2, Batman blasts the world movie market

Christopher Nolan's latest Batman movie The Dark Knight won a decisive victory in 2008 movie market. It was the biggest movie in 2008 in every way and generated a world-wide movie-going frenzy. Breaking a series of box office records, it raked in nearly 1 billion dollars. It was the first movie for years about which audience and critics saw eye to eye. Even the movie's blu-ray disc sales set a new record with over 1 million units sold in the first seven days. On January 23, 2009 the movie will be re-released worldwide in standard theaters and on IMAX as a part of an Oscar promotion campaign. China has been excluded from the release plan, despite the pleas of Chinese fans, because Warner Bros. thought elements in the film may offend the Chinese film authorities.

When the publicity campaign for The Dark Knight was underway, Australian actor Heath Ledger, who played the psychotic Joker was found dead in his New York apartment on January 22. after an overdose of prescription drugs. His acting in The Dark Knight was stunning and is widely viewed as Oscar material.