The Dark Knight, the much-buzzed-about new Batman movie — featuring an incredible final performance from Heath Ledger — has broken box-office records for a midnight debut.

According to a story in the Associated Press, tracking firm Media By Numbers has the movie raking in $18.5 million from just the midnight screenings at 3,000-plus theaters. The previous record for a midnight opening was 2005's Star Wars Episode II: The Revenge of the Sith, with a measly $16.9 million.

The TVGuide.com crew attended the movie en masse this morning and we can tell you — the blockbuster opening figures are no doubt just the beginning. — Nina Hämmerling Smith

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Movie-News/Dark-Knight-Sets/800043485

And that's not including the 3 and 6am showings.

I went to a midnight showing. The theater sold out three screens. There was about 1500 hundred people at that theater alone.