"The Dark Knight" earns $66.4 million on Friday

Source: Variety

Earning an unheard of $66.4 million in its first day, Warner Bros.’ Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” is poised to become the highest opener ever for a non-holiday weekend after “Spider-Man 3,” which debuted to $151.1 million.

“Dark Knight,” directed by Christopher Nolan and returning Christian Bale as the caped crusader, easily soared past the $59.8 million earned by the “Spider-Man” three-quel on its first Friday in May 2007.


Of “Dark Knight’s” total Friday’s haul of $66.4 million, $18.5 million came from midnight shows, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday. That beat the previous midnight record set by Fox’s “Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith,” which grossed $16.9 million from 3,663 venues.