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
The Dark Knight arrived from Warner Bros. in the summer of 2008 as more than a sequel, it was a reset for what a comic book film could be. Christopher Nolan grounded Gotham in crime drama tension, and Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker gave the genre a new seriousness that critics and audiences alike had not expected. The film became a cultural touchstone, its box office and awards recognition (including a posthumous Oscar for Ledger) cementing its place among the defining blockbusters of its decade.
This cell, Gotham Gala with The Joker, points to one of the film's key social set pieces, the fundraiser scene where the Joker infiltrates a gathering of Gotham's elite. It is a pivotal beat that shows his menace operating within polite society rather than back alleys, a favorite reference point for collectors drawn to his character's disruptive presence. Multiple unidentified figures suggest the crowded gala setting itself, reinforcing the scene's public, high stakes atmosphere without naming any single guest beyond the Joker's own appearance.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour theatrical release print of The Dark Knight (2008).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or deformation.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the opposite edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image shows rich colour saturation consistent with a colour print stock, no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of The Dark Knight (2008).
Era check
The combination of variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and colour positive print stock on what appears to be a safety base is consistent with a 2008-era 35mm theatrical release print.
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 000063057
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
