Entertainment

Warner Bros. not canceling ‘Dark Knight Rises’ screenings

Taylor Bigler Entertainment Editor
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Even as the horrifying shooting during a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” casts a shadow over the opening of the highly anticipated film, Warner Bros. is not canceling any screenings.

A representative for the studio told The Daily Caller that any reports suggesting that it is canceling midnight showings of the film in the wake of the Aurora, Colo., shooting are false.

Following Friday’s early morning shooting that killed at least 12 and wounded at least 59, Warner Brothers cancelled the red carpet Paris premiere of the film and the press event following the screening.

“The Dark Knight Rises” has been one of the most anticipated films of the summer and was expected to break box office records. Coming into its opening weekend, the film had already sold $25 million in presale tickets, and grossed $30.6 million from 3,700 midnight screenings on its opening night.

The film garnered the second-best opening of all time, beaten only by the final installment of the “Harry Potter” series, which grossed $43.5 million.

One Warner Bros. executive told The Hollywood Reporter that the studio doesn’t expect the shooting to affect ticket sales for the rest of the weekend. The film has already had strong matinee sales across the country, despite news of the shooting.

New York City police are bulking up security around midnight screenings to protect audiences against any possible “copycat” shooters, the New York Post reports.

“We’re concerned that someone, perhaps seeking notoriety, will attempt to do something similar,” NYPD chief Ray Kelly said during a press conference. He said that the added security was meant “to address the potential of a copycat event and to reassure moviegoers, particularly parents.”

“We know a lot of young people are going to see this movie,” Kelly said. “These are judgments that we have to make. We think it’s appropriate at this time.”

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