The Dark Knight Rises predicted to soar 'way past $1billion' at box office

THE Colorado cinema shooting did scare viewers away from new Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros has admitted.

But the studio believes that in the long run it will beat its predecessor at the box office for a final tally "way past $1billion."

The film's ticket sales had been ahead of those for its predecessor The Dark Knight at the time of the first midnight screenings.

But at one such screening in the Denver suburb of Aurora, 12 people were killed and 58 wounded when a masked gunman fired into a packed auditorium.

As other cinemas cancelled screenings and public panic spread about copycat attacks and cinema security, the film's opening weekend was hit. It brought in $161million, lower than had earlier been predicted but still above the $158 million of The Dark Knight.

Warner Bros executive Jeff Goldstein said the box office dip of The Dark Knight Rises was "directly attributable" to the tragedy.

"There's no question about it," he told E! Online.

But as the panic subsided, the movie picked up pace and has had a stronger hold on subsequent weekends than The Dark Knight.

"The trend is strong," Goldstein said. "People are interested in the movie."

He added that overseas - away from the immediate panic of the Colorado massacre - the film's performance has been "dramatically ahead" of its predecessor.

The Dark Knight Rises had grossed $378.4 million internationally, Warner Bros announced last Sunday, compared with The Dark Knight's $210 million overseas at the same point in 2008.

Goldstein believes The Dark Knight Rises will end up with a bigger final tally of "way past $1billion."

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[Source: Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files]