The Dark Knight - Busting More than Box Office Records

The much anticipated Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan, staring Christian Bale as Batman and the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, made its debut this weekend by setting a one-day box office record with $66.4 million on the opening day, Warner Bros. head of distribution Dan Fellman said Saturday.

The movie's Friday haul surpassed the previous record of $59.8 million set last year by "Spider-Man 3." "The Dark Knight" might break the opening-weekend record of $151.1 million, also held by "Spider-Man 3." "The Dark Knight" began with a record $18.5 million from midnight screenings, topping the previous high of $16.9 million for "Star Wars: Episode III — The Revenge of the Sith."

As I read all of the critics and fan rave reviews of this film and also note thus far this movie has received a 94% from Rotten Tomatoes with over 194 reviews already logged, I can’t help but get excited to rush out to the theater, and battle the crowds for some good seats.

Speaking of fighting, I ponder the question of whether or not a Batman could really exist. I mean after all, Batman is the most realistic super hero character ever created in my opinion. I believe this is what makes him so popular. He doesn’t come from another planet, he wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider, he doesn’t wear some magic ring to give him power, and he can’t move a moon by pushing on it. Instead he is an extraordinary human being that is physically fit and pissed off enough from the tragic death of his parents and the injustices he sees in his home town to actually stand up and do something about it. Elect Batman for President, Please!

This reminds me of an article I read in Scientific America that said if an athletically astute person undergoes intense physical and martial arts training for around 10-12 years, they would be able to achieve the skills that Batman portrays to fight people, especially if armed with all of those mythical gadgets he carries on his utility belt. But the question lies; how long could one keep up the pace as a super hero crime fighter after battling dangerous criminals on a nightly basis? If you’re Batman, loosing the battle means death and even when he does win, he usually sustains injuries after the conflict. If you look at real history, some of the great fighters like Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Gracie brothers, Ultimate fighters, etc, their career peak only lasts a few years and that’s considering they aren’t fighting on a daily basis.

So as I ponder the reality of Batman, I remind myself that mythical or not, he is a symbolic inspiration for fighting injustice and what many of us inspire to be in our alter ego. Batman is a worldwide pop cultural phenomenon that started in comics back in 1939 and will surely outlast not only our lifespan but perhaps even our childrens.

So as you rush out to the movies this weekend to see the Dark Knight, spare a moment to put yourselves in his shoes. Would you want his job if you could do it? Do you feel his calling?

As I feel the adrenaline rush in anticipation of seeing this movie, I also realize that this is just a warm up for me. The reference material of this movie which was shot with IMAX cameras for the best possible picture quality begs to be a benchmark disc used in future Audioholics reviews.

The real reward will be the eventual release to Blu-ray so we can watch it in high definition in the comforts of our own theater rooms. This begs yet another question. Will the Dark Knight provide the necessary boost to migrate consumers over to this allegedly won next generation disc format?

See a preview of The Dark Knight

As a side note, the 2008 Audioholics SOTU Trade Show Event taking place the week of October 23^rd at the Disney Dolphin resort in Orlando Florida will also host a semi formal dining event and Halloween costume party. I expect to see a few Batman’s and perhaps a Joker or two at our event.

Don’t forget to > Register < and enter our contest to win a FREE +$3600 5.1 Complete Home Theater System.