Dedicated Batman fans flocked to local theaters Thursday night for sold-out midnight premieres of “The Dark Knight Rises”, the final film in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy.
Lining up as early as 7 a.m., moviegoers camped out for hours with folding chairs and blankets as they entertained themselves by watching the last two films in the series on laptops, playing cards or board games, and ordering pizzas — passing the time in any way possible in hopes of being rewarded for their wait with good seats.
Much of the buzz that surrounded the premiere of the film can be attributed to the box office success of Nolan’s last film in the series The Dark Knight, which broke records in the first weekend it was released, and became the highest grossing movie of 2008 as well as the 12th highest grossing movie of all time.
The Dark Knight Rises has already secured a place among the most successful midnight premieres ever by bringing in estimated $28 million.
However, the film’s release was marred by a tragic mass shooting at a premiere in Aurora, Colo., that left 12 dead and several dozen injured.
Recent UCSB grad Rachel Almond said she purchased her ticket Sunday for the showing at Camino Real Cinemas, but the theater realized at the last minute that it had oversold tickets. Some ticket-holders were sent to the Metropolitan Arlington Theater on State Street, with concession-stand coupons to sweeten the deal.
Almond said she was excited to see how Nolan ended the trilogy, and was thinking the film would hold some surprises.
“I’m scared of how high of expectations I have for it,” Almond said. “Bane is the only villain known to be able break Batman, so I think people are really interested to see how Nolan transitions that in.”
A few dedicated fans at the Arlington Theater showing up donned Batman and Bane costumes to get into spirit for the movie.
“I did it for the premiere of the last movie, and it’s just kind of my thing now — everybody knows me as the guy who likes Batman a lot,” said Jeron Williams, who dressed as the Dark Knight himself for the premiere. “I want to get the crowd excited.”
Connor Harrison, who attended the Arlington showing, said he thought the film lived up to the hype, and was just as good as the last film.
“I thought it was an outstanding conclusion to the series. It went above and beyond in fulfilling my expectations,” Harrison said.
— Noozhawk intern Patrick Kulp can be reached at pkulp@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
