National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2020
“Bob Kane and Bill Finger's dark, enduring creation first flew onto the screen in a 1943 B-movie serial and would return to theaters several times in treatments both camp and action-oriented.”
Warner Bros. Entertainment · Legendary Pictures · Syncopy Inc. · 153 min
Box office
$1.01B worldwide on a $185M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 2 wins, 8 nominationsNational Board of Review — 1 winMTV Movie Award — 1 winKids' Choice Award — 1 nominationAll 4 wins · 9 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor
Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing
National Board of Review: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
MTV Movie Award: Best Villain
Scholarship
Named in the title of 23 peer-reviewed works
Examples
The Dark Knight Rises, 2012
The Dark Knight, 2012
The Dark Knight — Journal of Religion & Film, 2008
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Released by Warner Bros. in the summer of 2008, The Dark Knight arrived as the second chapter in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and reshaped what a comic book adaptation could be. Grounded in a crime saga register rather than pure spectacle, it became a cultural touchstone, driven in large part by Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, released posthumously and later honored with the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film's box office success and critical reception cemented it as one of the defining studio releases of its decade.
This cell carries the name of the Joker, the character whose presence defines this particular release and whose likeness remains among the most sought after in modern film memorabilia. A 35mm cell bearing this identification represents a physical fragment of that print, a tangible artifact from the reels that circulated through theaters and archives. Collectors pursue material tied to this character specifically because of the performance's singular place in film history, making any authenticated frame from this production a marker of that legacy.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby SR·D release print of The Dark Knight (2008).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-band waveform pattern consistent with a stereo variable-area track; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge, indicating a Dolby Digital SR·D combined track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image reads as rich and colour-balanced with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or significant scratches are visible; the surface appears consistent with a projected release print showing light use.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot and the subject matter is consistent with a night-exterior urban scene matching The Dark Knight (2008).
Era check
The combined Dolby SR·D optical track format, the perforation style, and the cool-neutral polyester base are all consistent with a major studio 35mm release print from the late 2000s, matching the 2008 release date on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063055
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
