Batman Marketing in Limbo

Fans want studio to hang up clown suit as tribute to killer performance

(NEWSER) - A group of Heath Ledger fans are calling for the Batman movies to hang up the Joker's purple suit for good as a tribute to the late actor's last role, CNN reports. Supporters at website "The Ultimate Joker" say no actor could ever nail the killer clown as well as Ledger did, and are aiming to get 50,000 people to sign their petition. More»

(AP) - Just because Batman landed in Hong Kong doesn't mean The Dark Knight will. Warner Bros. has decided not to release the film in China in part because of "cultural sensitivities," the studio said. Warner Bros. did not elaborate, but company execs are apparently concerned that the film's scenes in Hong Kong, where Batman nabs a gangster, would offend censors. Bootlegs have been available there for months. More»

Movies and viewers love to get miserable

(NEWSER) - Bleak is the new chic in Tinseltown, writes Dan Zak in the Washington Post. Cloverfield's crowd-trampling monster, the psycho serial killer of No Country for Old Men, and the twisted oil entrepreneur of There Will Be Blood (need we mention the Dark Knight?) highlight the "raw misery of the human condition," sniffs Zak. "Big movies have tent-poled 2008 with a tarp of cruelty." More»

Newest Batman hits milestone in 10 days

(NEWSER) - Latest Batman flick The Dark Knight grossed $300 million in just 10 days—turning the 16 days Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest took on its head to set a new record. The dark tale, driven by Heath Ledger's strong performance, took in another $75.6 million in its second weekend to push its total upwards of $314 million. More»

$66.4M first day for 'The Dark Knight' shames last Spidey's $59.8M

(NEWSER) - Batman sequel The Dark Knight raked in $66.4 million in its first 24 hours, easily sweeping past the previous mark of $59.8 million opening day set last year by Spider-Man 3, the AP reports. With a showing like that, Dark Night is poised to surpass Spidey’s opening weekend record of $151.1 million. Heath Ledger’s much-buzzed-about turn as the Joker is helping lure fans. More»