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The Dark Knight, the new Batman film, has set a record at the US box office, smashing the opening-weekend high of last year’s Spiderman 3 to take more than $155 million in its first three days.

Described as the year’s most anticipated film, the superhero sequel from English filmmaker Christopher Nolan attracted sell-out audiences at a record number of cinemas across the US. Many hosted round-the-clock screenings from midnight on Thursday to accommodate crowds, some of whom showed up dressed as characters from the film.

Warner Bros said the $180 million production, which co-stars the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, was set to take $155.3 million in ticket sales, surpassing Sony’s Spiderman 3 which made $151.1 million in its debut weekend last May.

The film’s extraordinary debut suggests it could be on course to become the most lucrative comic book adaptation in history. It also demonstrates how central the once-niche genre now is to Hollywood, with major studios increasingly looking to the heroes and villains of hand-drawn strips to provide a stream of box office hits.

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OK, now that legions of moviegoers are shrieking “Oscar! Oscar! Oscar!” after seeing Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight,” which category should he enter: lead or supporting?

That’s a tricky Oscar question. On one hand you might think Heath Ledger should go supporting because, technically speaking, “The Dark Knight” is a film about Batman. But come on, Heath Ledger has the big, flashy role — he’s the chief force bearing down on all of the terrifying action — and it’s his spooktacular performance that moviegoers are storming theaters to see.

A good analogy might be Forest Whitaker, who recently won best actor in “Last King of Scotland.” James McAvoy actually had the main role, as measured by the most dialogue and screen time, but his performance as a good doctor was dwarfed, crushed and left trembling in the shadow of his monstrous patient.

The same was true for Denzel Washington, who won best actor for “Training Day.” He had less screen time than costar Ethan Hawke, but Hawke was so overwhelmed by Washington’s performance as a ferocious, corrupt cop that he dutifully ducked into the supporting race and let Washington go lead.

Sometimes it’s the size of the role, emotionally speaking, that determines whether it should be defined as lead or supporting. Sure, Anthony Hopkins only appeared in 22 minutes of “The Silence of the Lambs,” but he won best actor because he gobbled up the scenery, the screen and everything else as Hannibal the Cannibal. Academy members didn’t dare to deny him an Oscar statuette for dessert.

Heath Ledger’s role in “The Dark Knight” is very similar to Hopkins’ in “Lambs,” come to think of it — so creepy that it continues to haunt moviegoers long after they flee theaters, terrified.

However, in terms of traditional category placement, Heath Ledger may have the best shot to win in supporting. When Jack Nicholson played the Joker in “Batman” in 1989, he was nominated in supporting at the Golden Globes (then was snubbed by Oscar voters, strangely).

And traditionally, that’s where the cartoonishly crazy roles are put — Ben Kingsley in “Sexy Beast,” James Coburn in “Affliction.” And speaking of Coburn, that reminds us of another aspect of the supporting race that may apply to Heath Ledger: If he wins an Oscar in February for “The Dark Knight,” it will largely be because Academy voters want to salute an impressive, if brief, career that included a past Oscar nomination (“Brokeback Mountain”).

That qualifies Ledger as a perfect candidate for a veteran achievement award, which is the unofficial nickname of the supporting-actor category when it goes to the likes of Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine,” Martin Landau in “Ed Wood” or Jack Palance in “City Slickers.”

But, wait! Maybe it doesn’t matter what category Heath Ledger lands in, since some Oscarologists believe he’s doomed at the Academy Awards where only one star has ever won from the grave.

Photo: Warner Bros.

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Don’t get carried away with all of the Oscar buzz for Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” that you see in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, everywhere. Remember: Only one star has won an Oscar from the grave (Peter Finch, “Network”) and roles like the Joker are rarely even nominated.

Maybe this next Oscars factoid may help to put things in more clear perspective. After the beloved Spencer Tracy died in 1967 after giving a dynamic, heartfelt performance in best picture nominee “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” he was widely expected to win best actor, but lost to Rod Steiger (“In the Heat of the Night”). However, Tracy’s de facto widow Katharine Hepburn won best actress for a rather tame turn with little screen time in “Dinner.”

Bottom line: Oscar voters wanted to bestow a hug after losing Tracy, yes — but they just didn’t want to hug the dead guy.

When Peter Finch passed away, the situation was very different from Tracy’s and Ledger’s. The latter stars died more than six months before the Oscarcast. Finch died from a heart attack just two weeks before the Golden Globes while he was actively campaigning to stop that juggernaut Robert DeNiro (“Taxi Driver”), who’d swept the film-critics’ awards. Oscar and Globe voters were still stunned by Finch’s loss when they inked their ballots and they couldn’t resist checking off his name.

Heath Ledger bears a striking similarity to James Dean. Both were heartthrob thespians whose promising careers were cut short by tragedy.  Dean had two posthumous Oscar nominations. The first — for “Giant” — came nearly half a year after Dean died in a car wreck. The next year he was nommed for “East of Eden” and he lost both times.

When Oscar nominations come out next January, Heath Ledger will have been dead for a year. Given all of the Oscar hubbub he’s generating now, I’m sure he’ll be on that list of contenders, but can he really win?

Oscar voters aren’t wild about campy villain roles in popcorn flicks like “Dark Knight.” The only time one got nominated was Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice in “Dick Tracy” (1990). Jack Nicholson‘s widely celebrated Joker in “Batman” (1989) — the same role now played by Heath Ledger — was nominated for a Golden Globe, but not an Oscar, which is odd considering how nuts academy members are for Jack. (Nicholson holds the records for most nominations and wins among male actors.)

And Oscar voters don’t usually like villainous roles unless the actor rides to victory atop a best-picture sweep like Anthony Hopkins in “The Silence of the Lambs.”

But — wait — that old trend may be changing. Just this past year we saw the trophies for best actor and supporting actor go to stars portraying bloodthirsty monsters: Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem.

And maybe the whole world, even Hollywood, is different today than it was when those other posthumous Oscar examples occurred. If so, then maybe this joker can get the last laugh.

(Warner Bros.)

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The latest Batman movie, starring the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, took a record-breaking $65 million at the box office in America on its opening Friday, according to initial estimates.

Fuelled by strong reviews and predictions of a posthumous Oscar for the Australian actor who died during filming, The Dark Knight has generated a huge buzz among fans and many lined up for screenings wearing superhero outfits.

Warner Bros said its movie was the biggest midnight opening in history, grossing $18.5 million for its 12.01 am showings at venues across the country. It pulled in a further $46 million from 4,366 cinemas during the rest of Friday, the well-sourced Hollywood blogger Nikki Finke reported.

The record for the biggest single day previously was the $59.8 million taken on May 4, 2007 by Spider-Man 3 in 4,252 venues. And Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith had previously set the pace for a midnight show, earning $16.9 million in 2005.

Hollywood is now watching whether the latest Batman movie beats the overall $151 million record for an opening three-day weekend notched up by Spider-Man 3 last year.

Ledger, 28, died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January in New York. His tragic death combined with the current craze for comic book superhero movies has produced enormous pre-release publicity and regular $11 tickets are changing hands for $150.

The Dark Knight also stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” grossed a record $18.5 million from midnight preview screenings ahead of its official opening on Friday, according to box office tracking service Media By Numbers.

That tally includes receipts from 12:01 a.m. Friday showings only in 3,040 North American theaters — 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. screenings were not counted — and shatters the preview record of $16.9 million set by “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” in 2005, Media By Numbers said.

The film’s robust performance in advance screenings bolstered projections that “Dark Knight” was headed for an opening weekend of $100 million or more in the United States and Canada.

Its fortunes are further brightened by mostly positive reviews and a record wide release on Friday by Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc, in 4,366 U.S. and Canadian theaters.

“Dark Knight” cost about $180 million to produce.

A follow-up to 2005′s “Batman Begins,” which grossed about $372 million worldwide, “Dark Knight” reunites director Chris Nolan and star Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader. It also features the late Australian actor Heath Ledger in what turned out to be his last completed screen role, as Batman’s arch nemesis, the Joker.

Only 10 other movies have managed to cross the $100 million domestic box-office mark in their first weekend, led by “Spider-Man 3″ with $151 million in 2007 and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” with $135.6 million in 2006.

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The Queensland Government says actor Heath Ledger will be posthumously honoured for his contribution to the Australian film industry with the 2008 Chauvel Award.

The 28-year-old Perth-born actor died in his New York apartment in January of an accidental prescription drug overdose.

At the program launch for the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF), State Arts Minister Rod Welford said Ledger had supported the local film industry.

“Over the years, there have been many others who have drawn focus to the Australian film industry either through their own personal achievements in their field or their consistent and staunch support for Australian film-making,” Mr Welford said.

“Heath Ledger did both, and his passing highlighted how loved and revered he was – not just by fans, but by the Australian film-making community.”

The award presentation will take place in August. It will be hosted by the co-host of ABC1′s The Movie Show, David Stratton, and will include interview and film material from Ledger’s career.

Previous recipients of the award include director George Miller and actors Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson.

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By Greg Vellante
Staff writer

Dear Heath,

I’ve been trying to write a film review for “The Dark Knight” and finding it nearly impossible. I mean, why write an ordinary review for a film that is anything but ordinary? So instead, I decided to write this letter to you, the man I’ve come to know over the past few years and more recently — especially in the wake of your untimely death earlier this year — to greatly admire.

Certainly I have great praise for “The Dark Knight.” It’s breathtaking — an all-out achievement in filmmaking. And yet, it feels equally important to pay tribute to a man who delivered such a dedicated performance in his last full role as The Joker, ultimately pushing “The Dark Knight” from the realm of great film to the one of haunting masterpiece.

Heath, I have no idea how the afterlife works or what has become of your talented soul, but I hope somewhere, somehow, you are able to hear this.

Viewing “The Dark Knight,” I knew I was witnessing a cinematic masterpiece the moment I began to lose touch with reality: The theater transformed into the streets of Gotham City and the people around me slowly disappeared.

All of the film’s characters — especially your Joker, became real to me. Christian Bale’s return as Bruce Wayne/Batman is powerful and fierce, and at the same time somewhat poetic. Batman has established a code for himself in which he will not kill, and throughout the film that commitment is tested to the fullest extent.

Other performances, such as Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordan and Aaron Eckhart as DA Harvey Dent, are also great. You were lucky to work with such an amazing cast, Heath, and I’m positive that everyone involved with “The Dark Knight” felt the same way about you.

If your director, Christopher Nolan, keeps up this level of work, I’m sure his name will one day join the likes of Scorsese and Hitchcock. His vision is flawlessly carried out; the way he captures the essence of the film’s environment, characters and storyline.

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Australian lawyers have claimed Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda Rose is entitled to the majority of his $20m fortune, according to reports.

The two-year-old, who lives in New York with her mother actress Michelle Williams, was not born when Ledger drew up the document and does not appear on his will. The document currently divides the star’s wealth between his parents and three sisters.

However, the Australian Daily Telegraph has reported that after the will’s executors applied for probate in the West Australian Supreme Court they were advised that under state law the bulk of the late actor’s money would be awarded to Matilda.

If Ms Williams decided to claim the money on behalf of her daughter, she would have to submit an official affidavit, which could be made public, the newspaper said.

Last week, the executors of Ledger’s estate, Robert Collins and Mark Dyson, advertised in a Perth newspaper for “creditors and other persons” with claims on the estate to come forward and lodge them by August 11. This will ensure that any debts are cleared before the estate is divided.

Documents filed after Ledger’s death show he had $145,000 worth of assets in the United States, however his total fortune, mostly held in Australia, has been estimated at $20million.

Ledger’s father and stepmother were sighted last night attending the New York premiere of the actor’s penultimate film, The Dark Knight.

Kim Ledger, actor’s father, and his wife Ines, bypassed the red carpet which was black in his honour.

Leaving the cinema, Mr Ledger – who had already seen the film – simply gave a thumbs-up, reported People magazine.

Ledger is tipped to receive a posthumous Oscar for his role as the Joker in the Batman Returns sequel.

Ledger, 28, died in January after an accidental prescription drug overdose.

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Poor Christian Bale.

If the number of advance tickets sold is any indication, his new movie, The Dark Knight, likely will become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. But few people who see it will walk away with Bale’s name on their lips.

They’ll be talking about Heath Ledger. Even without the sentimental distinction of being the late actor’s last role, Ledger’s performance as the Joker is the best thing about the movie.

The performance, writes Ty Burr in the Boston Globe, “makes you mourn a gifted man’s stupid death with fresh and vigorous sorrow.”

“He’s mesmerizing in every scene,” enthuses David Denby in The New Yorker.

Before The Dark Knight opened, a campaign was in the works to award Ledger a posthumous supporting actor Oscar. He would become the first actor so rewarded since Peter Finch won for Network in 1977.

It should surprise no one if Warner Bros. is discovered helping to orchestrate the groundswell — it’s their job to market the movie, and their performance in that regard is as relentless as the Joker’s siege on Gotham City.

But the work lives up to the hype.

As director, Christopher Nolan’s strategy in The Dark Knight, as it was in Batman Begins, is to leaven the comic book spectacle with as much reality as it will hold. To my mind, he was far more successful in the richly layered Batman Begins than here, but Ledger’s Joker — with all of his odd ticks and Grand Guignol excesses — somehow improbably anchors this movie.

As is evident from Jack Nicholson’s acting work in the 1989 Batman movie (or Cesar Romero’s work on the camp 1960s Batman TV series), it is easy to lapse into caricature in this role. The Joker, by definition, is over the top — a magician of mayhem, a sadistic killer in clown makeup, with the sickest sense of humor imaginable. But Ledger makes him full-bodied, magnetic and complex.

It’s not so much that we believe this creature could exist off screen, but Ledger makes us certain that, if he did exist, he would be just like this.

This Joker’s triumph as a character isn’t all Ledger’s doing, of course. His lines were written for him. And the scene that stands out the most in my memory — it still brings a smile to my face — works as well as it does thanks to the costumer and makeup artist as much as Ledger’s actorly choices and precision.

Poor Bale. But how can his Bruce Wayne / Batman compete?

Something similar happened with Batman Begins. The movie solidified the actor’s hold on stardom — you might even say it made him a star, given the box office performance of his previous movies — but it was a director’s film. Nolan, rightly, won acclaim for bringing a vitality, emotional depth and grit to the Batman saga that previously had not existed on film.

The Dark Knight is a director’s film, too. There unquestionably is a grand vision at work here, and that vision belongs to Nolan.

Though it may be over-praised, the movie — borne aloft by a wave of ecstatic critical opinion, saturation marketing and cross-promotional partnerships — is without question an Event, the rare summer “popcorn movie” that actually may find its most enthusiastic following among adults.

It is a phenomenon, pure and simple. Its opening weekend domestic gross may reach $130 million. It’s playing on a record 4,366 screens, and Nikki Finke reports on her L.A. Weekly blog that nearly all of the 1,600 IMAX screens in the country have sold out in advance of the opening, according to her industry sources.

There is no way to tell what percentage of the audience will go because of Ledger, but the movie has been widely spoken of since January as “Ledger’s final performance,” that fact eclipsing in many minds the significance of it being the sequel to perhaps the best comic-book movie ever made.

Batman Begins was a success, but its $371.8 million worldwide gross wasn’t spectacular, especially for a film that cost $150 million to make. Tracking figures indicate far greater familiarity and appeal for the sequel. The marketing juggernaut accounts for much of that, but Ledger undoubtedly also is a factor.

The depth of commitment by Ledger’s fans wasn’t apparent to many people until he died.

It isn’t an overstatement to say the outpouring of grief for an actor just coming into his own was reminiscent of that surrounding James Dean at the time of his death. Dean also died, shockingly, before his star reached its zenith. Both Rebel Without a Cause and Giant were released after Dean’s death. The raw greatness of his performances in these posthumously released movies burnished a legend that still is with us.

Ledger had done his best work in Brokeback Mountain, for which he was nominated an Oscar two years before he died. It would seem unrealistic to expect his work in a comic-book movie to equal or surpass it, but that is what has happened. His Joker performance makes it all too painfully clear what greatness likely lay ahead.

The combination of Ledger’s achievement here and sentimental regard — not to mention clever studio marketing — may make the movie one for the record books.

Oh, yeah, and Christian Bale is in it, too.

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