Matthew Marsden plays a lead role in Revenge of the Fallen as SAS Graham, this is his first interview since that announcement. The interview is all rather generic – giving away no secrets or even little teasers, very little probing done by the interviewer.
“I’m part of a multi-national force. What’s going on right now is I’m a British Special Forces officer that’s attached to Lennox’s team. Well, there’s two of us initially. And we’re battling the bad guys.”
[...]
I just try to be real. My character is not an amusing character. He’s a soldier, so all the stuff that I did is very much rooted in reality and what I know from the experiences of my friends [who are in the military]. So, it’s just very real and nothing über-spectacular.
We went to Pennsylvania and shot at the Bethlehem Steel Plant, which was really amazing. We had this scene where it’s, like, ‘That’s where he is!’ and you have to shoot at him. ‘He’s going that way!’ It’s quite a far distance away, so we had to use a laser pointer [to stand in for the robot]. It’s all fun; I love that stuff.
There are bad guys there and we have to go and get them. That’s basically it.”
[On Shia and Megan Fox]
“They’re working with the Autobots, [so] they’re definitely going to know some of the strengths and weaknesses of different robots. So, if they’re working together with an alien life-form, which they didn’t initially, then obviously they’re going to know more. In the first one, they were actually finding out what they were because they didn’t know. … Now they’re aware of what they are, and we’re part of the task force specifically to go and deal with them. … I just know that I’ve got a big chunk to come, and I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of action in it.”
After the recent filming at the Eastern State Pen, the site’s official blog has updated with some details and images of the shoot.
We were thrilled to welcome the cast and crew of Transformers 2 to Eastern State Penitentiary!
The sequel to last summer’s blockbuster recently filmed scenes in Eastern State’s Cellblock 7 as well as outside in the Industrial Building Courtyard. You can see in the top photo the massive helium-filled balloon light that was used to simulate moonlight. The next photo shows the cast and crew on the set created at Eastern State. The final photo shows the car cast as “Bumblebee” exiting Eastern State during filming.
While on site, Shia LaBoeuf, Megan Fox and Michael Bay enjoyed a tour of Eastern State including some areas used during Terror Behind the Walls, including Cellblock 12, the home of Lock Down.
Here it comes, the one we have been waiting for – The Dark Knight has set the record for best ever sales on an opening weekend, reaching $155.34m – beating Spider-man 3’s $151.1m.
We were holding a straw poll on potential weekend takings, my Friday prediction of $157m looks almost spot on 
, excellent!
“The Dark Knight” took in a record $155.34 million in its first weekend, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released the “Batman Begins” sequel.
That topped Hollywood’s previous best of $151.1 million, set by “Spider-Man 3″ in May 2007.
Source: AP, thanks Keith!
EDIT: Looks like the final figures have been clarified – the WB had previously estimated $155.3m, it instead took in a record $158.4m, after tallying Sunday’s figures. It also set the record for an IMAX opener, earning $6.2 million from 94 IMAX theaters.
We previously reported that The Dark Knight had moved into IMDB’s top movie of all time list – entering at number 4. After another day of screening it moved up to 3, but today it hit the big one – with an average score of 9.5 from regular IMDB voters The Dark Knight took the top spot. No doubt this is temporary and after the initial flutter of activity the caped crusader shall fall and settle somewhere further down, much like Return of the King did – but this is too damn cool not to report!
After 23,000 votes, Batman still has an average score of 9.7!
Help us Digg this!
Thanks Josh!
We’d hoped this might happen – after setting the midnight sales record at $18.5m, it looked inevitable that The Dark Knight would go on to beat Spider-man 3’s record of $59.8m. Variety tells us that early reports put The Dark Knight at between $60m and $63m from a record 4366 theaters.
We’re $60m up, just $90m to go to beat that weekend record set by Spidey. Still time to make your predictions.
EDIT: Record confirmed at $66.4m, smashing Spider-man’s $59m! Source: AP
More and more critics are pouring on the praise, and wo’ betide us not to report them!
AICN’s Harry:
I’m late weighing in on this here DARK KNIGHT picture show dealio. The film is, in fact, superb in every way. A vast improvement on BATMAN BEGINS – amazing what happens when you no longer have to deal with an origin story and satisfying only the merchandizing interests of the parent corporation. Instead, Nolan has decided to treat Batman as only the best Comic Writers have dared to. Adult, scary and frightening.
AICN’s Capone:
Here’s the thing you must understand: even if you’ve dug up every possible trailer and clip of Heath Ledger as the greatest screen villain in any superhero movie ever, you really don’t have any idea how good his performance is in The Dark Knight. The true strength of his Joker isn’t his gallows humor one-liners or smart-ass quips he delivers as he tears apart what is left of the fabric of Gotham City (looking more like its filming location of Chicago this time out than the juiced-up version in Batman Begins). The true strength of the final complete performance of Ledger’s life lies in his much longer monologues.
AICN’s Mr Beaks:
Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT is the Batman movie I wanted in 1989: a savagely downbeat epic that views Gotham City as a disintegrating, crime-choked microcosm of the United States. It’s a film about the impossibility of justice in American life and the viciousness to which we’ll succumb in order to see another day; a cheerless summer blockbuster that ultimately exhibits just enough faith in humanity to keep from descending into utter misanthropy. It is a movie that enthralls one moment and punishes the next, lashing the audience for giving in to its IMAX-abetted exhilaration when the abyss is beckoning. It is, in other words, as hopelessly conflicted as its hero – and Batman fans shouldn’t want it any other way.
Cinematical’s Scott Weinberg:
Sometimes some folks just get it right. Bryan Singer was right for X-Men, Sam Raimi was right for Spider-Man, and dear lord is Christopher Nolan right for Batman. Maybe not the campy old Batman that the nostalgia fans know and love, but if the character had any clear path to follow after the disaster of Batman & Robin and the renaissance of Frank Miller, then this is where he should be: Anchoring a smart, dark, daring, and very intelligent movie that celebrates most of why we love the damn Bat in the first place: He’s hurt, he’s angry, he’s conflicted, he’s kinda weird … aside from the money and the suit, he’s pretty much just like everyone else.
Film School Reject’s Kevin Carr:
The Dark Knight absolutely delivers a riveting film with tons of action but not at the expense of plot or character. And it is a huge step up from Batman Begins.
Hollywood Chicago’s Adam Fendelman:
With only three short words comprising the film’s enigmatic title, “The Dark Knight” also boasts three epic claims to fame: the role of a lifetime for the late Heath Ledger as the hauntingly deranged Joker, one of the best films of 2008 and one of the greatest superhero films of all time.
Film School Reject’s Nathan Deen:
A heavy dose of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk have made me feel better, but walking out of The Dark Knight was nothing short of a breath of fresh air. My point is that other comic book movies just feel insignificant compared to this one. So finally, I think I can let go of my Spidey depression and forget about [Spider-man 3].
After breaking the record for opening in the most theaters nationwide (4,366 of them), Batman has now achieved the record for highest grossing midnight sales. Last night TDK took a whopping estimated $18.5 million – NOT including the 3am and 6am screenings! This breaks the previous record set by Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. To put this into some context, Batman Begins made $15m on its first day whilst the highest single day opening belongs to Spider-man 3 at $59.8m.
You may want to take these figures into account when predicting The Dark Knight’s weekend gross.
Source: Variety:
Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight” grossed the most ever for midnight shows, racking up an estimated $18.5 million.
The follow-up to 2005’s “Batman Begins” outstripped the previous midnight record set by Fox’s “Star Wars, Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith” which grossed $16.9 million from 3,663 venues. “Sith” went on to make $50 million in its first day, which was a Thursday. The highest single day opening record is currently held by Sony’s “Spider-man 3″ which made $59.8 million.
“Dark Knight” unspooled in a record number of sites – 4,366 – outstripping the wide bow of Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” which touted a theater count of 4,362.
Warner Bros. reported that the $18.5 million did not include 3:00 A.M. and 6:00 A.M.
“Batman Begins” opened on June 15, 2005, a Wednesday, earning $15.1 million in its first day. Both “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” are directed by Christopher Nolan.
As for the midnight shows themselves, they looked like a laugh – pictures by tech1987, Brendan Falkowskiand Clevergrrl
Digg This
Delicious
Facebook
Stumbleupon
