer Frank Miller's 1980s works, which portray characters in a serious tone, and the limited series Batman: The Long Halloween (1996–1997), which explores the relationship between Batman, Dent, and Gordon.[38][43] Dent was written as The Dark Knight's central character, serving as the center of the battle between Batman, who believes Dent is the hero the city needs, and the Joker, who wants to prove even the most righteous people can be corrupted. Christopher said the title refers to Dent as much as Batman.[h] He considered Dent as having a duality similar to Batman's, providing interesting dramatic potential.[10]

Focusing on Dent meant Bruce Wayne / Batman was written as a generally static character who did not undergo drastic character development.[35][44][45] Christopher found writing the Joker the easiest aspect of the script. The Nolans identified the traits common to his media incarnations and were influenced by the character's comic-book appearances as well as the villain Dr. Mabuse from the films of Fritz Lang.[34][39] Writer Alan Moore's graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), did not influence the main narrative but Christopher believed his interpretation of the Joker as someone partially driven to prove anyone can become like him when pushed far enough helped the Nolans give purpose to an "inherently purposeless" character.[34][35][39] The Joker was written as a purely evil psychopath and anarchist who lacks reason, logic, and fear, and could test the moral and ethical limits of Batman, Dent, and Gordon.[i] Christopher and Jonathan later realized they had inadvertently written their version similarly to Joker's first appearance in Batman #1 (1940).[j] The final scene, in which the Joker states he and Batman are destined to battle forever, was not intended to tease a sequel but to convey the diametrically opposed pair were in an endless conflict because they will not kill each other.[47]

Casting

Describing how his character had evolved from Batman Begins, Christian Bale said Wayne had changed from a young, naive, and angry man seeking purpose to a hero who is burdened by the realization his war against crime is seemingly endless.[48][49][50] Because the new Batsuit allowed him to be more agile, Bale did not increase his muscle mass as much as he had for Batman Begins. Christopher had deliberately obscured combat in the previous film because it was intended to portray Batman from the criminals' point of view. The improved Batsuit design let him show more of Bale's Keysi-fighting method training.[51]

Christopher was aware that Nicholson's popular portrayal of the Joker would invite comparisons to his version, and wanted an actor who could cope with the associated scrutiny.[k] Ledger's casting in August 2006 was criticized by some industry professionals and members of the public who considered him inappropriate for the role; executive producer Charles Roven said Ledger was the only person seriously considered, and that Batman Begins's positive reception would help alleviate any concerns.[l] Christopher was confident in the casting because discussions between himself and Ledger had demonstrated they shared similar ideas regarding the Joker's portrayal.[34][52] Ledger said he had some trepidation in succeeding Nicholson in the role but that the challenge excited him.[34][55] He described his interpretation as a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy", and avoided humanizing him. He was influenced by Alex from the crime film A Clockwork Orange (1971), and British musicians Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious.[m]

Ledger spent about a month secluding himself in a hotel room while reading relevant comic books. He developed the character's voice by mixing a high-pitch and low-pitch, which was inspired by ventriloquist performances. His fighting style was designed to appear improvised and erratic.[n] Ledger spent a further four months creating a "Joker diary" containing images and elements he believed would resonate with his character, such as finding the disease AIDS humorous.[59] Describing his performance, Ledger said: "It's the most fun I've had with a character and probably will ever have ... It was an exhausting process. At the end of the day, I couldn't move. I couldn't talk. I was absolutely wrecked."[57] In a November 2007 interview, Ledger said when committing himself to any role, he had difficulty sleeping because he could not relax his mind, and often slept only two hours a night during filming.[59]

Christopher wanted to cast an actor with an all-American "heroic presence" for Harvey Dent, something he likened to Robert Redford but with an undercurrent of anger or darkness.[52] Josh Lucas, Ryan Phillippe, and Mark Ruffalo were considered, as well as Matt Damon, who could not commit due to scheduling conflicts.[o] According to Christopher, Eckhart had the all-American charm and "aura ... of a good man pushed too far".[10][52] Eckhart found portraying conflicted characters to be interesting; he said the difference between Dent and Batman is the distance they are willing to go for their causes, and that after Dent's corruption he remains a crime fighter but he takes this to an extreme because he dislikes the restrictions of the law.[10][66] Eckhart's performance was influenced by the Kennedy family, particularly Robert F. Kennedy, who fought organized crime with a similarly idealistic view of the law.[67] During discussions on the portrayal of Dent's transformation into Two-Face, Eckhart and Christopher agreed to ignore Tommy Lee Jones's "colorful" portrayal in Batman Forever (1995), in which the character has pink hair and wears a split designer suit, in favor of a more realistic, slightly burnt, neutral-toned suit.[67]

Describing his role as GCPD Lieutenant James Gordon, Oldman said Gordon is the "moral center" of The Dark Knight, an honest and incorruptible character struggling with the limits of his morality.[68][69] Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, as Holmes chose to star in the crime comedy Mad Money (2008) instead.[70][71] Gyllenhaal approached Rachel as a new character and did not reference Holmes's previous performance. Christopher described Rachel as the emotional connection between Wayne and Dent, ultimately serving as a further personal loss to fuel Wayne's character. Gyllenhaal collaborated with Christopher on the character's depiction because she wanted Rachel to be important and meaningful in her relatively minor role.[p] Musician Dwight Yoakam turned down a role as the bank manager or a corrupt police officer because he was recording his album Dwight Sings Buck (2007).[74] Hong Kong actor Edison Chen had a role in the film, but this was mostly cut following his involvement in a sex photo scandal.[75][76]

Pre-production

In October 2006, location scouting for Gotham City took place in the UK in Liverpool, Glasgow, London, and parts of Yorkshire, and in several cities in the U.S.[77][78] Christopher chose Chicago because he liked the area and believed it offered interesting architectural features without being as recognizable as locations in better-known cities such as New York City.[35][79] Chicagoan authorities had been supportive during filming of Batman Begins, allowing the production to shut stretches of roads, freeways, and bridges.[80] Christopher wanted to exchange the more natural, scenic settings of Batman Begins such as the Himalayas and caverns for a modern, structured environment the Joker could disassemble. Production designer Nathan Crowley said the clean, neat lines of Chicagoan architecture enhanced the urban-crime drama they wanted to make, and that Batman had helped improve the city. The destruction of Wayne Manor in Batman Begins provided an opportunity to move Wayne to a modern, sparse penthouse, reflecting his loneliness.[81] Sets were still used for some interiors such as the Bat Bunker, the replacement for the Batcave, on the outskirts of the city. The production team considered placing it in the penthouse basement but believed it was too unrealistic a solution.[82]

Much of The Dark Knight was filmed using Panavision's Panaflex Millennium XL and Platinum cameras but Christopher wanted to film about 40 minutes with IMAX cameras, a high-resolution technology using 70 mm film rather than the more-commonly used format 35 mm; the finished film includes 15–20% IMAX footage, running for about 28 minutes.[q] This made it the first major motion picture to use IMAX technology, which was generally employed for documentaries.[r] Warner Bros. was reluctant to endorse the use of the technology because the cameras were large and unwieldy, and purchasing and processing the film stock cost up to four times as much as typical 35 mm film. Christopher said cameras that could be used on Mount Everest could be used for The Dark Knight, and had cinematographer Wally Pfister and his crew begin training to use the equipment in January 2007 to test its feasibility.[88][89][90] Christopher particularly wanted to film the bank heist prologue in IMAX to immediately convey the difference in scope between The Dark Knight and Batman Begins.[91]

Filming in Chicago

Principal photography began on April 18, 2007, in Chicago on a $185 million budget.[s][t] For The Dark Knight, Pfister chose to combine the "rust-style" visuals of Batman Begins with the "dusk"-like color scheme of The Prestige (cobalt blues, greens, blacks, and whites), in part to address over-dark scenes in Batman Begins.[83][96] To avoid attention, filming in Chicago took place under the working title Rory's First Kiss but the production's true nature was quickly uncovered by media publications.[97] The Joker's homemade videos were filmed and mainly directed by Ledger. Caine said he forgot his lines during a scene involving one video because of Ledger's "stunning" performance.[34]

The first scene filmed was the bank heist, which was shot in the Old Chicago Main Post Office over five days.[83][98] It was scheduled early to test the IMAX procedure, allowing it to be refilmed with traditional cameras if needed, and it was intended to be publicly released as part of the marketing campaign.[99] Pfister described it as a week of patience and learning because of the four-day wait for the IMAX footage to be processed.[91] Filming moved to England throughout May, returning to Chicago in June.[83][100]

Filming took place in the lobby of One Illinois Center, which served as Wayne's penthouse apartment; bookcases were built to hide the elevators. A floor of Two Illinois Center was decorated for Wayne's fundraiser. The crew was described as excited as this scene depicted the first meeting between Batman and the Joker. The windows in both settings were covered in green screen material, allowing Gotham City visuals to be added later.[83][101] In July, three weeks were spent filming the truck chase scene, mainly on Wacker Drive, a multi-level street that had to be closed overnight.[102][103] During filming, Christopher added a set-piece of a SWAT van crashing through a concrete barricade.[104] The sequence continued on LaSalle Street, which was also used for the GCPD funeral procession, for a practical truck-flip stunt and helicopter sequence.[105] Additional segments were filmed on Monroe Street and Randolph Street, and at Randolph Street Station.[103][106][107]

Navy Pier, along the shore of Lake Michigan, served as Gotham Harbor in a climactic ferry scene. Scouts spent over a month searching for suitable vessels but were unsuccessful, so construction coordinator Joe Ondrejko and his team built ferry facades atop barges.[103][108] The entire sequence was filmed in one day and involved 800 extras, who were moved through makeup and clothing departments in shifts.[109] Exterior footage of the Gotham Prewitt Building, the site of Batman's and the Joker's final confrontation, was filmed at the in-construction Trump International Hotel and Tower. The owners refused permission to film a stunt in which Batman suspends a SWAT team from the building, so this was filmed from the fortieth floor of a separate building site.[110] A former Brach's candy factory on Cicero Avenue scheduled for demolition was used to film the Gotham General Hospital explosion in August 2007.[103][111] Filming in Chicago concluded on September 1, ending with scenes of Wayne driving and crashing his car, before the production returned to England.[103][112]

The Dark Knight includes Chicago locations such as Lake Michigan, which doubled as the Caribbean Sea where Wayne boards a seaplane;[109] Richard J. Daley Center (Wayne Enterprises exteriors and a courtroom);[103][113] The Berghoff restaurant (GCPD arresting mobsters);[103] Twin Anchors restaurant; the Sound Bar; McCormick Place (Wayne Enterprises interiors); and Chicago Theatre.[103] 330 North Wabash served as offices used by Dent, mayor Garcia, and commissioner Loeb; and its thirteenth floor appears as Wayne Enterprises' boardroom; Pfister enhanced its large, panoramic windows and natural light with an 80-foot (24 m) glass table and reflective bulbs.[101] A Randolph Street parking garage is where Batman captures Scarecrow and Batman impersonators. Christopher wanted several Rottweiler dogs in the scene but locating a dog-handler willing to simultaneously manage several dogs was difficult.[103][114] A scene of Batman surveying the city from a rooftop edge was filmed atop Willis Tower, Chicago's tallest building. Stuntman Buster Reeves was due to double as Batman, but Bale persuaded the filmmakers to let him perform the scene himself.[103][115][116] The thirteen weeks of filming in Chicago was estimated to have generated $45 million for the city's economy and thousands of local jobs.[117][118]

Filming in England and Hong Kong

Many interior locations for The Dark Knight were filmed on sets at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, and Cardington Airfield, Bedfordshire; these locations include the Bat Bunker, which took six weeks to build in a Cardington hangar. The Bat Bunker was based on 1960s Chicago building designs, and was integrated into existing concrete floor, and used the 200-foot (61 m) long, 8 ft (2.4 m) tall ceiling to create a broad perspective. The 160-foot (49 m) tall hangar was unsuitable for suspending the bunker roof, and an encompassing gantry was built to hold it and the lighting.[83][119] After moving from Chicago in May, scenes filmed in the UK also include Criterion Restaurant, where Rachel, Dent, and Wayne share dinner, and a Gotham News scene that was filmed at the University of Westminster. The GCPD headquarters was rebuilt in the Farmiloe Building. During the interrogation scene, Ledger asked Bale to actually hit him, and although he declined, Ledger cracked and dented the walls by throwing himself around.[119][120]

After returning to England in the middle of September, scenes were filmed for the ferry, hospital, and Gotham Prewitt building interiors.[121] By mid-October, interior and exterior scenes of Rachel being held hostage surrounded by barrels of gasoline were filmed at Battersea Power Station. To avoid damaging the power station, a listed building, a false wall was built in front of it and lined with explosives.[122] Nearby residents contacted emergency services believing the explosion was a terrorist attack.[123] Filming in England concluded at the end of October with a variety of green-screen shots for the truck-chase sequence, and shots of Rachel being thrown from a window were filmed on a set at Cardington.[124]

The final nine days of production took place in Hong Kong and included aerial footage from atop the International Finance Centre, as well as filming at Central to Mid-Levels escalator, The Center, Central, The Peninsula Hong Kong, and Queen's Road; and a stunt involving Batman catching an in-flight C-130 aircraft.[u] Despite extensive rehearsals of Reeves jumping from the McClurg Building in Chicago, a planned stunt to depict Batman leaping from one Hong Kong skyscraper to another was canceled because local authorities refused permission for helicopter use; Pfister described the officials as a "nightmare".[61][129] Christopher disputed a report that said a scene of Batman leaping into Victoria Harbour was canceled because of pollution concerns, saying it was a script decision.[125][126] The 127-day shoot concluded on November 15, on time and under budget.[130]

Post-production

Editing was underway in January 2008 when Ledger, aged 28, died from an accidental overdose of a prescription drug. A rumor his commitment to his performance as the Joker had affected his mental state circulated, but this was later refuted.[v] Christopher said editing the film became "tremendously emotional, right when he passed, having to go back in and look at him every day [during editing] ... but the truth is, I feel very lucky to have something productive to do, to have a performance that he was very, very proud of, and that he had entrusted to me to finish".[58] Because Christopher preferred to capture sound while filming rather than re-recording dialogue in post-production, Ledger's work had been completed before his death, and Christopher did not modify the Joker's narrative in response.[61][133] Christopher added a dedication to Ledger and stuntman Conway Wickliffe, who died during rehearsals for a Tumbler (Batmobile) stunt.[134][135][136]

Alongside lead editor Lee Smith, Christopher took an "aggressive editorial approach" to editing The Dark Knight to achieve its 152-minute running time.[w] Christopher said no scenes were deleted because he believed every scene was essential, and that unnecessary material had been cut before filming.[137] The Nolans had difficulties refining the script to reduce the running time. After removing so much material they believed the story had become incomprehensible, they added more scenes.[35]

Special effects and design

Unlike the design process of Batman Begins, which was restrained by a need to represent Batman iconography, audience acceptance of its realistic setting gave The Dark Knight more design freedom.[140] Chris Corbould, the film's special effects supervisor,[141] oversaw the 700 effect shots Double Negative and Framestore produced; there were relatively few effects compared to equivalent films because Christopher only used computer-generated imaging where practical effects would not suffice.[142] Production designer Nathan Crowley designed the Batpod (Batcycle) because Christopher did not want to extensively re-use the Tumbler. Corbould's team built the Batpod, which is based on a prototype Crowley and Christopher built by combining different commercial model components.[143][144] The unwieldy, wide-tired vehicle could only be ridden by stuntman Jean Pierre Goy after months of training.[116][144][145] The Gotham General Hospital explosion was not in the script but added during filming because Corbould believed it could be done.[146]

Hemming, Crowley, Christopher, and Jamie Rama re-designed the Batsuit to make it more comfortable and flexible, developing a costume made from a stretchy material covered in over 100 urethane armor pieces.[147][148] Sculptor Julian Murray developed Dent's burnt-facial design, which is based on Christopher's request for a skeletal appearance. Murray went through designs that were "too real and more horrifying" before settling on a more "fanciful" and detailed but less-repulsive version.[66][149] Hemming designed Joker's overall appearance, which he based on fashion-and-music celebrities to create a modern and trendy look. Influence also came from the 1953 painting Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X by Francis Bacon—suggested by Christopher—and the character's comic-book appearances.[34][150][151] The outfit consists of a purple coat, a green vest, an antique shirt, and a thin, 1960s-style tie that Ledger suggested.[152] Prosthetics supervisor Conor O'Sullivan created Joker's scars, which he partly based on a scarred delivery man he met, and used his own technique to create and apply the supple, skin-like prosthesis.[34][153] John Caglione Jr designed Joker's "organic" makeup to look as though it had been worn for days; this idea was partly based on more of Bacon's works. Caglione Jr used a theatrical makeup technique for the application; he instructed Ledger to scrunch up his face so different cracks and textures were created once the makeup was applied and Ledger relaxed. Ledger always applied the lipstick himself, believing it was essential to his characterization.[34][154][155]

Music

Composers James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer, who had also worked on Batman Begins, scored The Dark Knight because Christopher believed it was important to bridge the musical-narrative gap between the films. The score was recorded at Air Studios, London. Howard and Zimmer composed the score without seeing the film because Christopher wanted them to be influenced by the characters and story rather than fitting specific on-screen elements.[156][157] Howard and Zimmer separated their duties by character; Howard focused on Dent and Zimmer focused on Batman and the Joker. Zimmer did not consider Batman to be strictly noble and wrote the theme to not seem "super".[158][159] Howard wrote about ten minutes of music for Dent, wanting to portray him as an American who represents hope, but undergoes an emotional extreme and moral corruption. He used brass instruments for both moral ends but warped the sound as Dent is corrupted.[156][158]

Zimmer wanted to use a single note for the Joker's theme; he said, "imagine one note that starts off slightly agitated and then goes to serious aggravation and finally rips your head off at the end". He could not make it work, however, and used two notes with alternating tempos and a "punk" influence.[156][158][159] The theme was influenced by electronic music innovators Kraftwerk and Zimmer's work with rock band The Damned. He wanted to convey elements of the Joker's corrosion, recklessness, and "otherworldliness" by combining electronic and orchestral music, and modifying almost every note after recording to emulate sounds including thunder and razors.[156][159][160] He attempted to develop original sounds with synthesizers, trying to create an "offputting" result by instructing musicians to start with a single note and gradually shift to the second over a three-minute period; the musicians found this difficult because it was the opposite of their training.[158] It took several months to achieve Zimmer's desired result.[159] Following Ledger's death, Zimmer considered discarding the theme for a more traditional one but he and Howard believed they should honor Ledger's performance.[x]

Marketing and anti-piracy

The Dark Knight's marketing campaign was developed by alternate reality game (ARG) development company 42 Entertainment. Christopher wanted the team to focus on countering the negative reaction to Ledger's casting and controlling the revelation of the Joker's appearance.[162] Influenced by the script and the comic books The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween, and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989), 42 Entertainment paced the ARG over annual events, although Warner Bros. rejected their ideas to use Jokerized Santas at Christmas, coffins filled with chattering teeth on Mother's Day (mocking Wayne's late mother), and Batman actors on rooftops due to safety concerns.[162][163]

The ARG began in May 2007 with campaign posters for Dent and Joker playing cards bearing the phrase "I believe in Harvey Dent" were hidden inside comic books at stores around the U.S. This led people to a website where they could submit their e-mail addresses to reveal a pixel of a concealed Joker image; about 97,000 e-mail addresses and 20 hours were required to reveal the image in full, which was well received. At San Diego Comic-Con, 42 Entertainment modified 11,000 one-dollar bills with the Joker's image and the phrase "Why So Serious?" that led finders to a location. 42 Entertainment's initial plan to throw the bills from a balcony was canceled due to safety concerns, so the bills were covertly distributed to attendees. Although the event was expected to attract a few thousand people, 650,000 arrived and participated in activities that included calling a number taken from a plane flying overhead and wearing Joker makeup to commit disruptive acts with actors.[162][163][164] Globally, fans photographed letters on signs to form a ransom note. A U.S.-centric effort involved people recovering cellphones made by Nokia—a brand partner to the film—from a cake, which led to an early screening of the film's bank-heist prologue before its public release in December. Ledger's appearance in the prologue was well-received and positively changed the discourse around his casting.[y]

Following Ledger's death, the campaign continued unchanged with a focus on Dent's election, which was influenced by the ongoing 2008 United States presidential election. Warner Bros. was concerned public knowledge of Dent's character was poor; the campaign included signs, stickers, and "Dentmobiles" visiting U.S. cities to raise his profile. The campaign concluded in July with displays of the Bat-Signal in Chicago and New York City that were eventually defaced by the Joker. Industry professionals considered the campaign innovative and successful.[z]

Warner Bros. dedicated six months to anti-piracy methods; the film industry lost an estimated $6.1 billion to piracy in 2005. Delivery methods of film reels were randomized and copies had a chain of custody to track who had access. Some theater staff were given night-vision goggles to identify people recording The Dark Knight, and one person was caught in Kansas City. Warner Bros. considered its strategy a success, delaying the appearance of the first "poorly-lit" camcorder version until 38–48 hours after its earliest global release in Australia.[174][175]

Context

Compared to 2007's $9.7 billion box-office take, in 2008, lower revenues were expected due to the large number of comedies competing against each other and the release of films with dark tones, such as The Dark Knight, during a period of rising living costs and election fatigue in the U.S. Fewer sequels, which generally performed well, were scheduled and only four—The Dark Knight, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—were predicted to be blockbusters. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the only film expected to easily earn over $300 million.[176]

The Dark Knight was expected to sell well based on high audience anticipation, positive pre-release reviews, and a record $3.5 million in IMAX pre-sales. Predictions placed its opening-weekend take above that of Iron Man's $102.1 million but below that of Spider-Man 3's (2007) record $151.1 million. Analysts said its success would be influenced by the lengthy running time that limited the number of screenings per day, and counter-programming from the romantic comedy Mamma Mia!—which surveyed well with women—and the family comedy Space Chimps. There was also a perceived limit on financial success for Batman films; the 1989 installment remained the franchise's highest-grossing release.[177][178] The Dark Knight's premiere took place on July 14, in IMAX in New York City. A block in Broadway was closed for the event, which included a live performance of the film score by Howard and Zimmer. The Hollywood Reporter said Ledger received several ovations, and that during the after-party, Warner Bros. executives struggled to maintain a balance between celebrating the successful response and commemorating Ledger.[179]

Box office

On July 18, 2008, The Dark Knight was widely released in the U.S. and Canada in a record 4,366 theaters on an estimated 9,200 screens. It earned $158.4 million during the weekend, a per-theater average of $36,282, breaking Spider-Man 3's record and making it the number-one film ahead of Mamma Mia! ($27.8 million) and Hancock ($14 million) in its third weekend.[aa] It set further records for the highest-grossing single-day ($67.2 million on the Friday), Sunday ($43.6 million), midnight opening ($18.5 million, from 3,000 midnight screenings), and IMAX opening ($6.3 million from about 94 locations), as well as the second-highest-grossing Saturday ($47.7 million) behind Spider-Man 3, and contributed to the highest-grossing weekend on record ($253.6 million).[ab] The film benefited from repeat viewings by younger audiences and had broad appeal, with 52% of the audience being male and an equal number of those under 25 years old, and those of 25 or older.[177][178][186]

The Dark Knight broke more records, including for the highest-grossing opening week ($238.6 million), and for three-, four-, five-, six-, seven-, eight-, nine-, and ten-day cumulative grosses, including the highest-grossing non-holiday Monday ($24.5 million) and non-opening Tuesday ($20.9 million, as well as the second-highest-grossing non-opening Wednesday ($18.4 million), behind Transformers ($29.1 million).[ac] It retained the number-one position in its second weekend with a total gross of $75.2 million, ahead of the debuting Step Brothers ($31 million), giving it the highest-grossing second weekend.[191][192] It retained the number-one position in its third ($42.7 million) and fourth ($26.1 million) weekends, before falling to second place in its fifth, with a gross of $16.4 million, behind the debuting Tropic Thunder ($25.8 million).[193][194][195] The Dark Knight remained in the top-ten highest-grossing films for ten weeks, and became the film to surpass $400 million soonest (18 days) and $500 million (45 days).[181][196][197] The film was playing in fewer than 100 theaters when it received a 300-theater relaunch in late January 2009 to raise its profile during nominations for the 81st Academy Awards. This raised its total box office to $533.3 million before it left theaters on March 5 after 33 weeks, making it the highest-grossing comic-book, superhero, and Batman film; the highest-grossing film of 2008; and the second-highest-grossing film ever (unadjusted for inflation), behind the 1997 romantic drama Titanic ($600.8 million).[ad]

The Dark Knight was released in Australia and Taiwan on Wednesday, July 16, 2008, and opened in twenty markets by the weekend. It earned about $40 million combined, making it second to Hancock ($44.8 million), which was playing in nearly four times as many countries.[ae] The Dark Knight was available in sixty-two countries by the end of August, although Warner Bros. decided not to release it in China, blaming "a number of pre-release conditions ... as well as cultural sensitivities to some elements of the film".[208] The Dark Knight earned about $469.7 million outside the U.S. and Canada, its highest grosses coming from the United Kingdom ($89.1 million), Australia ($39.9 million), Germany ($29.7 million), France ($27.5 million), Mexico ($25 million), South Korea ($24.7 million), and Brazil ($20.2 million). This made it the second-highest-grossing film of the year behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.[204][209]

The film had grossed $997 million worldwide by January 2009.[203][210] Its reissue in the run-up to the Oscars enabled the film to exceed $1 billion in February,[211] and it ultimately earned $1.003 billion. It was the first superhero film to gross over $1 billion, the highest-grossing film of 2008 worldwide, the fourth film to earn more than $1 billion, and the fourth-highest-grossing film of its time behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1.066 billion), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1.119 billion), and Titanic ($1.842 billion).[af][ag] As of September 2022, rereleases have further raised its box-office take to $1.006 billion.[93]

Critical response

The Dark Knight received critical acclaim.[ah] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 94% approval rating from the aggregated reviews of 347 critics, with an average score of 8.6/10. The consensus reads; "Dark, complex and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga."[220] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[219] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[221]

Several publications called The Dark Knight the best comic-book hero adaptation ever made. Roger Ebert said it, alongside Iron Man, had redefined the potential of superhero films by combining comic-book tropes with real world events.[ai] Some appreciated its complex moral tale about the effects of vigilantism and terrorism on contemporary society. Emanuel Levy and Manohla Dargis praised the depiction of the characters as possessing both positive and negative aspects, such as Batman's efforts to end crime provoking unintended consequences and a greater response from criminals; Dargis believed The Dark Knight's exploration of chaos, fear, and death, following the September 11 attacks in 2001, represented "that American movies have entered a new era of ambivalence when it comes to their heroes or maybe just superness."[aj] Others criticized the dark, grim, intense, and self-serious tone as lacking any elements of fun or fantasy.[ak] David Denby said The Dark Knight was a product of a "time of terror", but focused on embracing and unleashing it while cynically setting up a sequel.[212] Stephanie Zacharek and David Edelstein criticized a perceived lack of visual storytelling in favor of exposition, and aspects of the plot being difficult to follow amid the fast pace and loud score.[234][235] Christopher's action direction was criticized, especially during fight scenes where it could be difficult to see things clearly,[229][230] although the prologue bank heist was praised as among the film's best.[al]

Ledger's performance received near-unanimous praise with the caveat that his death made the role both highly anticipated and difficult to watch.[am] Dargis, among others, described Ledger as realizing the Joker so convincingly, intensely, and viscerally it made the audience forget about the actor behind the makeup. The Village Voice wrote the performance would have made Ledger a legend even if he had lived.[an] Other reviews said Ledger outshone Nicholson's performance with macabre humor and malevolence.[224][237][241] Reviews generally agreed the Joker was the best-written character, and that Ledger commanded scenes from the entire cast to create one of the most mesmerizing cinematic villains.[ao] Zacharek, however, lamented that the performance was not in service of a better film.[235]

Bale's reception was mixed; his performance was considered to be alternately "captivating" or serviceable, but ultimately uninteresting and undermined by portraying an immovable and generally unchanged character who delivers Batman's dialogue in a hoarse, unvarying tone.[ap] Eckhart's performance was generally well received; reviewers praised his portrayal of Dent as charismatic, and the character's subsequent transformation into a sad, bitter "monster", although Variety considered his subplot the film's weakest.[aq] Stephen Hunter said the Dent character was underwritten and that Eckhart was incapable of portraying the role as intended.[236] Several reviewers regarded Gyllenhaal as an improvement over Holmes, although others said they found difficulty caring about the character and that Gyllenhaal, while more talented than her predecessor, was miscast.[ar] Peter Travers praised Oldman's skill in making a virtuous character interesting and he, among others, described Caine's and Freeman's performances as "effortless".[222][225][235] Ebert surmised the entire cast provided "powerful" performances that engage the audience, such that "we're surprised how deeply the drama affects us".[212]

Accolades

The Dark Knight appeared on several lists recognizing the best films of 2008, including those compiled by Ebert, The Hollywood Reporter, and the American Film Institute.[as] At the 13th Satellite Awards, The Dark Knight received one award for Sound Editing or Mixing (Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo).[251] A further four wins came at the 35th People's Choice Awards: Favorite Movie, Favorite Cast, Favorite Action Movie, and Favorite On-Screen Match-Up (Bale and Ledger),[252] as well as Best Action Movie and Best Supporting Actor (Ledger) at the 14th Critics' Choice Awards.[253] Howard and Zimmer were recognized for Best Motion Picture Score at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.[254] Ledger won the film's only awards at the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards, 62nd British Academy Film Awards, and 66th Golden Globe Awards, for Best Supporting Actor.[255][256][257] At the 14th Empire Awards, The Dark Knight received awards for Best Film, Best Director (Christopher Nolan), and Best Actor (Bale).[258] Ledger received the award for Best Villain at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards,[259] and at the 35th Saturn Awards, The Dark Knight won awards for Best Action or Adventure Film, Best Supporting Actor (Ledger), Best Writing (Christopher and Jonathan Nolan), Best Music (Howard and Zimmer), and Best Special Effects (Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul J. Franklin, Timothy Webber).[260]

Before The Dark Knight's release, film industry discourse focused on Ledger potentially earning an Academy Award nomination at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009, making him only the seventh person to be nominated posthumously, and if the decision would be influenced by his death or performance.[at] Genre films such as those based on comic books were also generally ignored by Academy voters.[269][270][271] Even so, Ledger was considered a favorite to earn the award based on praise from critic groups and his posthumous Golden Globe award.[263][264][265] Ledger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him only the second performer to win an award posthumously (after Peter Finch in 1977), and The Dark Knight the first comic book adaptation to win an academy acting award.[263][272][273] The Dark Knight also won an award for Best Sound Editing (King), and received six nominations for Best Art Direction (Crowley and Peter Lando), Best Cinematography (Pfister), Best Film Editing (Smith), Best Makeup (Caglione Jr. and O'Sullivan), Best Sound Mixing (Hirschberg, Rizzo, and Ed Novick), and Best Visual Effects (Davis, Corbould, Webber, and Franklin).[274]

Despite the success of The Dark Knight, the lack of a Best Picture nomination was criticized and described as a "snub" by some publications. The response was seen as the culmination of several years of criticism toward the academy ignoring high-performing, broadly popular films.[275][276][277] The backlash was such that, for the 82nd Academy Awards awards in 2010, the academy increased the limit for Best Picture nominees from five to ten, a change known as "The Dark Knight Rule". It allowed for more broadly popular but "respected" films to be nominated, including District 9, The Blind Side, Avatar, and Up, the first animated film to be nominated in two decades.[au] This change is seen as responsible for the first Best Picture nomination of a comic book adaptation, Black Panther (2018).[278][286] Even so, The Hollywood Reporter argued the academy mistook the appeals to recognize important, "generation-defining" genre films with just nominating more films.[287]

Home media

The Dark Knight was released on DVD and Blu-ray in December 2008. The release has a slipcover box-art that revealed a "Jokerized" version underneath, and contains featurettes on Batman's equipment, the psychology used in the film, six episodes of the fictional news program Gotham Tonight, and a gallery of concept art, posters, and Joker cards. The Blu-ray disc version additionally offers interactive elements describing the production of some scenes.[av] A separate, limited-edition Blu-ray disc set came with a Batpod figurine.[291] The Dark Knight sold 3 million copies across both formats on its launch day in the U.S., Canada, and the UK; Blu-ray discs comprised about 25–30% of the sales—around 600,000 units. The film was released at the beginning of the Blu-ray disc format; it was considered a success, breaking Iron Man's record of 250,000 units sold and indicating the format was growing in popularity.[aw] In 2011, it also became the first major-studio film to be released for rent via digital distribution on Facebook.[296] A 4K resolution remaster, which was overseen by Christopher, was released in December 2017 as a set containing a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray disc, and digital download, as well as special features from earlier releases.[297][298][299]

Merchandise and spin-offs

Merchandise for The Dark Knight includes statuettes, action figures, radio-controlled Tumbler and Batpod models, costumes, sets of Batarangs, a limited-edition Grappling Launcher replica, board games, puzzles, clothing, and a special-edition UNO card game.[ax] A novelization written by Dennis O'Neil was released in 2008.[304]

A direct-to-DVD animated film, Batman: Gotham Knight, was released in July 2008. Executive produced by Bruce Timm and Nolan's wife Emma Thomas, with Goyer as one of the writers, it includes veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy reprising his role. Originally there was interest in bringing Bale and other actors from the live-action films to voice their respective characters, but it was not possible due to scheduling conflicts. Gotham Knight presents six vignettes, each of which are animated in a different artistic style, set between the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.[305][306]

A video game adaptation, Batman: The Dark Knight, was canceled due to development problems.[307][308] The Dark Knight Coaster, an indoor roller coaster, opened in May 2008 at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Costing $7.5 million, the 1,213-foot (370 m) long attraction places riders in an imitation of Wayne Central Station in Gotham City as they move through areas that are vandalized or controlled by the Joker.[309][310]

Terrorism and escalation

A central theme of The Dark Knight is escalation, particularly the rise of the Joker in response to Batman's vigilantism.[311][312] Batman's vigilante operation arms him with high-tech military equipment against common criminals, and the Joker is the inevitable response and escalation of lawlessness to counter Batman. Critic Siddhant Adlakha considered the Joker an analog for countries such as Iraq, Somalia, and Lebanon, which were targeted by U.S. military campaigns and responded with escalation using terrorism.[312] Batman also inspires copycat vigilantes, further escalating lawlessness. Film studies professor Todd McGowan said Batman asserts authority over these copycats, telling them to stop because they do not have the same defensive equipment as himself, reaffirming his self-given authority to act as a vigilante.[313]

The film has been analyzed as an analog for the war on terror, the militaristic campaign the U.S. launched following the September 11 attacks.[312] The scene in which Batman stands in the ruins of a destroyed building, having failed to prevent the Joker's plot, is reminiscent of the World Trade Center site after September 11.[312] According to historian Stephen Prince, The Dark Knight is about the consequences of civil and government authorities abandoning rules in the fight against terrorism.[314] Several publications criticized The Dark Knight for a perceived endorsement of "necessary evils" such as torture and rendition.[315] Author Andrew Klavan said Batman is a stand-in for then-U.S. president George W. Bush and justified the breaching of "boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that [Batman] will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past".[313][316] Klavan's interpretation was criticized by some publications that considered The Dark Knight anti-war, proposing society must not abandon the rule of law to combat lawlessness or risk creating the conditions for escalation.[317][318] This is exemplified in the covert alliance formed between Batman, Dent, and Gordon, leading to Rachel's death and Dent's corruption.[315] Writer Benjamin Kerstein said both viewpoints are valid, and that "The Dark Knight is a perfect mirror of the society which is watching it: a society so divided on the issues of terror and how to fight it that, for the first time in decades, an American mainstream no longer exists".[319]

Batman and Dent resort to torture or enhanced interrogation to stop the Joker but he remains immune to their efforts because he has a strong belief in his goals. When Dent ineffectually attempts to torture Joker's henchman, Batman does not condemn the act, only being concerned about public perception if people discover the truth. This conveys the protagonists' gradual abandonment of their principles when faced with an extreme foe.[312] The Joker meets Dent in a hospital to explain how expected atrocities, such as the deaths of several soldiers, and societal failings are tolerated but when norms are unexpectedly disrupted, people panic and descend into chaos.[312][320] Although the Joker wears disguising makeup, he is not hiding behind a mask and is the same person with or without makeup. He lacks any identity or origin, representing the uncertainty, unknowability, and fear of terrorism, although he does not follow any political ideology.[312][321] Dent represents the fulfillment of American idealism, a noble person who can work within the confines of the law and allow Batman to retire, but the fear and chaos embodied by the Joker taints that idealism and corrupts Dent absolutely.[312]

In The Dark Knight's final act, Batman employs an invasive surveillance network by co-opting the phones of Gotham's citizens to locate the Joker, violating their privacy. Adlakha described this act as a "militaristic fantasy", in which a significant violation of civil liberties is required through the means of advanced technology to capture a dangerous terrorist, reminiscent of the 2001 Patriot Act. Lucius Fox threatens to stop helping Batman in response, believing he has crossed an ethical boundary, and although Batman agrees these violations are unacceptable and destroys the technology, the film demonstrates he could not have stopped the Joker in time without it.[312][313]

Morality and ethics

The Dark Knight focuses on the moral and ethical battles faced by the central characters, and the compromises they make to defeat the Joker under extraordinary circumstances.[ay] Roger Ebert said the Joker forces impossible ethical decisions on each character to test the limits of their morality.[222][312] Batman represents order to the Joker's chaos and is brought to his own limit but avoids completely compromising himself. Dent represents goodness and hope; he is the city's "white knight" who is "pure" of intent and can operate within the law.[312][313][320] Dent is motivated to do good because he identifies himself as good, not through trauma like Batman, and has faith in the legal system.[313] Adlakha wrote Dent is framed as a religious icon, his campaign slogan being "I believe in Harvey Dent", and his eventual death leaves his arms spread wide like Jesus on the Cross.[312][320] Eckhart described Dent as someone who loves the law but feels constrained by it and his inability to do what he believes is right because the rules he must follow do not allow it.[66] Dent's desire to work outside the law is seen in his support of Batman's vigilantism to accomplish what he cannot.[42]

Dent's corruption suggests he is a proxy for those looking for hope because he is as fallible and susceptible to darkness as anyone else.[320] This can be seen in his use of a two-headed coin to make decisions involving others, eliminating the risk of chance by controlling the outcome in his favor, indicating losing is not an acceptable outcome for him. Once Dent experiences a significant traumatic event in the loss of Rachel and his own disfigurement, he quickly abandons his noble former self to seek his own form of justice. His coin is scarred on one side, introducing the risk of chance, and he submits himself to it completely. According to English professor Daniel Boscaljon, Dent is not broken; he believes in a different form of justice in a seemingly unjust world, flipping a coin because it is "Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair."[323]

The Joker represents an ideological deviancy; he does not seek personal gain and causes chaos for its own sake, setting a towering pile of cash ablaze to prove "everything burns". Unlike Batman, the Joker is the same with or without makeup, having no identity to conceal and nothing to lose.[az] Boscaljon wrote the residents and criminals believe in a form of order and rules that must be obeyed; the Joker deliberately upends this belief because he has no rules or limitations.[325] The character can be considered an example of Friedrich Nietzsche's "Superman", who exists outside definitions such as good and evil, and follows his own indomitable will. The film, however, leaves open the option to dismiss his insights because his chaos ultimately leads to death and injustice.[326] Christopher described the Joker as an unadulterated evil, and professor Charles Bellinger considered him a satanic figure who repels people from goodness and tempts them with things they supposedly lack, such as forcing Batman to choose between saving Dent—who is best for the city—and Rachel, who is best for Wayne.[327] The Joker aims to corrupt Dent to prove anyone, even symbols, can be broken. In their desperation, Dent and Batman are forced to question their own limitations. As the Joker states to Batman:

Their morals, their code ... it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. You'll see—I'll show you ... when the chips are down, these civilized people ... they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster ... I'm just ahead of the curve.

— The Joker, in The Dark Knight[328]

The ferry scene can be seen as the Joker's true defeat, demonstrating he is wrong about the residents turning on each other in an extreme scenario.[312][320] According to writer David Chen, this demonstrates, individually, people cannot responsibly handle power but by sharing the responsibility, there is hope for a compassionate outcome.[320] Although Batman holds to his morals and does not kill the Joker, he is forced to break his code by pushing Dent to his death to save an innocent person. Batman chooses to become a symbol of criminality by taking the blame for Dent's crimes and preserving him as a symbol of good, maintaining the hope of Gotham's residents.[312][313][320] Critic David Crow wrote Batman's true test is not defeating the Joker but saving Dent, a task at which he fails.[329] Batman makes his own Christ-like sacrifice, taking on Dent's sins to preserve the city.[326]

Although The Dark Knight presents this as a heroic act, this "noble lie" is used to conceal and manipulate the truth for what a minority determines is the greater good.[313][330] McGowan considered the act heroic because Batman's sacrifice will leave him hunted and despised without recognition, indicating he has learned from the Joker the established norms must sometimes be broken.[313] According to professor Martin Fradley, among others, Batman's "noble lie" and Gordon's support of it is a cynical endorsement of deception and totalitarianism.[313][330] Wayne's butler Alfred also commits a noble lie, concealing Rachel's choice of Dent over Wayne to spare him the pain of her rejection.[312]

Cultural influence

The Dark Knight is considered an influential and often-imitated work that redefined the superhero/comic-book film genre, and filmmaking in general.[ba] In 2020, the United States Library of Congress selected The Dark Knight to be preserved in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[333]

Before The Dark Knight, superhero films closely emulated their comic-book source material, and though the genre had seen significant successes such as Superman (1978), Batman (1989), X-Men (2000), and Spider-Man (2002), they were often considered disposable entertainment that did not garner much industry respect.[bb] A 2018 retrospective by The Hollywood Reporter said The Dark Knight taught filmmakers "comic book characters are malleable. They are able to be grounded or fantastic, able to be prestigious or pure blockbuster entertainment, to be dark and gritty or light, to be character-driven or action-packed, or any variation in-between."[287]

The Dark Knight is considered a blueprint for the modern superhero film that productions either attempt to closely emulate or deliberately counter.[bc] Its financial, critical, and cultural successes legitimized the genre with film studios at a time when recent films, such as Daredevil, Hulk (both 2003), Fantastic Four (2005), and Superman Returns (2006) had failed to meet expectations.[277][335] The genre became a focus of annual studio strategies rather than a relatively niche project, and a surge of comic-book adaptations followed, in part because of their broad franchising potential. In 2008, Ebert wrote; "[The Dark Knight], and to a lesser degree Iron Man, redefine the possibilities of the 'comic-book movie'".[212] The Atlantic wrote Iron Man's legacy in launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) could not have happened without the financial and critical success of The Dark Knight, which made comic book adaptations a central focus of film studios.[186][277][287]

Retrospective analysis has focused on the way studios, eager to replicate its performance, released tonally dark, gritty, and realistic films, or reboots of existing franchises, many of which failed critically or commercially.[279][287][331] Some publications said studios took the wrong lessons from The Dark Knight, treating source material too seriously and mistaking a dark, gritty tone for narrative depth and intelligent writing.[bd] The MCU is seen as a successful continuation of what made The Dark Knight a success, combining genres and tones relevant to each respective film while treating the source material seriously, unlike the DC Extended Universe, which more closely emulated the tone of The Dark Knight but failed to replicate its success.[331][337]

Directors including Sam Mendes (Skyfall, 2012), Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), and David Ayer (Suicide Squad, 2016), have cited it as an influence on their work, Steven Spielberg listed it among his favorite films, and Timothée Chalamet said it inspired him to become an actor.[be] The film has been referenced in a variety of media including television shows such as Robot Chicken, South Park, and The Simpsons.[342][343][344] U.S. President Barack Obama used Joker to explain the growth of Islamic State (IS) military group, saying " ... the gang leaders of Gotham are meeting ... they were thugs, but there was a kind of order ... the Joker comes in and lights the whole city on fire. [IS] is the Joker."[345] Joker's appearance became a popular Halloween costume and also influenced the 2009 Barack Obama "Joker" poster.[bf]

Retrospective assessments

Since its release, The Dark Knight has been assessed as one of the greatest superhero films ever made,[bg] among the greatest films ever made,[bh] and one of the best sequel films.[bi] It is also considered among the best films of the 2000s,[bj] and in a 2010 poll of thirty-seven critics by Metacritic regarding the decade's top films, The Dark Knight received the eighth most mentions, appearing on 7 lists.[376] In the 2010s, a poll of 177 film critics by the BBC in 2016 listed it as the 33rd-best film of the 21st century,[377] and The Guardian placed it 98th on its own list.[378] In 2020, Empire magazine named it third-best, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).[379] As of 2023, it remains the highest critically rated Batman film according to Rotten Tomatoes, and is often ranked as the best film featuring the character.[bk]

The Dark Knight remains popular with entertainment industry professionals, including directors, actors, critics, and stunt actors, being ranked 57th on The Hollywood Reporter's poll of the best films ever made,[360] 18th on Time Out's list of the best action films,[391] and 96th on the BBC's list of the 100 Greatest American Films.[361] The Dark Knight is included in the film-reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die,[392] and film critics James Berardinelli and Barry Norman included it in their individual listings of the 100 greatest films of all time.[362][363] In 2012, Total Film named it the sixth-most-accomplished film of the preceding fifteen years, and a 2020 article by Empire named The Dark Knight as one of the films that defined the previous three decades.[393][394] In 2020, Time Out named it the seventy-second-best action movie ever made.[395]

Ledger's Joker is considered one of the greatest cinematic villains; several publications placed his portrayal second only to Darth Vader.[bl] In 2017, The Hollywood Reporter named Ledger's Joker the second-best cinematic superhero performance ever, behind Hugh Jackman as Wolverine,[401] and Collider listed him as the greatest villain of the 21st century.[402] In 2022, Variety listed him as the best superhero film performance of the preceding 50 years (Eckhart appears at number 22).[403] Entertainment Weekly wrote there had not been another villain as interesting or "perversely entertaining" as Joker, and Ledger's performance was considered so defining that future interpretations would be compared against it. Michael B. Jordan cited the character as an inspiration for his character Erik Killmonger in Black Panther.[bm] The "pencil trick" scene, in which Joker makes a pencil disappear by slamming a mobster's head on it, is considered an iconic scene and among the film's most famous.[bn] Similarly, the character's line "why so serious?" is among the film's most famous and oft-quoted pieces of dialog,[bo] alongside "everyone loses their minds," and Dent's line "you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain", as well as Pennyworth's line "some men just want to watch the world burn"; the lines also became popular internet memes.[bp]

The Dark Knight remains popular with audiences in publicly voted rankings. Over 17,000 people voted the film into the top ten of American Cinematographer's "Best-Shot Film of 1998–2008" list,[414] and listeners of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra named it their eighth-favorite film.[415] Readers of Empire have alternatively voted it the fifteenth (2008),[416] third (2014),[417] and the fourth-greatest film ever made (2020).[418] The Dark Knight was also voted the greatest superhero movie by readers of Rolling Stone (2014),[419] and as one of New Zealand's favorite films (2015).[420]

The Dark Knight was followed by The Dark Knight Rises (2012), the conclusion of The Dark Knight Trilogy. In the film, Batman is forced out of his self-imposed retirement following the events of The Dark Knight; he allies with Selina Kyle / Catwoman to take on Bane, a physically imposing revolutionary allied with the League of Shadows that is featured in Batman Begins.[421][422][423] The Dark Knight Rises was a financial success, surpassing the box-office take of The Dark Knight,[424] and was generally well received by critics but proved more divisive with audiences.[bq]

1. ^ Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures serve as co-financiers and co-production companies for The Dark Knight, while Syncopy is credited as the production company.[1][2]
2. ^ The Dark Knight is considered a co-production of the United States and United Kingdom.[2][3]
3. ^ This figure represents the cumulative total accounting for the initial worldwide 2008 gross of $997 million and subsequent releases thereafter.
4. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[2][16][17][18][19][20]
5. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[34][35][38][39][40]
6. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[35][38][39][40]
7. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[35][38][42][43]
8. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[10][35][44][45]
9. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[34][35][38][39][46]
10. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[34][35][38][39]
11. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[34][38][52][53]
12. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[34][38][53][54]
13. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[34][56][57][58][59]
14. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[34][55][60][61]
15. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[62][63][64][65]
16. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[35][70][71][72][73]
17. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[83][84][85][86]
18. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[83][86][87][88][89]
19. ^ Attributed to multiple references: [92][93][94][95]
20. ^ The 2008 budget of $185 million is equivalent to $262 million in 2023.
21. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[125][126][127][128]
22. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[49][61][131][132]
23. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[133][137][138][139]
24. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[156][158][159][161]
25. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[34][162][165][166][167][168]
26. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[162][163][169][170][171][172][173]
27. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[177][178][180][181][182]
28. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[177][183][184][185]
29. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[177][187][188][189][190]
30. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[181][198][199][200][201][202][203]
31. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[178][204][205][206][207]
32. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[203][209][212][213][214]
33. ^ The 2008 box office gross of $1.003 billion is equivalent to $1.42 billion in 2023.
34. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[215][216][217][218][219]
35. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[222][223][224][225][226][227][228]
36. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[222][224][229][230][231][232][233]
37. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[223][229][230][231][233]
38. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[223][225][236][237]
39. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[222][223][224][225][227][230][233][235][237][238][239][240][241][229]
40. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[231][236][237][240]
41. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[222][226][232][236][238][241][242]
42. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[230][235][236][243]
43. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[222][225][231][237]
44. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[231][235][236][237][238]
45. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[244][245][246][247][248][249][250]
46. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[261][262][263][264][265][266][267][268]
47. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[278][279][280][281][282][283][277][284][285]
48. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[228][288][289][290]
49. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[292][293][294][295]
50. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[300][301][302][303]
51. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[222][312][320][322]
52. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[313][320][322][324]
53. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[277][279][322][331][332]
54. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[212][278][287][334]
55. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[278][279][322][332]
56. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[322][331][332][336]
57. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[332][338][339][340][341]
58. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[280][287][282][332][334][346]
59. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[347][348][349][350][351][352][353][354][355][356][357][358]
60. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[359][360][361][362][363][364]
61. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[365][366][367][368][369][370]
62. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[371][372][373][374][375]
63. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[380][381][382][383][384][385][386][387][388][389][390]
64. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[332][396][397][398][399][400]
65. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[280][282][287][334][346][332]
66. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[227][404][405][406][407]
67. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[163][408][409][410]
68. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[163][329][408][409][410][411][412][413]
69. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[425][426][427][428]

Citations

1. ^ Fritz, Ben (May 12, 2011). "'Dark Knight Rises Creates Tension Between Warner Bros. And Legendary Pictures". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h "The Dark Knight (2008)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
3. ^ "Film: The Dark Knight". Lumiere. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
4. ^ a b Jolin, Dan (August 19, 2020). "The Dark Knight Trilogy: The Complete Story Of Christopher Nolan's Batman Films". Empire. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
5. ^ Soghomonian, Talia (December 8, 2012). "Michael Caine Gives His Opinion On The Dark Knight Rises Ending – Spoiler Alert". NME. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
6. ^ McLean, Thomas J. (July 19, 2008). "Batman's Father Figure". Variety. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
7. ^ a b c Crow, David (March 2, 2021). "The Dark Knight: Why Heath Ledger's Joker Is Still Scary Today". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
8. ^ Franich, Darren (February 28, 2022). "Batman Rewatch: The Dark Knight Will Always Have The Joker. The Dark Knight Rises Is Just A Joke". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
9. ^ Todd, Andrew (July 20, 2018). "An Ode To James Gordon, The True Hero Of 'The Dark Knight'". /Film. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
10. ^ a b c d e Boucher, Geoff (May 3, 2008). "Aaron Eckhart: Not Just Another Pretty Face In The Dark Knight". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
11. ^ Purdin, Rickey (March 4, 2008). "(Dark Knight Exclusive): Aaron Eckhart Q&A". Wizard. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
12. ^ Tyler, Adrienne (September 18, 2020). "The Dark Knight: What Was Rachel Going To Say To Harvey Dent?". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
13. ^ Schager, Nick (July 17, 2008). "Review: The Dark Knight". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
14. ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (July 6, 2008). "Exclusive! Inside The Dark Knight". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
15. ^ Musto, Michael (August 5, 2008). "Dark Knight Even More Cursed". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
16. ^ Edwards, Chris (May 29, 2020). "The Dark Knight Star Wasn't A Fan Of Joker's "Nasty" Plot". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
17. ^ Parker, Ryan (July 16, 2018). "Michael Jai White Explains Gambol's Bizarre Death Scene In The Dark Knight". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
18. ^ Etemesi, Philip (May 24, 2020). "The Dark Knight: D&D Moral Alignments of the Main Characters". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
19. ^ Jeffrey, Morgan (February 11, 2013). "Dark Knight's Chin Han joins Arrow". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
20. ^ Collura, Scott; Pirrello, Phil (January 9, 2009). "Dark Knight OCD: Gambol's Bodyguard". IGN. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
21. ^ Amaya, Erik (November 11, 2010). "Nolan Looks for "Dark Knight" Female Leads". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
22. ^ Harp, Justin (August 13, 2014). "Lie To Me Star Joins Person Of Interest". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
23. ^ Elvy, Craig (January 26, 2020). "The Dark Knight Had A Sneaky Reference to the Riddler". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
24. ^ Cotter, Padraig (September 2, 2020). "The Dark Knight's Anthony Michael Hall Riddler Rumor Explained". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
25. ^ a b Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 168.
26. ^ Couch, Aaron (July 17, 2018). "How The Dark Knight Gave an Actor a Brighter Life". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
27. ^ "Two Join Dark Knight". IGN. June 28, 2007. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
28. ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (June 15, 2020). "'Batman Begins': How Cillian Murphy Set A New Bar For Live-Action Supervillains". Collider. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
29. ^ Tyler, Adrienne (February 8, 2020). "Why Scarecrow Is The Only Batman Villain in All 3 Dark Knight Trilogy Movies". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
30. ^ Elvy, Craig (December 7, 2019). "The Dark Knight Had A Cameo From Blink 182 & Alkaline Trio Singer". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
31. ^ Andrew, Scottie (January 23, 2021). "The Man Third in the Line Of Presidential Succession Has Been in Five 'Batman' Movies". CNN. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
32. ^ a b c Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 46.
33. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 45.
34. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Jolin, Dan (2012). "The Making of the Joker". Empire. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
35. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Thompson, Anne (July 6, 2008). "Dark Knight Review: Nolan Talks Sequel Inflation". Variety. Archived from the original on July 10, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
36. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 46–48.
37. ^ Seltzer, Ian (September 17, 2008). "A Darker Knight Takes Over". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
38. ^ a b c d e f g h
    • "IGN Interviews Christopher Nolan". IGN. August 4, 2006. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
    • "IGN Interviews Christopher Nolan". IGN. August 4, 2006. p. 2. Archived from the original on September 27, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
39. ^ a b c d e f Nolan, Jonathan (July 2010). "Christopher Nolan: The Movies. The Memories". Empire. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
40. ^ a b Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 47.
41. ^ a b Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 49.
42. ^ a b Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 48.
43. ^ a b Carroll, Larry (July 10, 2008). "In Dark Knight, The Often-Incompetent Jim Gordon Actually Knows What He's Doing". MTV. Archived from the original on September 1, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
44. ^ a b Boucher, Geoff (November 17, 2008). "Thor's Cartoon, Stan Lee's Medal And Dick Tracy's Fate All in Everyday Hero Headlines". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
45. ^ a b Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 47–48.
46. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 47, 97.
47. ^ Boucher, Geoff (October 27, 2008). "Christopher Nolan On Dark Knight And Its Box-office Billion: 'It's Mystifying To Me'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
48. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 87–90.
49. ^ a b Halbfinger, David M. (March 9, 2008). "A Director Confronts Darkness And Death". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
50. ^ Beale, Lewis (July 15, 2007). "Fast Chat: Christian Bale". Newsday. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
51. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 231.
52. ^ a b c d Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 97.
53. ^ a b "Dark Knight Talks Dark Knight". IGN. August 4, 2006. Archived from the original on September 24, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
54. ^ Gustines, George Gene (August 1, 2006). "Arts, Briefly; New Batman, New Joker". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
55. ^ a b Richards, Olly (November 28, 2007). "World Exclusive: The Joker Speaks: He's A Cold-blooded Mass-murdering Clown". Empire. Archived from the original on March 8, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
56. ^ Lyall, Sarah (November 4, 2007). "Movies: In Stetson or Wig, He's Hard To Pin Down". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 5, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
57. ^ a b Horowitz, Josh (November 10, 2007). "Heath Ledger Says His Joker Has 'Zero Empathy'". MTV. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
58. ^ a b Carroll, Larry (March 18, 2008). "Dark Knight Stars, Director Want Film To 'Celebrate' Heath Ledger's Work". MTV. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
59. ^ a b c Lyall, Sarah (November 4, 2007). "In Stetson Or Wig, He's Hard To Pin Down". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
60. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 97, 232.
61. ^ a b c d Brown, Scott (June 24, 2008). "Dark Knight Director Shuns Digital Effects for the Real Thing". Wired. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
62. ^ Carroll, Larry (April 21, 2006). "Movie File: Brad Pitt, Chevy Chase, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Josh Lucas & More". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 27, 2006. Retrieved July 31, 2006.
63. ^ "Phillippe Talks Two-Face". IGN. February 2, 2007. Archived from the original on February 4, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
64. ^ Seijas, Casey (October 2, 2008). "Mark Ruffalo Discusses His Try-Out For Harvey Dent/Two-Face Role In The Dark Knight". MTV. Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
65. ^ Marshall, Rick (December 9, 2009). "Matt Damon Confirms He Was Up For Two-Face Role In The Dark Knight". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
66. ^ a b c Williamson, Kevin (July 15, 2008). "Eckhart Gets Two-Faced". Sarnia Observer. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
67. ^ a b Keck, William (July 29, 2008). "Aaron Eckhart Puts On His Best Acting Face". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 24, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
68. ^ "Gary Oldman Likes Being The Good Guy". Today. July 14, 2008. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
69. ^ Weintraub, Steve (July 14, 2008). "Gary Oldman Interview – The Dark Knight". Collider. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
70. ^ a b Adler, Shawn (January 14, 2008). "Dark Knight Absentee Katie Holmes Full Of Regrets? 'Not at All,' Actress Says". VH1. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
71. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (March 8, 2007). "Gyllenhaal Joining Batman Sequel". Variety. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
72. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 94.
73. ^ "Joker's Wild". Wizard. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
74. ^ Lanham, Ton (October 17, 2007). "Dwight Yoakam Pays Tribute to Buck Owens". San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
75. ^ Peters, Mark (October 7, 2012). "Six degrees". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
76. ^ Chu, Karen (January 29, 2008). "Double trouble for member of Twins". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
77. ^ Jones, Catherine (October 13, 2006). "Batman Film May Swoop into Liverpool". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
78. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 74.
79. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 159.
80. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 160.
81. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 72, 74.
82. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 74, 75.
83. ^ a b c d e f g
    • Heuring, David (July 2008). "Batman Looms Larger". American Cinematographer. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
    • Heuring, David (July 2008). "Batman Looms Larger". American Cinematographer. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
    • Heuring, David (July 2008). "Batman Looms Larger". American Cinematographer. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
    • Heuring, David (July 2008). "Batman Looms Larger". American Cinematographer. p. 4. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
84. ^ Weintraub, Steve (December 22, 2010). "Exclusive: David Keighley (Head Of Re-Mastering IMAX) Talks The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Tron: Legacy, New Cameras, More". Collider. Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
85. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 162.
86. ^ a b Tapley, Kristopher (July 18, 2018). "The Dark Knight Set for 10th Anniversary Imax Re-Release (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
87. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 162–164.
88. ^ a b Sciretta, Peter (June 14, 2008). "How The Dark Knight Went IMAX". /Film. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
89. ^ a b Bowles, Scott (May 28, 2007). "First Look: Enter the Joker – In The IMAX Format". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 1, 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
90. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 162–163, 164.
91. ^ a b Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 164, 167.
92. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 159–160.
93. ^ a b "The Dark Knight". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
94. ^ "The Dark Knight (2008)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
95. ^ Barker, Stephen (March 22, 2022). "Every Major Batman Movie, Ranked According To Budget". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
96. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 160, 162.
97. ^ "Film: Chicago Journalists Smell A Bat in Rory's First Kiss". The Guardian. July 19, 2007. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
98. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 159–160, 165, 167, 169.
99. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 160, 164, 167.
100. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 160, 167, 169.
101. ^ a b Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 169.
102. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 172, 174.
103. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Elder, Robert K. "The Dark Knight". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
104. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 174, 175.
105. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 175, 226.
106. ^ Vorel, Jim (March 31, 2015). "The United States of Film: Illinois". Paste. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
107. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 226.
108. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 171–172.
109. ^ a b Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 172.
110. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 182, 187, 240–241.
111. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 179, 182.
112. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 182.
113. ^ Phipps, Keith (July 17, 2018). "The Subtle Ways The Dark Knight Transformed Chicago into Gotham City". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
114. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 171.
115. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 178.
116. ^ a b Heaf, Jonathan. (July 23, 2012). "Christian Bale: Behind The Mask". GQ. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
117. ^ Yue, Lorene (June 8, 2007). "Batman Movie Filming To Start Saturday". Crain's Chicago Business. Archived from the original on June 10, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
118. ^ Chitwood, Adam (July 29, 2020). "The Dark Knight Trilogy Production Designer Walks Us Through The Creation Of Each Film". Collider. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
119. ^ a b Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 74–75, 160, 167–169.
120. ^ Goldberg, Matt (October 18, 2017). "Heath Ledger Really Wanted Christian Bale To Hit Him on the Set Of The Dark Knight". Collider. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
121. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 182, 187.
122. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 168–169, 226.
123. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 187.
124. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 169, 187.
125. ^ a b "New Batman Movie Completes High Profile Shooting in Hong Kong". International Herald Tribune. November 12, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
126. ^ a b "New Batman Flick to Be Filmed in HK". Ninemsn. November 3, 2007. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
127. ^ Chiang, Scarlett (September 21, 2007). "Holy Chaos, Batman!". The Standard. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
128. ^ "Central To Mid-Levels Escalator". Travel + Leisure. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
129. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 188.
130. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 189.
131. ^ "Autopsy Report Says Heath Ledger Death Was Not Suicide". The Guardian. February 6, 2008. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
132. ^ Mandell, Andrea (May 3, 2017). "The Dark Knight's Joker Did Not Kill Heath Ledger, Says Sister". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
133. ^ a b "Cut The Dark Knight: The Editors". Comic Book Resources. July 15, 2008. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
134. ^ "Dark Knight Dedicated To Ledger". BBC. June 27, 2008. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
135. ^ Hough, Andrew (September 25, 2007). "Batman Film Technician Dies in Accident". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2007.
136. ^ "Dark Knight Stuntman Died Filming Car Chase in Batman Sequel". The Guardian. November 3, 2008. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
137. ^ a b "Studio Briefing: December 9, 2008". MovieWeb. December 9, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
138. ^ "The Dark Knight". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
139. ^ Fraley, Jason (March 10, 2020). "Making The Cut with the Editor Of 'The Dark Knight,' 'Inception,' 'Dunkirk' And '1917'". WTOP-FM. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
140. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 68–70.
141. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 223.
142. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 277, 280, 281.
143. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 70.
144. ^ a b Carpenter, Susan (June 18, 2007). "Wholly High-Tech, Batman". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
145. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 70, 72, 177.
146. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 226–227, 248–249.
147. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 112–113, 115.
148. ^ Jensen, Jeff (June 18, 2007). "Batman's New Suit". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
149. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 121, 185.
150. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 116, 117.
151. ^ "Dressing The Joker". IGN. February 25, 2008. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
152. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 117.
153. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 117, 119.
154. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 119–120.
155. ^ "Indy, Batman, Narnia All Return in 2008". Today. January 14, 2008. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
156. ^ a b c d e Gallo, Phil (July 14, 2008). "A Different Kind Of 'Knight' Music". Variety. Archived from the original on July 18, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
157. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 255.
158. ^ a b c d e Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 256.
159. ^ a b c d e Martens, Todd (June 2, 2008). "Zimmer Brings 'Punk Attitude' To Batman With The Dark Knight". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
160. ^ Martens, Todd (June 8, 2008). "A Little 'Knight' Music". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
161. ^ Wolf, Jeanne (July 1, 2008). "Singing The Joker's Praises". Parade. Archived from the original on July 2, 2008. Retrieved July 8, 2008.
162. ^ a b c d e Meslow, Scott (July 31, 2020). "How The Dark Knight Perfected Viral Movie Marketing". IGN. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
163. ^ a b c d e Jackson, Dan (July 16, 2008). "How The Dark Night Alternate Reality Game Changed Fandom Forever". Thrillist. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
164. ^ Graser, Marc; Thompson, Anne (July 29, 2007). "Jokes Join Joker at Comic-Con". Variety. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
165. ^ "The Joker's Halloween Treat". IGN. October 31, 2007. Archived from the original on November 2, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
166. ^ Horowitz, Josh (December 3, 2007). "Dark Knight Opening Scenes Reveal 'Radical' New Joker". MTV. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
167. ^ McCutcheon, David (March 17, 2008). "Batman Begins Anew". IGN. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
168. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, pp. 295–296.
169. ^ "'Dentmobiles' Promote Dark Knight". Syfy. March 13, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
170. ^ Crook, Marshall; Sanders, Peter (January 24, 2008). "Advertising: Will Marketing Change After Star's Death?". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
171. ^ IGN Staff (February 29, 2008). "Harvey Dent Wants You". IGN. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
172. ^ Manning, Shaun (July 9, 2008). "Huge Bat-Signals Projected Over NYC + Chicago". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
173. ^ Duncan Jesser & Pourroy 2012, p. 296.
174. ^ Chmielewski, Dawn C. (July 28, 2008). "Secrecy Cloaked Dark Knight". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
175. ^ Sandoval, Greg (July 23, 2008). "Warner Bros. Moves Against Web Copies Of Dark Knight". CNET. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
176. ^ Cieply, Michael (May 15, 2008). "For Movies, A Summer That's Shy On Sequels". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
177. ^ a b c d e Gray, Brandon (July 23, 2008). "Dark Knight Begins Smashingly". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
178. ^ a b c d DiOrio, Carl (July 17, 2008). "Dark Knight Sells Out Quickly Online". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 3, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
179. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (July 14, 2008). "Dark Knight Buzz Keeps Building". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
180. ^ "Opening Weekends". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
181. ^ a b c "The Dark Knight". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
182. ^ "Domestic 2008 Weekend 29". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
183. ^ "Top Single Day Grosses By Day of the Week". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 25, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
184. ^ "Holiday Opening Weekends". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
185. ^ Kilday, Gregg (July 18, 2008). "Dark Knight Sets Midnight Record". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
186. ^ a b Horn, John (November 16, 2008). "A Super Battle Over Watchmen". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
187. ^ "Opening Weeks". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
188. ^ "Top Single Day Non-opening Grosses By Day of the Week (Tuesday)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 18, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
189. ^ "Top Single Day Non-opening Grosses By Day of the Week (Wednesday)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
190. ^ "The Dark Knight". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
191. ^ "Domestic 2008 Weekend 30". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
192. ^ "Top Weekends: 2nd – 12th". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
193. ^ "Domestic 2008 Weekend 31". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
194. ^ "Domestic 2008 Weekend 32". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
195. ^ "Domestic 2008 Weekend 33". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
196. ^ Gray, Brandon (August 6, 2008). "Dark Knight Soars Past $400 Million". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
197. ^ Finke, Nikki (August 31, 2008). "Dark Knight: $500M In Record 45 Days". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
198. ^ "Top Lifetime Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
199. ^ Gray, Brandon (March 7, 2009). "Dark Knight Rides Off into The Sunset". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
200. ^ "Domestic Box Office for 2008". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
201. ^ Boucher, Geoff (October 20, 2008). "A Strange New Power". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
202. ^ DiOrio, Carl (September 11, 2008). "Dark Knight Plans Re-elease For Oscar Push". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
203. ^ a b c Gray, Brandon (February 20, 2009). "Billion Dollar Batman". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
204. ^ a b "The Dark Knight". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
205. ^ Segers, Frank (July 20, 2008). "Hancock Holds On Overseas". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 3, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
206. ^ Hollinger, Hy (July 21, 2008). "Dark Knight Eyes World-Beater Status". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
207. ^ "The Dark Knight Sets Global Opening Box Office Record". The Guardian. July 21, 2008. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
208. ^ McNary, Dave (December 23, 2008). "China To Miss Out On Dark Knight". Variety. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
209. ^ a b "2008 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
210. ^ "Warner Bros. Entertainment Wraps Record-Breaking Year". Warner Bros. January 8, 2009. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
211. ^ "The Dark Knight breaks a billion". E!. February 20, 2009. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
212. ^ a b c d e Cavna, Michael (July 18, 2018). "The Dark Knight Changed How We See 'Comic-book Movies.' But 10 Years Ago, Some Critics Couldn't See Its Greatness". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 4, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
213. ^ Kilday, Gregg (February 20, 2009). "Dark Knight Passes $1 Billion". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
214. ^ Sciretta, Peter (February 21, 2009). "The Dark Knight Passes $1 Billion at Box Office". /Film. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
215. ^ Vinney, Cynthia (July 24, 2018). "Dark Knight: 10 Things That Prove It's Timeless (And 10 Ways It's Tiresome)". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
216. ^ Escobedo, Lee (November 22, 2021). "Retro-Cast: If The Dark Knight Was Made in the 1990s". Collider. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
217. ^ Katz, Brandon (February 15, 2018). "Did The Dark Knight Break The Oscars?". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
218. ^ Cotter, Padraig (March 12, 2022). "Juno Temple's Dark Knight Rises' Robin Rumor Explained". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
219. ^ a b "The Dark Knight Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
220. ^ "The Dark Knight (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
221. ^ Rich, Joshua (July 20, 2008). "Dark Knight Nabs Biggest Debut Ever". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 25, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
222. ^ a b c d e f g h Ebert, Roger (July 16, 2008). "No Joke, Batman". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
223. ^ a b c d Bradshaw, Peter (July 24, 2008). "Film Review: The Dark Knight". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
224. ^ a b c d Levy, Emanuel (June 8, 2008). "Dark Knight, The". Emanuellevy.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
225. ^ a b c d e Travers, Peter (July 18, 2008). "The Dark Knight". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
226. ^ a b Jones, J.R. (July 10, 2012). "The Dark Knight". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
227. ^ a b c Dinning, Mark (August 1, 2006). "The Dark Knight Review". Empire. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
228. ^ a b Monfette, Christopher (December 1, 2008). "The Dark Knight Blu-ray Review". IGN. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
229. ^ a b c d Edelstein, David (July 21, 2008). "Bat Out of Hell". New York. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
230. ^ a b c d e Denby, David (July 14, 2008). "Past Shock". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
231. ^ a b c d e Dargis, Manohla (July 18, 2008). "Showdown in Gotham Town". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
232. ^ a b Corliss, Richard (July 9, 2008). "Batman Is Back – Time Reviews The Dark Knight". Time. Archived from the original on November 29, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
233. ^ a b c Ansen, David (July 11, 2008). "Ansen: Dark Knight Is Grim, But Impressive Epic". Newsweek. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
234. ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (July 18, 2008). "The Dark Knight: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
235. ^ a b c d e f Zacharek, Stephanie (July 17, 2008). ""The Dark Knight"". Salon.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
236. ^ a b c d e f Hunter, Stephen (July 17, 2008). "This Joker Holds All the Cards". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
237. ^ a b c d e f Chang, Justin (July 6, 2008). "Film Review: The Dark Knight". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
238. ^ a b c Morgenstern, Joe (July 18, 2008). "Ledger Dazzles in Suffocatingly Dark Knight". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
239. ^ Corliss, Richard (July 9, 2008). "Batman Is Back – Time Reviews The Dark Knight". Time. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
240. ^ a b Foundas, Scott (July 16, 2008). "Heath Ledger Peers into The Abyss In The Dark Knight". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
241. ^ a b c Quinn, Anthony (July 25, 2008). "The Dark Knight (12A)". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 30, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
242. ^ Turan, Kenneth (July 17, 2008). "Review: Heath Ledger's Joker Inflames A Despairing Dark Knight". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
243. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (June 16, 2012). "The Dark Knight". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
244. ^ Ebert, Roger (December 5, 2008). "The Best Films Of 2008... And There Were A Lot Of Them". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
245. ^ "Movies 2008 Year in Review". IGN. December 17, 2008. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
246. ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (December 28, 2008). "Film Critics' Top 10 Lists All Over The Map". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
247. ^ Miller, Neil (December 31, 2008). "Editor's Picks: The Ten Best Movies Of 2008". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
248. ^ "Harry's Picks for the Top Ten Films Of 2008!!!". Ain't It Cool News. December 28, 2008. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
249. ^ Yamato, Jen. "Critics Pick The Best And Worst Films Of 2008". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
250. ^ Child, Ben (December 15, 2008). "Dark Knight Honoured in AFI Best-of-year List". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
251. ^ "2008". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
252. ^ "And the winners are..." People's Choice Awards. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
253. ^ O'Connell, Sean (March 23, 2014). "Critics' Choice Movie Awards Winners (Archive)". Critics Choice Association. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
254. ^ "51st Annual Grammy Awards (2008)". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
255. ^ "The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
256. ^ "British Academy Film Television Award (BAFTA)". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. September 11, 2015. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
257. ^ "Winners & Nominees 2009". Golden Globe Awards. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
258. ^ Reynolds, Simon (March 30, 2009). "Empire Awards 2009: The Winners". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
259. ^ Sciretta, Peter (May 31, 2009). "2009 MTV Movie Awards Winners". /Film. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
260. ^ "The 35th Annual Saturn Award Winners!". Comingsoon.net. June 25, 2009. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
261. ^ "Exactly 1 Year After Death, Ledger's Legacy Grows". Deseret News. January 22, 2009. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
262. ^ "Heath Ledger Wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar". Comic Book Resources. February 23, 2009. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
263. ^ a b c Kilday, Gregg (January 22, 2009). "Heath Ledger Nominated for an Oscar". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
264. ^ a b Sancton, Julian (January 27, 2009). "Would Heath Ledger Win If He Were Alive?". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
265. ^ a b Brooks, Xan (July 2, 2008). "Ledger's Oscar Bid From Beyond The Grave". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
266. ^ Hart, Hugh (July 15, 2008). "Posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger's Joker Performance?". Wired. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
267. ^ Serjeant, Jill (December 11, 2008). "Heath Ledger Golden Globe Nod Boosts Oscar Momentum". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
268. ^ Karger, Dave (July 24, 2008). "An Oscar For Heath Ledger In The Dark Knight?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
269. ^ "Heath Ledger Wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar". Reuters. February 23, 2009. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
270. ^ Serjeant, Jill (January 22, 2009). "No Joke: Ledger Earns Posthumous Oscar Nod". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
271. ^ Young, Paul (January 26, 2017). "Why Don't Superhero Movies Win Oscars?". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
272. ^ Bibbiani, William (February 8, 2022). "The History Of Comic Book Movies at the Oscars". IGN. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
273. ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (April 20, 2021). "Everyone Who Has Won A Posthumous Oscar". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
274. ^ "The 81st Academy Awards 2009". Academy Awards. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
275. ^ Child, Ben (January 28, 2009). "The Week in Geek: The Dark Knight's Oscars Snub Is A Disgrace". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
276. ^ Wallace, Lewis (January 22, 2009). "Why So Serious? Oscars Snub Dark Knight For Top Awards". Wired. Archived from the original on December 23, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
277. ^ a b c d e Sims, David (July 18, 2018). "The Dark Knight Changed Hollywood Movies Forever". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
278. ^ a b c d Rothman, Michael (July 18, 2018). "How The Dark Knight Completely Changed Superhero Films". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018.
279. ^ a b c d "Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Changed Movies, And The Oscars, Forever". Variety. July 17, 2018. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
280. ^ a b c Rogers, Nathaniel (July 18, 2018). "How A Dark Knight Best Picture Snub Forced The Oscars To Change". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
281. ^ Lang, Brent (March 8, 2018). "How Much Has Changed Since Oscar Expanded Best Picture Nominations?". Variety. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
282. ^ a b c Amaya, Erik (July 18, 2018). "Why So Seriously Good? Five Things The Dark Knight Did Differently, And Better, Than The Rest". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018.
283. ^ Cieply, Michael (June 25, 2009). "Academy Expands Best-Picture Pool To 10". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
284. ^ Mooney, Darren (February 7, 2020). "The Dark Knight Was Locked Out of the Oscars, But Changed Them Anyway". The Escapist. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
285. ^ Cavna, Michael (January 12, 2018). "Oscars Voting Ends Today. Will Wonder Woman Finally Break The Anti-Superhero Streak?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
286. ^ Couch, Aaron (January 22, 2019). "Oscars: Black Panther Gets Historic Best Picture Nomination". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
287. ^ a b c d e f g Newby, Richard (July 14, 2018). "The Complicated Legacy Of The Dark Knight". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
288. ^ Brew, Simon (December 2, 2008). "The Dark Knight Blu-ray Review". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
289. ^ Morris, Ian (December 8, 2008). "The Dark Knight Blu-ray: Holy IMAX, Batman". CNET. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
290. ^ Schager, Nick; Cinquemani, Sal. "DVD Review: Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight On Warner Home Video". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
291. ^ McCutcheon, David (September 29, 2008). "Dark Knight Swoops In". IGN. Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2008.
292. ^ Murph, D. (December 11, 2008). "The Dark Knight Shatters Sales Record, Moves 600,000 Blu-ray Discs On Day One". Engadget. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
293. ^ Lawler, R. (December 17, 2008). "The Dark Knight Blu-ray Sells 1.7 Million in a Week, Shows Iron Man A Magic Trick". Engadget. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
294. ^ Chmielewski, Dawn C. (December 11, 2008). "Dark Knight DVD Selling at Brisk Pace". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
295. ^ Reynolds, Simon (December 9, 2008). "The Dark Knight Breaks Blu-ray records". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
296. ^ Helft, Miguel; Barnes, Brooks (March 8, 2011). "Warner Tests Renting Film On Facebook For Web Cash". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
297. ^ "Christopher Nolan Remastering Dark Knight Trilogy For 4K". IGN. July 11, 2017. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
298. ^ Monney, Kob (November 22, 2017). "Seven Christopher Nolan Films Heading To 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray". What Hi-Fi?. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
299. ^ Duarte, M. Enois (December 22, 2017). "The Dark Knight – 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Review". High-Def Digest. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
300. ^ "Warner Bros. Consumer Products Names Mattel Global Toy Licensee For Speed Racer And The Dark Knight". Warner Bros. June 19, 2007. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
301. ^ Howells, Sacha. "The Best of the Summer Merchandise: Dark Knight, Indy Jones, Sex and the City, Iron Man, And More!". MTV. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
302. ^ Weintraub, Steve (January 8, 2011). "Wear This: Heath". Collider. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
303. ^ Brookhart, Ryan (July 16, 2009). "New Hot Toys 1/6th Scale Batman – Stands 32 Cm Tall With Over 32 Points Of Articulation". Collider. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
304. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (August 3, 2008). "Two-Face: Dead Or Alive?". IGN. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
305. ^ George, Rich; Monfette, Christopher (July 7, 2008). "Batman: Gotham Knight Blu-ray Review". IGN. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
306. ^ "WW Chicago: "Batman: Gotham Knight" World Premiere". Comic Book Resources. June 29, 2008. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
307. ^ Prell, Sam (February 2, 2016). "Batman Almost Got An Open-World Game 3 Years Before Arkham City". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
308. ^ Nunnelly, Stephany (February 2, 2016). "Here's A Look at Pandemic's Cancelled Batman The Dark Knight Game". VG247. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
309. ^ Filas, Lee (September 27, 2007). "Great America Getting New Dark Knight Coaster Next Year". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
310. ^ McCarthy, Erin (July 21, 2008). "Dark Knight Roller Coaster Test Drive: Six Flags Delivers Joker-in-a-Box Thrill Ride". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
311. ^ Adler, Shawn (April 27, 2007). "Batman Writer David Goyer Spills Dark Knight, Invisible Details". MTV. Archived from the original on January 12, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
312. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Adlakha, Siddhant (August 31, 2020). "Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Plummets into Real-World Terror". IGN. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
313. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McGowan, Todd (2009). "The Exceptional Darkness Of The Dark Knight". Jump Cut. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
314. ^ Fradley 2013, p. 17.
315. ^ a b Fradley 2013, pp. 17–18.
316. ^ Klavan, Andrew (July 25, 2008). "What Bush And Batman Have in Common". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010.
317. ^ Landesman, Cosmo (July 27, 2008). "The Dark Knight – the Sunday Times Review". The Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
318. ^ Orr, Christopher (July 25, 2008). "Batman As Bush, Ctd". The New Republic. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
319. ^ Kerstein, Benjamin (Autumn 2008). "Batman's War On Terror". Azure. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
320. ^ a b c d e f g h i Chen, David (July 20, 2008). "Assessing The Themes Of The Dark Knight". /Film. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
321. ^ Lethem, Jonathan (September 20, 2008). "Art Of Darkness". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
322. ^ a b c d e Bramesco, Charles (July 18, 2018). "The Dark Knight At 10: How Christopher Nolan Reshaped Superhero Cinema". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018.
323. ^ Boscaljon 2013, p. 60.
324. ^ Boscaljon 2013, p. 55.
325. ^ Boscaljon 2013, pp. 51–52.
326. ^ a b Boscaljon 2013, p. 53.
327. ^ Boscaljon 2013, pp. 52, 55–56.
328. ^ Boscaljon 2013, p. 57.
329. ^ a b Crow, David (February 26, 2022). "Harvey Dent Is The Unsung Hero Of The Dark Knight". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
330. ^ a b Fradley 2013, p. 24.
331. ^ a b c d
     • Agar, Chris (July 18, 2018). "Hollywood Finally Learned The Right Lessons From The Dark Knight". Screen Rant. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018.
     • Agar, Chris (July 18, 2018). "Hollywood Finally Learned The Right Lessons From The Dark Knight". Screen Rant. p. 2. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022.
332. ^ a b c d e f g Pope, Nick (July 9, 2018). "10 Years On, The Dark Knight Has A Lot To Answer For". Esquire. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018.
333. ^ McNary, Dave (December 14, 2020). "Dark Knight, Shrek, Grease, Blues Brothers Added To National Film Registry". Variety. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
334. ^ a b c Franich, Darren; Nashawaty, Chris (July 18, 2018). "Let's Debate The Dark Knight On Its 10th Anniversary". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018.
335. ^ Scott, A.O. (July 24, 2008). "How Many Superheroes Does It Take To Tire A Genre?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
336. ^ Chang, Justin (August 22, 2018). "Ten Years After It Changed Hollywood, The Dark Knight Is Back in Theaters. Accept No Substitutes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
337. ^ Crow, David (March 23, 2021). "Did The Dark Knight Really Influence The Marvel Cinematic Universe?". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
338. ^ Chitwood, Adam (October 18, 2012). "Sam Mendes Says The Dark Knight Directly Influenced Skyfall". Collider. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
339. ^ Mithaiwala, Mansoor (February 21, 2018). "Black Panther: The Dark Knight's Gotham Inspired Wakanda". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
340. ^ Thomas-Mason, Lee (October 31, 2022). "Steven Spielberg Named His 20 Favourite Movies Of All Time". Far Out. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
341. ^ Nicholson, Amy (February 21, 2024). "Denis Villeneuve and Timothée Chalamet: Dune Dynasty". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
342. ^ Curran, Robert (December 19, 2020). "The Simpsons Claims There Are Only Two Real Batmen". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
343. ^ Outlaw, Kofi (March 19, 2009). "South Park Episode Spoofs Watchmen & The Dark Knight". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
344. ^ Krakow, Jonah (August 17, 2009). "Robot Chicken: "President Hu Forbids It" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
345. ^ Goldberg, Jeffery (April 2016). "The Obama Doctrine". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
346. ^ a b Dumaraog, Ana (December 29, 2017). "Black Panther Villain Influenced by Heath Ledger's Joker". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
347. ^ Crow, David; Cecchini, Mike; Howard, Kirsten; Kaye, Don; Bojalad, Alec; Harley, Nick (April 8, 2022). "Best Superhero Movies of the Last 15 Years". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
348. ^ Hewitt, Chriw; Williams, Owen; De Semlyen, Phil (March 10, 2015). "The Greatest Superhero Movies Of All Time". Empire. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
349. ^ Avard, Alex; Russell, Bradley; Shepherd, Jack (December 14, 2021). "The 25 Best Superhero Movies Of All Time, Ranked! From Avengers: Endgame To The Dark Knight". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
350. ^ "Best Comic Book Movies and Superhero Movies". IGN. February 4, 2020. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
351. ^ Murrian, Samuel R. (October 5, 2021). "We Ranked The 54 Best Superhero Movies Of All Time, From Wonder Woman To Shang-Chi". Parade. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
352. ^ Gruttadaro, Andrew (2018). "The 50 Best Superhero Movies Of All Time". The Ringer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
353. ^ Power, Tom (January 14, 2022). "Best Superhero Movies: 30 Great Superhero Films To Watch Right Now". TechRadar. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
354. ^ Riseman, Abraham (April 26, 2019). "The 30 Best Superhero Movies Since Blade". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
355. ^ Burgin, Michael; Sinacola, Dom; Vorel, Jim; Wold, Scott; et al. (January 9, 2017). "The 100 Best Superhero Movies Of All Time". Paste. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
356. ^ "79 Best Superhero Movies Of All Time". Rotten Tomatoes. 2022. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
357. ^ Fuentes, Tamara (April 7, 2022). "The 32 Best Superhero Movies for a Movie Night ASAP". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
358. ^ Langmann, Brady (February 23, 2021). "The Best Superhero Movies of All Time". Esquire. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
359. ^ De Semlyen, Phil; Rothkopf, Joshua. "100 Best Movies of All Time That You Should Watch Immediately". Time Out. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
360. ^ a b "Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films". The Hollywood Reporter. June 25, 2014. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
361. ^ a b "100 Greatest American Films". BBC. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
362. ^ a b Berardinelli, James (September 2014). "Berardinelli's All Time Top 100". ReelViews. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
363. ^ a b Norman, Barry (July 14, 2017). "Barry Norman's 100 Greatest Films of All Time". Radio Times. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
364. ^ Debruge, Peter; Gleiberman, Owen; Kennedy, Lisa; Kiang, Jessica; Laffly, Tomris; Lodge, Guy; Nicholson, Amy (December 21, 2022). "The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time". Variety. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
365. ^ Brew, Simon (August 13, 2009). "The 25 Best Blockbuster Sequels Of All Time". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
366. ^ Charisma, James (March 15, 2016). "Revenge of the Movie: 15 Sequels That Are Way Better Than The Originals". Playboy. Archived from the original on July 26, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
367. ^ Earl, William; Moreau, Jordan; Murphy, J. Kim; Saperstein, Pat; Seo, Rachel; Shafer, Ellise; Shanfeld, Ethan; Sharf, Zack; Woerner, Meredith (March 2, 2023). "The Best Movie Sequels Of All Time". Variety. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
368. ^ "The 100 Best Sequels Of All Time". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
369. ^ Dockterman, Eliana (August 30, 2018). "35 Sequels That Are Better Than The Original Movie". Time. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
370. ^ Plumb, Ali (May 21, 2018). "17 Sequels That Are Better Than The Original, From The Dark Knight To Toy Story 2 And Beyond". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
371. ^ "The 140 Essential 2000s Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
372. ^ Chacksfield, Marc (April 8, 2022). "Best Movies of the 2000s: 35 Best Films of the 2000s, Ranked". ShortList. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
373. ^ Ferrier, Aimee (February 21, 2022). "The 10 Greatest Films of the 2000s". Far Out. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
374. ^ "The 50 Best Movies of the 2000s". Paste. October 21, 2009. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
375. ^ Watkins, Gwynne (June 29, 2021). "From Almost Famous To Zoolander! The 68 Best Movies of the 2000s". Parade. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
376. ^ Dietz, Jason (January 3, 2010). "Film Critics Pick The Best Movies of the Decade". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
377. ^ "The 21st Century's 100 Greatest Films". BBC. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
378. ^ Bradshaw, Peter; Clarke, Cath; Pulver, Andrew; Shoard, Catherine (September 13, 2019). "The 100 best films of the 21st Century". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
379. ^ "The 100 Greatest Movies Of The 21st Century". Empire. March 18, 2020. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
380. ^ "All Batman Movies Ranked". Rotten Tomatoes. 2022. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
381. ^ Travis, Ben; Godfrey, Alex; Dyer, James; White, James (March 10, 2022). "Every Batman Movie Ranked". Empire. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
382. ^ Davis, Johnny; Nicholson, Tom (April 27, 2022). "Every Single Batman Movie, Ranked from Worst to Best". Esquire. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
383. ^ "Ranking the Batman Movies from Worst to Best". IGN. March 15, 2022. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
384. ^ Chitwood, Adam (September 21, 2019). "Batman Movies Ranked from Worst to Best". Collider. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
385. ^ Leitch, Will; Grierson, Tim (March 4, 2022). "Every Batman Movie, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
386. ^ "The Best Batman Movies, Ranked". TechRadar. March 4, 2022. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
387. ^ Truitt, Brian (2022). "The Best of the Dark Knight: Every Batman Movie (Including The Batman), Definitively Ranked". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
388. ^ Murrian, Samuel R. (March 7, 2022). "What's The Best Batman Movie? We Ranked Them All, From The Dark Knight to the Batman". Parade. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
389. ^ Stacy, Shaun; Hunter, Rob (September 30, 2021). "Batman Movies Ranked From Worst To Best". /Film. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
390. ^ Volk, Pete; Polo, Susana (April 23, 2022). "Polygon Ranks The 13 Batman Movies". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
391. ^ "The 100 Best Action Movies: 80–71". Time Out. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
392. ^ Schneider 2013.
393. ^ "50 Best Movies Of Total Film Magazine's Lifetime". Total Film. October 26, 2012. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
394. ^ Travis, Ben (January 24, 2020). "The 30 Films That Define the Last 30 Years". Empire. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
395. ^ "The 101 Best Action Movies Ever Made". Time Out. August 14, 2020. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
396. ^ "Empire's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time". Empire. 2010. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
397. ^ "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters". Empire. August 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
398. ^ Vary, Adam B. (June 1, 2010). "The 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years: Here's Our Full List!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
399. ^ Green, Willow (February 21, 2022). "The Greatest Villains Of All Time". Empire. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
400. ^ Guerrasio, Jason (October 25, 2020). "The 50 Greatest Movie Villains Of All Time, Ranked". Insider. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
401. ^ Couch, Aaron; McMillan, Graeme; Shanley, Patrick (March 3, 2017). "50 Greatest Superhero Movie Performances of All Time". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
402. ^ Foutch, Haleigh (March 15, 2017). "The 15 Best Movie Villains of the 21St Century, Ranked". Collider. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
403. ^ Davis, Clayton (July 19, 2022). "50 Best Superhero Movie Performances of the Last 50 Years, From Ben Affleck To Zendaya". Variety. Archived from the original on October 29, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
404. ^ Neilan, Dan (December 12, 2018). "The Secret to the Joker's Pencil Trick Is That There Is No Pencil". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
405. ^ Walsh, Michael (December 14, 2018). "The Secret of the Joker's Dark Knight Pencil Trick Finally Revealed". Nerdist. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
406. ^ Smith, Amy (December 17, 2018). "Dark Knight Stuntman Reveals How Pencil Trick Could've Killed Him". NME. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
407. ^ Chapman, Tom (May 11, 2020). "11 Things You Never Knew About The Dark Knight". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
408. ^ a b "Top Movie Movements: #95 "Why so serious?"". IGN. Archived from the original on January 30, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
409. ^ a b Dockterman, Eliana (October 8, 2019). "The Joker Has Always Been A Controversial Character. This Time, It's Different". Time. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
410. ^ a b Alexander, Julia (July 17, 2018). "The Dark Knight's Greatest Memes Could Outlast The Movie's Legacy". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
411. ^ "Everyone Loses Their Minds". Know Your Meme. 2013. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
412. ^ "Internet Meme: "Everyone Loses Their Minds" Meme (The Joker; The Dark Knight)". Northeastern University. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
413. ^ Jones, Cory (February 21, 2014). "Everyone Loses Their Minds – The Joker Meme". Mandatory. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
414. ^ "American Cinematographer Poll Names Amélie Best-Shot Film Of 1998–2008". American Society of Cinematographers. June 29, 2010. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
415. ^ Chris, Producer (March 10, 2011). "Your Favourite Mmovies!". BBC. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
416. ^ "Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire. March 20, 2018. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
417. ^ "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time". Empire. October 3, 2008. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
418. ^ "The 100 Greatest Movies". Empire. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
419. ^ "Readers' Poll: The 15 Greatest Superhero Movies". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 23, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
420. ^ "New Zealand's Favourite Film Is The Shawshank Redemption". Stuff. July 2, 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
421. ^ Crow, David (March 5, 2022). "The Batman Vs. The Dark Knight Trilogy: What Are The Differences?". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
422. ^ Shone, Tom (July 20, 2021). "The Dark Knight Trilogy As Our Generation's Godfather". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
423. ^ Dockery, Daniel (February 6, 2022). "The Dark Knight Was The Last Superhero Movie Saga with an Actual Ending". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
424. ^ Malhotra, Rahul (April 3, 2022). "'The Batman' Crosses $700 Million Worldwide at Global Box Office". Collider. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
425. ^ Baker, Chrishaun (February 5, 2020). "The Dark Knight Rises Is A Better Batman Movie Than DC Fans Think". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
426. ^ ""Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong" About... The Dark Knight Rises". Rotten Tomatoes. February 24, 2022. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
427. ^ Goldberg, Matt (January 21, 2022). "The Dark Knight Rises Fails Because It's Not About Anything". Collider. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
428. ^ Franich, Darren (February 28, 2022). "Batman Rewatch: The Dark Knight Will Always Have The Joker. The Dark Knight Rises Is Just A Joke". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.

Works cited

• Boscaljon, Daniel (2013). "The Flip Side Of Justice: The Two-faced Spirit Of The Dark Knight". Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies (14). Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa: 44–64. doi:10.17077/2168-569X.1412. ISSN 2168-569X. OCLC 8255503669. ProQuest 1470421526.
• Duncan Jesser, Jody; Pourroy, Janine (2012). The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy. New York City, New York: Abrams Books. ISBN 978-1-4197-0369-0. OCLC 755699530.
• Fradley, Martin (2013). "What Do You Believe In? Film Scholarship and the Cultural Politics of the Dark Knight Franchise". Film Quarterly. 66 (3). Berkeley, California: University of California Press: 15–27. doi:10.1525/fq.2013.66.3.15. JSTOR 10.1525/fq.2013.66.3.15. OCLC 6914368216.
• Schneider, Steven Jay (2013). "1990s". 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Boston, Massachusetts: Murdoch Books Pty Limited. ISBN 978-0-7641-6613-6. OCLC 213305397.

• Official website (Warner Bros.)
• Official website (DC Comics)
• The Dark Knight at IMDb
• The Dark Knight at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Dark Knight title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• The Dark Knight at the TCM Movie Database
• The Dark Knight at AllMovie