THE DARK KNIGHT RISES 3
budget and went on to make over one billion dollars worldwide ( IMDb , 2013 ). Despite the tragic shooting that claimed 12 lives and injured over 50 others during the midnight release of the film in Aurora , Colorado the movie is still the eighth highest grossing film worldwide ( WebProNews , 2012 ; Box Office Mojo , 2013 ).
Until Nolan ‟ s trilogy , the Batman franchise ‟ s most successful film was Tim Burton ‟ s Batman in 1989 . Over the next decade , Batman reprisals received mixed success , culminating in George Clooney ‟ s portrayal of Batman in Batman and Robin in 1997 , which was was dubbed by many as the “ near-death ” of the franchise ( Sweeney , 2008 , para . 10 ). Thus , Christopher Nolan took on the daunting task of reinventing Batman in order to both win back fans and revive the loyalties of theatre-goers ( Sweeney , 2008 ). Warner Bros . left nothing to chance with the first instalment of the trilogy , Batman Begins in 2005 by releasing an array of posters and a total of twelve trailers ( Sweeney , 2008 ). This strategy is known as a “ marketing blitz ”, which was intended to help fans forget about past failures and to build highly concentrated anticipation for the film over a short period of time in an effort to energize and excite fans right before the release ( Shenker , 2006 ). Considering the fact that Batman Begins was released when Twitter and Facebook were still in their infancy , the film still opened as a critical and financial success which almost doubled the revenue of the doomed Batman and Robin ( Sweeney , 2008 ). The ability for each film in this trilogy to best its predecessor financially shows a direct correlation between the use of multiple social media platforms and ticket sales .
The trilogy ‟ s second installment , The Dark Knight had a brilliant viral campaign which translated into outstanding monetary success . This time around , the popularity of social media sites allowed for the slow release of public relations events through several platforms , which allowed excitement to build over many months . The critical success of the first film allowed Warner Bros . to take their time to create even more suspense through their newly adopted drip-drip-drip marketing technique . Blogger Alex Billington ‟ s ( 2008 ) article , “ Why the Dark Knight ‟ s Viral Marketing Is Absolutely Brilliant ”, provides detailed features of each marketing campaign , including website names , steps in the marketing process and fan response . Warner Brothers pulled out all the stops and released the “ Why So Serious ?” campaign 15 months before the film ‟ s release and then followed up with the “ I Believe in Harvey Dent ” campaign , which pitted two integral characters against each other in a fictional alternative reality game ( Billington , 2008 ). This campaign gave fans a platform with which they could rediscover and nurture their Batman loyalty by experiencing a feeling of first-hand involvement in aspects of the plot using social media , which essentially heightened anticipation for the film ‟ s release . Millions of people who were not previously Batman fans could also get involved , because aspects of this campaign did not require extensive knowledge about the franchise . This campaign was more about educating new fans and making the mystique and intrigue of Batman easily accessible to all . Batman was being re-defined , and virtually anyone with a computer could participate in this event . Websites were unveiled for The Gotham Times which posted real articles about the political trouble in Gotham City , the fictional setting of the story , and alluded to Heath Ledger ‟ s chilling performance as the Joker , not to mention the continued mystique around the “ Batman ”, whose identity was still unknown to residents of Gotham City ( Billington , 2008 ). Fans went into a crazed fury on social media and , forced to pick a side , they protested in real-life which created massive publicity for the campaign and the film . The Dark Knight grossed over one billion dollars , making it the most successful DC Comics film ever made ( Box Office Mojo , 2013 ). This increasing success and the resurrection of the fallen Batman franchise is significant because as social media exploded , so did the phenomenon of viral marketing which is evident from the colossal , and progressively growing , financial success of each film in this trilogy .