'Dark Knight' rakes in $18.5m in midnight screenings

Washington, July 19 : The new Batman movie 'Dark Knight' has already raked in a whopping 18.5 million dollars in midnight screenings.

According to studio estimates, the amount is just a portion of what the film is making during the day.

It could potentially break a lot of records said Media by the Numbers' box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

"That's just a portion of the day. I think this could break a lot of records," E! Online quoted him, as saying.

So far the movie, starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, has already topped the midnight record of 16.5 million dollars set by 2005's 'Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith'. And the prediction is that the movie is going to continue to rake in the monies, given its positive reviews, and people wanting to see Ledger's portrayal of villain The Joker.

ANI