Published: July 17, 2008 10:22 am            

MOVIES: 'The Dark Knight' takes off

Quick: Name the first villain from the “Batman” comic/film franchise that comes to mind.

A good guess is you probably didn’t respond with the Mad Hatter.

Most Batman fans — and even folks who’ve never opened a comic book — would name the Joker first. The maniacal monster has turned up in pretty much every storyline of the comic book, as well as the campy 1960s TV show, 1990s TV cartoon and the 1989 feature film that saw Jack Nicholson make the character truly his.

When “The Dark Knight” opens Friday, the Joker will return to theaters with the late Heath Ledger donning the pale white makeup. As if the Batman franchise needs the additional hype, the fact that “Dark Knight” was Ledger’s last completed role before his death in January from a prescription drug overdose has only added to the anticipation of Friday’s release (a supporting cast of Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhall, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman doesn’t hurt).

That Ledger would take on the Joker at all is courageous, considering that Nicholson’s performance was considered by many to be the character’s pinnacle. But judging from the many trailers that have been released, Ledger took the character to a darker place yet somewhere the character might be more believable, as he ditched the green hair for a disheveled ’do and made the Joker intimately aware of his reliance upon Batman — and vice versa.

“The Dark Knight” is the second part of a planned trilogy by Christopher Nolan. With 2005’s “Batman Begins,” the director set out to reset the franchise after 1997’s dismal “Batman and Robin,” which ranks among the worst comic book adaptations of all-time in response if not proceeds.

Christian Bale is back as the main hero, who spent the first film discovering himself and facing his fears to fight for Gotham. This second film will see Batman/Bruce Wayne continue to seek a proper fit for himself in the world while combating the insane residents of Gotham who would prefer he hole up in a cave for the rest of time.

“That Christian Bale/Christopher Nolan combination is such a profound combination,” Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers LLC, said in a recent phone conversation. “Chris Nolan reinvigorated the franchise ... in such a profound way. ‘Batman Begins’ was a wonderful movie and brought a new legion of fans.”

Even in its darkest days, the Batman franchise has been a nine-figure box office draw. Dergarabedian — who has seen “The Dark Knight” both in a standard format and on IMAX – expects it to surpass the $100 million mark this weekend — a feat accomplished only 10 times before, including in May with “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

“The anticipation levels are incredibly high,” said Dergarabedian, who thinks the film will last for some time in theaters. “Since people saw the first teaser trailers with Heath Ledger, that’s made people want to see it.

“A lot of hype and hyperbole can get you a big opening weekend, but it’s the (quality of the )movie that can get people there week after week and have the movie have legs ... I put it up there with the best movies ever, not just superhero movies.”

His praise extended to Ledger, whom Dergarabedian said should be considered for an supporting actor Academy Award.

“His performance is astounding,” he said. “That’s not a sympathy vote. It’s legitimate.”

The movie has enjoyed glowing early reviews elsewhere, with “Dark Knight” receiving a perfect 100 percent rating on rottentomatoes.com.

Nolan plans to make at least one more film in the franchise, with plans being to see the Harvey Dent evolve into the split-personality criminal Two-Face. By that time, Batman could rival Spider-Man for all-time box office supremacy, as the first and third “Spider-Man” films set records for opening week box office receipts (at $151.1 million, “Spider-Man 3 still holds the mark).

Whether it’s a rabid love of Batman or morbid curiosity that draws crowds this weekend, Dergarabedian said that the hype surrounding “Dark Knight” is no joke and that viewers won’t be disappointed.

“At the end of the day, they’re going to realize it’s just a great performance,” he said.



BY THE NUMBERS

Following is how the previous films in the Batman movie franchise fared at the domestic box office, according to numbers from Box Office Mojo.

* “Batman” (1989): $251.2 million

* “Batman Returns” (1992): $162.8 million

* “Batman Forever” (1995): $184 million

* “Batman and Robin” (1997): $107.3 million

* “Batman Begins” (2005): $205.3 million

        

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