The Dark Knight Rises Box Office: Millions Below Estimates + Sharp Drop

The Dark Knight Rises poster.

The Dark Knight Rises box office: $300 million milestone

Aug. 1 update: Christopher Nolan’s third and final installment in his Batman movie franchise, The Dark Knight Rises, raked in $8.77 million on Tuesday, July 31, at the North American box office. As a result, TDKR has passed the $300 million milestone domestically.

Starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, and Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, The Dark Knight Rises took twelve days to reach the $300 million mark.

Fastest to $300 million

For comparison’s sake: With the assistance of 3D surcharges, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, starring Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson and others, reached $300 million in a mere nine days.

Although screening at fewer (more expensive) IMAX theaters and not taking inflation into account, The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, reached that milestone in ten days as per data found at Boxofficemojo.com.

Without factoring in inflation, rounding out the top eleven movies (there are a few ties) on the “Fastest to $300 Million” chart are:

• Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in 14 days. Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox star.
• James Cameron’s Avatar in 15 days. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver star.
• David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 15 days. Daniel Radcliffe and Ralph Fiennes star.
• Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest in 16 days. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley star.
• Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games in 17 days. Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson star.
• George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 17 days. Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, and Natalie Portman star.
• Shrek 2 and Toy Story 3 in 18 days.

Bear in mind that if inflation is taken into account, one or more of the Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies would also be among the top ten.

The Dark Knight Rises vs. The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight Rises is currently trailing the The Dark Knight by nearly $30 million.

Their respective cumes are $304.04 million and $333.92 million. Adjusting for inflation – as one always should – the gap widens considerably, as The Dark Knight‘s box office take soars to $368.34 million. That would represent a $64 million difference, without taking into account the fact that TDK was screened at only 94 IMAX houses vs. TDKR‘s 330 venues.

See also: Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, and Anne Hathaway issue statements about the Colorado shooting massacre.

At the worldwide box office, The Dark Knight Rises passed the $500 million milestone this past weekend: the movie’s cume to date is $552.24 million. (International totals up to July 29.)

Not including marketing and distribution expenses, The Dark Knight Rises reportedly cost $250 million. The Dark Knight‘s budget was a reported $185 million.

The Dark Knight Rises cast

Directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, and Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, in addition to Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman, Matthew Modine, and Tom Conti.

Also, Josh Pence, Juno Temple, Daniel Sunjata, Nestor Carbonell, Joey King, Brett Cullen, Chris Ellis, Adam Rodriguez, Josh Stewart, Christopher Judge, and Aidan Gillen. Jonathan Nolan co-wrote the Dark Knight Rises screenplay, which he has explained was inspired by Charles Dickens’ classic novel of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities.

Image of the The Dark Knight Rises post with Christian Bale: Warner Bros.

Weekend box office $2 million less than estimated

July 30 update: Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises collected $62.1 million (down 61 percent) on its second weekend out in North America. That’s approximately $2 million less than reported studio estimates released on Sunday.

For comparison’s sake: In late July 2008, Nolan’s The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, was down 52 percent on its second weekend in the U.S. and Canada, grossing $75.2 million.

Now, remember that The Dark Knight Rises earned a record-breaking (for a 2D movie) $30.6 million from Thursday midnight (July 19–20) screenings. Deducting the amount both films earned from midnight shows, TDKR was down 52.5 percent vs. The Dark Knight‘s down 47 percent. (The Dark Knight brought in a more modest $18.1 million on its midnight debut.)

Also worth noting, The Dark Knight Rises has fallen behind The Dark Knight in revenues – even without factoring in inflation. After ten days, The Dark Knight had pulled in $313.78 million vs. The Dark Knight Rises’ $287.11 million.

Colorado mass shooting effect?

As I explain in my previous couple of The Dark Knight Rises box office posts (see further below), I still believe it would be precipitated to claim that the Colorado massacre was the reason – or even the chief reason – for this weekend’s box office drop. Especially considering that said drop wasn’t that much higher than The Dark Knight‘s if we deduct TDKR‘s opening-week’s midnight screenings.

One should also take into account that TDKR had strong competition from the Olympics on Friday – and, really, throughout the weekend. The Dark Knight faced no such issue back in 2008.

Something else that’s crucial: The Dark Knight Rises has failed to match The Dark Knight‘s overwhelming acclaim. “Batman 3” currently has a 77 percent approval rating and 7.9/10 average among Rotten Tomatoes‘ top critics vs. a 91 percent approval rating and (a slightly higher) 8.0/10 average for “Batman 2.” Also, if online commentaries are to be seen as valid samples of moviegoers’ opinions, TDKR seems (this isn’t a scientific study) to have generated weaker word-of-mouth than its predecessor.

Admittedly, there are reports that approximately one in five potential U.S. moviegoers was reluctant to return to movie theaters this past weekend. The question is: How reliable are those surveys?

The good news for Warner Bros.: The Dark Knight Rises has already crossed the $500 million milestone at the worldwide box office: Its cume to date is $537.3 million.

The Dark Knight Rises with Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.

The Dark Knight Rises box office: $500 million worldwide after ten days.

July 29 update: Last weekend, The Dark Knight Rises grossed $160.9 million at 4,404 North American theaters, officially breaking the record for the biggest opening weekend for a 2D release. But when it comes to ticket sales, TDKR trailed The Dark Knight by a wide margin: Nolan’s “Batman 2” movie brought in $158.4 million in summer 2008 – or approximately $174.7 million today.

Currently, The Dark Knight Rises has fallen behind The Dark Knight both in ticket sales and unadjusted grosses. After ten days, The Dark Knight had pulled in $313.8 million vs. The Dark Knight Rises’ estimated $289.1 million.

Needless to say, The Dark Knight Rises’ opening-weekend box office gross fell quite a bit below expectations because of the Colorado shooting. At a Friday post-midnight screening in the Denver suburb of Aurora, a gunman killed 12 people and injured nearly 60 others.

The good news: The Dark Knight Rises has already crossed the $500 million milestone at the worldwide box office: its cume to date is $537.3 million. (More details to be found in my upcoming TDKR international box office post.)

What sharp second-weekend drop?

July 28 afternoon: Just yesterday, nearly every movie blogger and box office analyst was discussing how Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises had plummeted on its second Friday out and would perform much more poorly than its predecessor, The Dark Knight, on its second weekend at the North American box office. How wrong we all were. Well, at least to some extent.

In late July 2008, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was down 65.5 percent on its second Friday out and down 52.5 percent on its second weekend in the U.S. and Canada, collecting $75.2 million from Fri-Sun. On its second Friday out, The Dark Knight Rises tumbled 76 percent, but recovered a good chunk of lost ground on the weekend proper, earning an estimated $64.1 million over the three-day period. That’s about $6-$9 million more than early Saturday estimates indicated.

If studio estimates are accurate, The Dark Knight Rises was down 60 percent compared to the previous weekend, but a much less steep 51 percent if we deduct the film’s record-breaking (for a 2D movie) $30.6 million from Thursday midnight (July 19–20) screenings. For comparison’s sake: The Dark Knight earned a considerably more modest $18.1 million from midnight screenings. Deducting that amount, the movie was down 47 percent on its second weekend. In other words, there isn’t a wide gap between the two Batman movies’ drop-off rates.

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The Dark Knight Rises box office down sharply on Friday

In late July 2008, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was down 65.5 percent on its second Friday out and down 52.5 percent on its second weekend, collecting $75.16 million from Fri-Sun. On its second Friday out, The Dark Knight Rises plummeted 76 percent, and should earn around $55-58 million (about $8-12 million less than late-night Friday estimates indicated) over the weekend.

Taking the lowest figure, that would represent a down 65.5 percent weekend-to-weekend tumble. Why the sharp drop? The Colorado shooting? The London Olympics? Both?

First of all, remember that The Dark Knight Rises’ $75.75 million take on Friday, July 20, included a record-breaking (for a 2D movie) $30.6 million from Thursday midnight screenings. Excluding the midnight shows, TDKR would be down a still steep but considerably less dramatic down 60 percent on its second Friday out.

For comparison’s sake: The Dark Knight earned a much more modest $18.1 million from midnight shows. Deducting that amount, Nolan’s “Batman 2” movie was down 47 percent. Now, bear in mind that The Dark Knight faced no competition from the Beijing Olympics on it second weekend out. The 2008 Olympics kicked off on August 8 – the film’s fourth weekend – and at a less convenient time zone for American and Canadian television watchers.

The Dark Knight Rises box office plummets on second weekend?

July 28 early morning: Back in July 2008, Christopher Nolan’s “Batman 2” movie, The Dark Knight, was down 52.5 percent on its second weekend, collecting $75.16 million. On its second weekend out, The Dark Knight Rises is expected to earn around $66-67 million, down 58 percent. Why the sharp drop? The Aurora, Colorado, massacre?

As per Deadline.com’s early, rough estimates, The Dark Knight Rises grossed $20.1 million on Friday, July 27. That’s a steep drop compared to the previous Friday’s $75.8 million – until you remember that last week’s Friday figures included about $30.6 million from Thursday midnight screenings – a record for a 2D movie. (The Dark Knight earned a much more modest $18.1 million.)

Excluding the midnight shows, The Dark Knight Rises would be down a not unacceptable down 54.5 percent (in case this weekend’s early estimates are indeed accurate).

Fastest to $200 million at domestic box office

July 27 update: Christopher Nolan’s third and final installment in his Batman film trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises passed the $200 million milestone at the domestic box office on its sixth day out, Wednesday, July 25. After adding $13.8 million that day, TDKR‘s cume reached $211.8 million.

The Dark Knight Rises’ six-day take of over $200 million is impressive, especially considering the tragic circumstances surrounding the film’s release. Yet, six days to $200 million is hardly a record, even for a 2D movie. Ahead of Nolan’s “Batman 3” movie are Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, which reached $200 million in three days (with the assistance of 3D surcharges), plus Nolan’s own The Dark Knight, David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The last three movies passed the $200 million milestone after five days.

Last weekend, The Dark Knight Rises grossed $160.88 million at 4,404 North American theaters, officially boasting the biggest opening weekend for a 2D release. In terms of ticket sales, however, TDKR clearly trailed The Dark Knight, which raked in $158.4 million in late July 2008 – or approximately $174.7 million today.

The Dark Knight Rises’ weekend take fell below expectations because of the Colorado shooting. At a Friday midnight screening in the Denver suburb of Aurora, a gunman killed 12 people and injured nearly 60 others.

Overseas, The Dark Knight Rises has collected another (estimated) $125.3 million. TDKR‘s worldwide total stands at $337.1 million. Its top territories up to Sunday, July 22, are the United Kingdom with $22.73 million, Australia with $15.67 million, Spain with $4.19 million, and India with $4.09 million.

Weekend box office gross

July 23 update: Overall, the North American box office was clearly affected by the early Friday, July 20, shooting rampage at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, a suburb of Denver; a mad gunman killed 12 people and injured 60 others. This past weekend, only two among the top twelve movies had drop-off rates below 50 percent; the previous weekend, only one among the movies on the top-twelve chart had a drop-off rate above 50 percent.

The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan’s third and final Batman movie, grossed $160.88 million at 4,404 North American theaters over the July 20–22, ’12, weekend. That figure includes $30.6 million from Thursday midnight screenings. That’s about $20m-$25 million less than early Friday box office estimates indicated, and nearly $10 million less than late Friday/Saturday estimates indicated.

Following the Colorado tragedy, The Dark Knight Rises distributor Warner Bros. announced it wasn’t going to release box office figures over the weekend. Every major Hollywood studio and the box office tracking organization Rentrak followed suit. However, on Sunday “box-office insiders” were predicting that TDKR would end up grossing between $160–$162 million.

2D record gross, but not ticket sales

The Dark Knight Rises is now officially third among the biggest opening weekends ever in the U.S. and Canada, trailing only Joss Whedon’s The Avengers’ $207.4 million and David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2‘s $169.2 million. Note that three of the five highest-grossing opening weekends in North America are 2012 releases: in addition to The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, there’s Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games at no. 4.

Since both The Avengers and Deathly Hallows 2 are 3D productions, The Dark Knight Rises has been proclaimed the 2D movie champ when it comes to opening weekends at the domestic box office. The previous 2D champ was Christopher Nolan’s own “Batman 2” movie, The Dark Knight. Starring Christian Bale and the then-recently deceased Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight brought in $158.4 million in late July 2008.

Now, box office charts that don’t take inflation into account are all but useless. If inflation is factored in (to better reflect actual ticket sales), The Dark Knight easily remains no. 1: The film’s $158.4 million debut-weekend gross would be approximately $174.7 million today.

In other words, back in summer 2008, The Dark Knight sold many more tickets than The Dark Knight Rises – even without accounting for TDKR‘s IMAX surcharges. Bear in mind that The Dark Knight Rises earned $19 million from 332 IMAX houses; The Dark Knight opened at only 94 IMAX locations.

The Dark Knight Rises weekend box office

July 22 update: Christopher Nolan’s “Batman 3” movie, The Dark Knight Rises, scored an estimated $160–$162 million at 4,404 North American theaters this July 20-22 weekend, including $30.6 million from Thursday midnight screenings. That’s about $20–$25 million less than early Friday estimates indicated. It’s unclear whether or not the Colorado shooting that left 12 people dead and 60 injured affected The Dark Knight Rises’ box office take.

Following the tragedy, TDKR distributor Warner Bros. announced it wouldn’t release any box office information over the weekend. Every major Hollywood studio has since followed suit. Additionally, Rentrak, the organization that keeps track of box office figures, declined to divulge worldwide box office estimates on Sunday.

The $160–$162 million figure was given out by “box-office insiders.” Weekend box office actuals will be released on Monday as usual.

The Dark Knight Rises vs. The Dark Knight: ticket sales

However, if higher ticket prices are factored in (and TDKR box office estimates are correct), The Dark Knight easily remains on top: its $158.41 million opening-weekend take would translate into approximately $174.7 million today. In other words, if July 20–22,  weekend estimates accurate The Dark Knight sold many more tickets than The Dark Knight Rises back in summer 2008 – even without taking into account TDKR‘s IMAX surcharges.

Now, following the Colorado massacre some have gotten up on their personal soapboxes to claim that box office figures aren’t important and why should anyone emphasize or even bother reporting them? After all, what truly matters is the quality of the movies.

If you think that way, you don’t live on planet Earth. The Dark Knight Rises wasn’t made because Warner Bros. or Christopher Nolan or Jonathan Nolan or Christian Bale wanted to make the greatest movie epic of all time. The only reason The Dark Knight Rises ultimately got made was to make money. Lots of money. Else, no matter how brilliant Christopher Nolan’s vision might have been, he would never, ever have gotten (an estimated) $250 million – not including another $100m+ in marketing / distribution expenses – to make his film.

Commercial movies aren’t made to be great works of art. They’re made so they’ll appeal to the largest number of moviegoers (mostly teenagers and parents with little children) and thus bring in the most revenues. That’s fact. And that has always been so, even before giant multinational conglomerates took over Hollywood. Without the lure of huge box office grosses, movies such as The Dark Knight Rises would never get made and, in fact, Hollywood itself would no longer exist as a filmmaking factory. Box-office revenues (and ensuing ancillary income) – not great movies – are the raison d’être of the film industry.

The Dark Knight Rises Friday Box Office

July 21 update: Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises collected an estimated $77.2 million at 4,404 venues on Friday, including $30.6 million from midnight screenings. That’s about $3–$8 million less than early estimates indicated. Whether the Denver area shooting has in any way affected the film’s box office take remains unclear at this stage, especially considering The Dark Knight Rises’ humongous pre-sales figures.

In the wake of the mass murders, TDKR distributor Warner Bros. has decided not to release any box office information over the weekend. In the aftermath of Warners’ announcement, most other Hollywood studios have followed suit. Additionally, Rentrak, the organization that keeps track of box office figures, will not announce worldwide box office estimates on Sunday. Weekend box office actuals will come out on Monday as usual.

Slightly ahead of New Moon

If Friday estimates are accurate, The Dark Knight Rises’ first day out in the U.S. and Canada would place it only slightly ahead of the Chris Weitz-directed Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner romantic fantasy The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The second installment in the Twilight movie franchise raked in $72.7 million in November 2009 – or about $76.5 million in 2012 dollars.

Now, although The Dark Knight Rises may still end up with the biggest single-day gross ever for a 2D movie at the U.S. and Canada box office (even adjusting for inflation), in terms of ticket sales New Moon – screened at fewer IMAX locations – might still remain ahead.

Either way, the uncontested single-day leader at the domestic box office remains David Yates’ 3D fantasy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which scored $91.1 million in July 2011.

The Dark Knight Rises weekend box-office likely less than expected

As per their sources, Deadline.com had initially predicted that Christopher Nolan’s final installment in his Batman movie trilogy would reach $180 million for the weekend. That figure has been slashed to $170 million. Even so, that would be enough to grant The Dark Knight Rises the most successful opening weekend ever for a 2D release in North America – if one chooses to ignore inflation. If higher ticket prices are taken into account, Nolan’s own The Dark Knight would remain on top: its $158.4 million take in summer 2008 would translate into approximately $174.7 million today.

Last spring, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, which also had the advantage of box-office-inflating 3D surcharges, opened with $80.8 million on Friday, including $18.7 million from midnight screenings. Estimates had the Marvel actioner cuming at $175–$190 million over the weekend. Yet The Avengers went on to collect a record-breaking $207.4 million by Sunday evening.

That unexpected surge will likely not be repeated this time around. Really, how many people going to watch The Dark Knight Rises this opening weekend – anywhere in the world, though especially in the United States – will be able to “get into” the movie without thinking about what happened in the Denver suburb of Aurora? I’m not talking about fear (even though psychopaths continue to have the “inalienable” right to legally buy and store heavy weaponry and explosives in most of the U.S.). I’m talking about horror.

July 20 afternoon update: The Dark Knight Rises midnight box office trails only Deathly Hallows 2. If studio estimates are accurate, The Dark Knight Rises now boasts the second biggest midnight opening ever at the North American box office.

The third and final installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman movie franchise took in an estimated $30.64 million at Thursday midnight screenings at more than 3,700 locations, slightly surpassing The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1‘s $30.3 million and behind (by a wide margin) only the 3D fantasy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2‘s $43.5 million. Of course, enthusiasm for the film’s (expected) success has certainly been dampened by the massacre at a The Dark Knight Rises screening in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

Biggest 2D midnight movie ever

Once again, if studio estimates are correct, in the U.S. and Canada The Dark Knight Rises is now the biggest midnight grosser among regular-format (2D) films – even adjusting for inflation. TDKR‘s $30.64 million total includes $2.23 million from 330 IMAX venues.

For comparison’s sake: The Dark Knight opened with $18.5 million at 3,040 sites in 2008. That translates into about $20.5 million in 2012 dollars. Starring Christian Bale and the recently deceased Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight went on to gross $158 million on its first weekend in North America. The film screened at only 94 IMAX locations.

Domestic box office: top midnight movies

Following The Dark Knight Rises and Breaking Dawn – Part 1 are two other Twilight movies: Eclipse with $30.1 million and New Moon with $26.3 million. Last spring, The Avengers, which had the advantage of 3D surcharges, opened with $18.7 million.

Below is a list of the top ten midnight debuts (not adjusted for inflation) in North America. Bear in mind that those movies opened at varying number of regular theaters and (higher-priced) IMAX locations. The only non-sequel on the list is the futuristic adventure The Hunger Games. Only two are 3D releases: Deathly Hallows 2 and The Avengers.

• David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – $43.5 million (Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Watson, and  Rupert Grint).
• Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 – $30.3 million (Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner).
• David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse – $30.1 million (Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner).
• Chris Weitz’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon – $26.3 million (Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner).
• David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – $24 million (Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Watson, and  Rupert Grint).
• David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – $22.2 million (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and  Rupert Grint).
• Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games – $19.7 million (Jennifer Lawrence / Liam Hemsworth / Josh Hutcherson).
• Joss Whedon’s The Avengers – $18.7 million (Chris Hemsworth / Chris Evans / Mark Ruffalo / Robert Downey Jr / Tom Hiddleston / Scarlett Johansson / Jeremy Renner).
• Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight – $18.5 million (Christian Bale / Heath Ledger / Maggie Gyllenhaal / Aaron Eckhart).
• George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – $16.5 million (Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Hayden Christensen).

Formerly no. 10 on the list, Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned $16 million. The sci-fier / actioner stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and Josh Duhamel.

Warner Bros. not to report The Dark Knight Rises weekend estimates

According to early estimates based on matinee screenings – a chunk of which comes from pre-sales – The Dark Knight Rises is expected to gross around $80 million at 4,404 locations on Friday, July 20. Directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan, and starring Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, and Marion Cotillard, The Dark Knight Rises is the final installment in Nolan’s Batman movie trilogy.

Now, official studio estimates won’t be forthcoming this weekend. Warner Bros., a Time Warner company, issued the following statement Friday afternoon, as reported at Deadline.com: “Out of respect for the [Aurora shooting] victims and their families, Warner Bros. Pictures will not be reporting box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises throughout the weekend. Box office numbers will be released on Monday.”

However, The Dark Knight Rises box office weekend estimates will still be made available by box office tracking service Rentrak. For now, Deadline reports that The Dark Knight Rises could reach $180 million for the weekend. Well, that is, barring a surge on Saturday and Sunday that could propel it to higher levels. It’s unclear how – or if – the Aurora/Denver shooting will affect ticket sales.

2D Friday box office record?

The current no. 3 movie on the North American single-day chart is the Chris Weitz-directed Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner vehicle The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The second installment in the Twilight movie series brought in $72.7 million in November 2009. With $80m+ on Friday, The Dark Knight Rises will thus become the single-day record-holding 2D movie at the U.S. and Canada box office.

Other July 20-22 weekend estimates include the following: Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeier’s animated Ice Age 4: Continental Drift with $7.5 million on Friday and $25 million by Sunday evening; Andrew Garfield / Emma Stone’s The Amazing Spider-Man with $4 million on Friday and around $14 million for the weekend; Seth MacFarlane / Mark Wahlberg / Mila Kunis’ Ted, with $3.6 million on Friday and $12 million weekend; and the Disney / Pixar animated feature Brave with $2.5 million Friday and $8.5 million weekend.

Remember: those are early, rough estimates. Official studio estimates for Friday (except for The Dark Knight Rises) will come out on Saturday. Weekend estimates will be released on Sunday, and weekend box office actuals on Monday.

The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle / Catwoman, Tom Hardy as the mad terrorist Bane, Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Blake, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, and Matthew Modine as Foley.

Christopher Nolan’s brother, Jonathan Nolan, co-wrote the TDKR screenplay, which he has said was inspired by Charles Dickens’ classic novel of the French Revolution A Tale of Two Cities.

Midnight box office champ: Harry Potter

The current midnight record-holder in North America is David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which collected (a 3D-boosted) $43.5 million in summer 2011. The fantasy adventure stars Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

The next three movies in line all belong to the Twilight Saga franchise starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. They are: Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 with $30.3 million, David Slade’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse with $30.1 million, and Chris Weitz’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon with $26.3 million.

The Dark Knight Rises recent controversies

Curiously, in recent days The Dark Knight Rises became embroiled in several bizarre controversies that were none of the filmmakers’ doing. As a result of vicious comments from rabid TDKR fans (and possibly online trolls), Rotten Tomatoes suspended user comments for the first time ever on their The Dark Knight Rises page. Additionally, right-wing talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh came up with the idea that the terrorist Bane was a disguised attack on U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whose controversial (former) investment company is called Bain Capital. DC Comics’ Bane co-creator Chuck Dixon dismissed Limbaugh’s remarks, coming up instead with the equally asinine concept that if The Dark Knight Rises had a Mitt Romney, that would be Bruce Wayne.

Anyhow, expect Warner Bros. – and possibly Christopher Nolan himself – to issue a statement about the mass murders in the next few hours. According to TF1, the Parisian premiere of the film (not just the red carpet, as previously reported) has been canceled. Nolan, and stars Marion Cotillard, Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were supposed to be in attendance. The studio has also canceled all cast interviews with the French media.