Warner Bros. has announced it will not be releasing the opening weekend box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises out of respect for 12 people who were shot dead in Colorado at a midnight screening of the film.
The shooter, 24-year-old Ph.D student James Holmes, is reported to have lobbed tear gas grenades into the packed movie theatre before opening fire on the crowd, killing 12 and wounding 58.
In a studio statement, Warner Bros says:
“Out of respect for the victims and their families, Warner Bros will not be reporting box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises throughout the weekend. Box office numbers will be released on Monday”.
At the time of the shooting, director Christopher Nolan and the cast were in Paris for a premiere. Once news hit them of the tragedy back in the US, the event was immediately cancelled.
Nolan released a statement of his own:
“Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of “The Dark Knight Rises”, I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community. I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families.”
