The Dark Knight backdrop
The Dark Knight movie poster

The Dark KnightFollow

2008 • PG-13 • 2h 32m • Action, Crime, Drama • Warner Bros.

Welcome to a world without rules.

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Box office summary

Opening weekend
$158.40M
3-day opening
Domestic total
$536.63M
Final
Worldwide total
$1.01B
$473.50M international
Domestic legs3.39x
Budget$185M
2008 rank#1

Cast & crew

Full Nolan filmography
Christopher Nolan Christopher Nolan Director Christian Bale Christian Bale Starring Heath Ledger Heath Ledger Starring Aaron Eckhart Aaron Eckhart Starring Michael Caine Michael Caine Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal Maggie Gyllenhaal Starring
ScreenplayChristopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan Produced byEmma Thomas, Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan CinematographyWally Pfister MusicHans Zimmer & James Newton Howard StudioWarner Bros. SeriesBatman

The run

WkWeekendRankGrossChgTheatersAvgTotal
1 Jul 18-20 1 $158.4M — 4,366 $36,282 $158.4M
2 Jul 25-27 1 $75.2M −52.5% 4,366 $17,216 $313.8M
3 Aug 1-3 1 $42.7M −43.2% 4,266 $10,000 $393.8M
4 Aug 8-10 1 $26.1M −38.8% 4,025 $6,488 $441.6M
5 Aug 15-17 2 $16.4M −37.3% 3,590 $4,562 $471.1M
6 Aug 22-24 4 $10.5M −35.6% 3,163 $3,333 $489.4M
7 Aug 29-31 3 $8.6M −18.2% 2,750 $3,135 $502.3M
8 Sep 5-7 3 $5.5M −36.0% 2,575 $2,141 $512.0M
9 Sep 12-14 7 $4.1M −25.1% 2,191 $1,884 $517.8M
10 Sep 19-21 9 $2.9M −29.4% 1,905 $1,530 $521.9M
11 Sep 26-28 13 $1.7M −42.9% 1,406 $1,183 $524.5M
12 Oct 3-5 21 $828.2K −50.2% 663 $1,249 $525.8M
13 Oct 10-12 19 $528.3K −36.2% 375 $1,408 $526.7M
14 Oct 17-19 20 $412.1K −22.0% 290 $1,421 $527.4M
15 Oct 24-26 26 $295.9K −28.2% 166 $1,782 $527.8M
16 Oct 31-Nov 2 26 $270.5K −8.6% 149 $1,815 $528.2M
17 Nov 7-9 30 $219.4K −18.9% 125 $1,755 $528.5M
18 Nov 14-16 18 $502.3K +128.9% 346 $1,451 $529.1M
19 Nov 21-23 19 $370.4K −26.3% 345 $1,073 $529.7M
20 Nov 28-30 19 $343.4K −7.3% 305 $1,125 $530.3M
21 Dec 5-7 21 $187.4K −45.4% 269 $696 $530.5M
22 Dec 12-14 28 $112.3K −40.1% 205 $547 $530.7M
23 Dec 19-21 38 $51.7K −53.9% 157 $329 $530.8M
24 Jan 23-25 26 $667.4K +1189.8% 350 $1,906 $531.7M
25 Jan 30-Feb 1 26 $436.8K −34.5% 211 $2,070 $532.4M
26 Feb 6-8 30 $353.8K −19.0% 188 $1,882 $532.8M
27 Feb 13-15 42 $127.6K −63.9% 152 $839 $533.0M
Charts show the first 10 weeks · the run above is the full record
Cumulative total$522.8M
Jul 17Aug 4Aug 21Sep 8Sep 25
Weekend grossWk 10 · $2.9M
$158.4M
$75.2M
$42.7M
$26.1M
$16.4M
$10.5M
$8.6M
$5.5M
$4.1M
$2.9M
W1W2W3W4W5W6W7W8W9W10
Theater countPeak 4,366 → 1,905 −56.4%
4,366 open1,905 now
Weekend-over-weekend dropWk 10 · −29.4%
−52.5%
W1→2
−43.2%
W2→3
−38.8%
W3→4
−37.3%
W4→5
−35.6%
W5→6
−18.2%
W6→7
−36.0%
W7→8
−25.1%
W8→9
−29.4%
W9→10
Steepest −52.5%Best hold −18.2%

Run milestones

$500M in 45 days
$100M
Day 2
Jul 19
$200M
Day 5
Jul 22
$300M
Day 10
Jul 27
$400M
Day 18
Aug 4
$500M
Day 45
Aug 31

Profitability

Return on Budget
Theatrical breakeven point is approx. 2.5x production budget

Domestic vs International Split

Records held

All records
#7 Biggest July openingsAll-time $158.4M #9 Biggest superhero filmsAll-time $536.6M #15 All-time PG-13-rated domesticAll-time $536.6M #17 Fastest to $300M domesticAll-time 10 days #20 Biggest PG-13-rated openingsAll-time $158.4M #21 Biggest domestic runsAll-time $536.6M

From the analysis desk

Ordered by how prominently this film features · all articles
Mentioned The Odyssey rides rave reviews to a $100M+ openingWeek 29 · Preview · Jul 15, 2026 → Mentioned The Odyssey set for a strong Oppenheimer-style hold for a $70M–$80M second weekend and $270M+ in 10 daysWeek 30 · Preview · Jul 22, 2026 → Mentioned Spider-Man: Brand New Day tracking $290M–$320M for the second-biggest opening in historyWeek 31 · Preview · Aug 2, 2026 → Mentioned Brand New Day aims for the all-time 2nd weekend record and $600M+ domesticWeek 32 · Preview · Aug 5, 2026 → Mentioned Brand New Day hunts Endgame for #2 all-time; Insidious opens into an empty horror laneWeek 34 · Preview · Aug 20, 2026 →

Similar movies

Batman Begins 2005 · Nolan $205.3M The Dark Knight Rises 2012 · Nolan $448.1M Batman 1989 · Burton $251.2M Catwoman 2004 · Pitof $40.2M Joker 2019 · Phillips $335.4M Batman Returns 1992 · Burton $163M

Box office comparisons

Build your own comparison
Complete trilogy The Nolan Batman Trilogy Batman Begins’ $48.7M start to The Dark Knight’s $158.4M explosion. Top-tier blockbusters The Odyssey vs top-tier blockbusters The Odyssey’s pace against Deadpool & Wolverine, Barbie, and The Dark Knight. Box Office Comparison The Odyssey vs Oppenheimer vs The Dark Knight vs The Dark Knight Rises How Christopher Nolan's biggest films opened and legged at the box office: The Odyssey against Oppenheimer, The Dark Kni