In July 2008, The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, USA, 2008) set a new box-office record for the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time in the US. The film toppled the previous record set only the year before by Spider-Man 3 (Sam Raimi, USA, 2007).

This news item from Win News, Tasmania uses a report by Peter Stefanovic from the Nine Network. It focuses on the excitement of fans keen to see The Dark Knight for the first time.

Short excerpts from both The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3 are interspersed throughout the broadcast. These clips feature explosions, superheroes and feats of strength and agility, amounting to action sequences of intense drama that would clearly be attractive to filmgoers. The fast-paced editing is highly effective in heightening the excitement. They are excellent examples of successfully bringing the comic book genre to cinema.

Notes by Beth Taylor