The Dark Knight Rises box office plummets on second weekend? (Photo: “Occupy Gotham” deranged leader Bane, played by Tom Hardy.) In July 2008, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, dropped -52.5% on its second weekend out, earning $75.16m. On its second weekend, TDKR, starring Bale, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and Tom Hardy, is expected to earn around $66-67m, down -58%. Why the sharp drop-off rate? The Aurora, Colorado, massacre? Or…? One thing one must take into account is the Thursday midnight gross of each movie. TDKR’s Friday figures included about $30.6m from Thursday midnight screenings — behind only Daniel Radcliffe / Ralph Fiennes / David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and a record for a 2D movie. (For comparison’s sake: The Dark Knight earned a much more modest $18.1m. More details below.) [See also: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES midnight box-office record.] Scott Speer’s Step Up Revolution should end up with a so-so $13.2m for the weekend. The film stars Cleopatra Coleman, Misha Gabriel Hamilton, Ryan Guzman, Nicole Dabeau, Chris Charles, Claudio Pinto, Alejandro Posada, Tommy Dewey, Marc Macaulay, and Stephen Ross. Also bombing is Akiva Schaffer’s The Watch (co-written by Seth Rogen), with $14m. In the cast: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Rosemarie DeWitt, Richard Ayoade, Jonah Hill, Will Forte, Mel Rodriguez, Doug Jones. Stiller’s previous underperformer was Brett Ratner’s Tower Heist, with Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Gabourey Sidibe; Vaughn’s was Ron Howard’s The Dilemma, with Winona Ryder, Kevin James, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah, and Jennifer Connelly. Directed by Christopher Nolan, and co-written by the director and Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest, The Prestige, Memento, Interstellar, Hell and Gone), TDKR was as per Jonathan Nolan inspired by Charles Dickens’ 19th century novel A Tale of Two Cities (filmed in 1935 with Ronald Colman and Elizabeth Allan, directed by Jack Conway, and in 1958 by Ralph Thomas, with Dirk Bogarde and Dorothy Tutin). In the film’s cast are (see more cast info below) Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Morgan Freeman. In addition to Tom Conti, Matthew Modine, Josh Pence, Juno Temple, Daniel Sunjata, Nestor Carbonell, Joey King, Brett Cullen, Chris Ellis, Adam Rodriguez, Josh Stewart, Christopher Judge, and Aidan Gillen. TDKR cast previous or upcoming movies: The Fighter / The Flowers of War / American Psycho / Little Women / Empire of the Sun / Out of the Furnace / Knight of Cups / 3:10 to Yuma / Terminator Salvation / Rescue Dawn / The Prestige / The New World / Laurel Canyon / I’m Not There / The Machinist / Harsh Times / Metroland / All the Little Animals / A Midsummer Night’s Dream / Velvet Goldmine / Pocahontas / Little Woman / The Portrait of a Lady / The Secret Agent / Newsies’s Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Les Miserables / Rachel Getting Married / Brokeback Mountain / The Princess Diaries / Rio / The Devil Wears Prada / Get Smart / Becoming Jane / Ella Enchanted’s Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle / Catwoman, and Bronson / This Means War / Lawless / Thick As Thieves / Sucker Punch / Minotaur / The Killing Gene / Marie Antoinette / Warrior’s Tom Hardy as Bane / Bane, in addition to La Vie en Rose / Contagion / Inception / Midnight in Paris / Little White Lies / The Last Flight / Nine / Public Enemies / Rust & Bone / Lady Grey London / The Black Box / Nine / A Good Year / Toi et moi / Fair Play / Ma vie en air / Cavalcade / A Very Long Engagement / Pretty Things / Boomer / Taxi 2′s Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, Alfie / Sleuth / Educating Rita / California Suite / Harry and Walter Go to New York / The Quiet American / The Cider House Rules / The Man Who Would Be King / Hannah and Her Sisters / Quills / Get Carter / The Magus’s Michael Caine, Prick Up Your Ears / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / The Book of Eli / Beat the Devil / Lost in Space / Romeo Is Bleeding / Sid and Nancy / State of Grace / Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead ‘s Gary Oldman, Premium Rush / Inception / Don Jon’s Addiction / Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln / Elektra Luxx / Hesher / (500) Days of Summer / Stop-Loss / Shadowboxer / The Lookout / Brick / Mysterious Skin / Havoc / Forever Lulu / Latter Days / Looper / 50/50′s Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Million Dollar Baby / Red / Dolphin Tale / Oblivion / We the People / Gone Baby Gone / Thick As Thieves / Evan Almighty / The Bucket List / Streetsmart / The Shawshank Redemption / Driving Miss Daisy’s Morgan Freeman, and O Jerusalem / Rabbit Fever / The Enemy / The Tempest / Out of Control / Shirley Valentine / Saving Grace / Miracles / American Dreamer / The Haunting of Julia / Galileo / StreetDance 2 / Blind Revenge / City Slacker / Rekindle’s Reuben Reuben / Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence’s Tom Conti. Plus: Birdy / Full Metal Jacket / Le Divorce / Pacific Heights / Queen Freak / Jesus Was a Commie / Girl in Progress / Cowboy / The Garden of Eden / Go Go Tales / Hollywood North / Any Given Sunday / The Browning Version / Memphis Belle / Gross Anatomy / The Hotel New Hampshire’s Matthew Modine, Battleship / The Silent Thief / Wish / The Things We Carry / Gangster Squad / In Lieu of Flowers / The Algerian / The Social Network’s Josh Pence, Lovelace / Dirty Girl / Kaboom / Jack and Diane / Killer Joe / Bastard / Greenberg / Mr. Nobody / Notes on a Scandal / Small Apartments / The Three Musketeers / Henry / The Brass Teapot / Magic Magic / Maleficent’s Juno Temple, One from the Money / Grey’s Anatomy / Gone / Weakness / The Devil Wears Prada / Rescue Me / Noel / Melinda and Melinda / Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’s Daniel Sunjata, Killer Movie / Ringer / Lost / New Suit / Jack the Dog / Manhood / Agua Dulce / Smokin’ Aces / The Lost City / Muscle’s Nestor Carbonell, and Crazy, Stupid, Love / The Warren Files / Ramona and Beezus / Oz: The Great and Powerful / Queen Freak / Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs / Quarantine / Grace / Battle Los Angeles‘ Joey King. And finally: Red Dawn / Monte Carlo / The Runaways / The Burning Plain / The Guilt Trip’s Brett Cullen, Transformers / G-Force / Live Free or Die Hard / Believe in Me / Wonderland / Catch Me If You Can / Fun with Dick and Jane / The Darkroom / The Island / Planet of the Apes / Armageddon / Godzilla / Wag the Dog / Bean / Addams Family Values / My Cousin Vinny’s Chris Ellis, Magic Mike / CSI: Miami / Lovesick / Caught in the Crossfire / Keeper of the Past / Love and Debate / Unknown / Take / I Can Do Bad All By Myself / Cielito Lindo / Christmas Break / 15 Minutes to Fame / A Kiss of Chaos’ Adam Rodriguez, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button‘s No Ordinary Family / Rehab / Beneath the Dark / Law Abiding Citizen / The Haunting of Molly Hartley / The Collector / The Collection / Event 15 / The Big Valley / Third Watch’s Josh Stewart, X-Men: Evolution’s Christopher Judge, The Good Man / Shadow Dancer / Blitz / 12 Rounds / Wake Wood / Blackout / Burning the Bed / Trouble with Sex / My Kingdom / Shanghai Knights’ Aidan Gillen, and Killing Them Softly / The Place Beyond the Pines / Two Mothers / Killer Elite / Animal Kingdom / Beautiful Kate / Knowing / The New World / Black and White / Australia / Quigley Down Under / Lover Boy’s Ben Mendelsohn. The screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight / Batman Begins / Memento / The Prestige / Inception) & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Insomnia / Doodlebug / Man of Steel / Following / The Prisoner / Batman: Gotham Knight’s Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven (Season of the Witch / The International / Bank Job / Get Smart / The Brothers Grimm / Scooby-Doo / Rollerball / Twelve Monkeys / Three Kings / Cadillac Man / Final Analysis / Heart Like a Wheel / Johnny Handsome). The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. Batman was created by Bob Kane. Hans Zimmer’s compositions include Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Megamind, How Do You Know, The Dilemma, Rango, The Pacific, Angels & Demons, The Burning Plain, Kung Fu Panda, Spanglish, Madagascar, Black Hawk Down, Hannibal, Gladiator, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, As Good As It Gets, The Prince of Egypt, The Rock, The Fan, The House of the Spirits, Nine Months, Thelma & Louise, True Romance, Green Card, Toys, Arcadia, Black Rain, Twister, Rain Man, A World Apart, Prisoner of Rio, The Zero Boys, Insignificance, and the upcoming Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, and Diane Lane. The Dark Knight also featured Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Aaron Eckhart. Batman Begins featured Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes. Joss Whedon’s The Avengers cast: Chris Hemsworth, Match Point’s Scarlett Johansson, Captain America: The First Avenger’s Chris Evans, Sherlock Holmes’ Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Jenny Agutter. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham Carter. David Yates directed. Ahead of TDKR (fastest to $200 million) are The Avengers, TDK, David Yates / Daniel Radcliffe / Ralph Fiennes’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and Michael Bay / Shia LaBeouf / Megan Fox’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. To date, the film has collected another (estimated) $125.3m. Note that the current record-holding 2D movie (for a single day) at the North American box office is Chris Weitz’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon, starring Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, and Kristen Stewart. That’s the second Twilight movie, following Catherine Hardwicke’s original, and preceding David Slade’s Eclipse and Bill Condon’s Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and Breaking Dawn – Part 2.
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