Opening today, "The Dark Knight" has generated the most news releases ever from Fandango and MovieTickets.com and is being launched at an unprecedented 4,366 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, 94 of them Imax theaters. Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale as Batman and the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, The Dark Knight is drawing raves from critics and early Oscar buzz for Ledger's performance as the villain.

Made for an estimated $180 million and rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of violence and some menace," The Dark Knight was the first pick of 66% of this weekend's likely moviegoers in a tracking survey. The record that Hollywood is watching is the $151.1 million in opening weekend grosses racked up by Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man III" in May 2007.

However, this weekend, "The Dark Knight" faces not only "Mamma Mia!," which could open to $30 million or more in the U.S., but also "Hancock" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," which appeal to the same audience. If you didn't already get your tickets, you might have to wait until next weekend to catch the film. However, this might be the best weekend to catch one of the competing films; we're sure your girlfriend would love to see Mama Mia!

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