BOX OFFICE: Batman Returns!

In 1989, Tim Burton's Batman set a box office record by opening to a then-impressive $40.5 million dollars. Adjust to inflation and it comes out to over $70 million! The film topped out at $251 million when adjusted to inflation comes out to nearly $435 million! Subsequent sequels would open to bigger weekends then the first film, but none would reach the heights Batman reached.

The Dark Knight changes that as it opened to not only the highest opening of the Bat films, but also the largest single-weekend opening in history at $158.4 million easily passing Spiderman 3's record of $151.1 million! The Dark Knight, in my opinion, has a shot at being the largest comic book movie adaptation ever. The current record holder is Spiderman at $404 million.

With this latest installment to the reengineered Batman franchise, DC Comics puts themselves on the map once again after Marvel Comics made a surprising smash hit with Ironman. In the next 3 years, Marvel Studios will be rolling out a bunch of films based on their most popular comics. Next year, DC Comics/Warner Bros. will have a shot drawing attention away from Marvel with the hotly anticipated Watchmen movie!

The next Superman installment is called The Man of Steel. If The Dark Knight is any indication that Warner Bros. finally got their groove together, then maybe Superman can return in a truly epic film he deserves!

Will The Dark Knight be the highest grossing comic book movie ever? It will greatly depend on receipts for next weekend. I'll let you know then!

-Andres