Chapter 607

Anne Hathaway stood in front of her seat, twirling her hair and adjusting her dress for over ten seconds before finally sitting down.

Then she immediately leaned in close to Martin, intimately resting against him.

Martin smiled slightly and affectionately rubbed her cheek. With his sharp hearing, he could clearly catch the comments whispered among the women seated behind him, and he found them vaguely amusing.

Anne Hathaway was also someone with relatively low emotional intelligence, but compared to Jada Smith, at least she was obedient and unlikely to stir up major trouble.

Nolan, sitting nearby, was also listening to the murmurs from behind, but his attention was fixed more on the discussions related to the movie. He was starting to feel nervous.

Although the first film had been a hit, there was no guarantee that the sequel would meet the same fate.

He let out a slow, deep breath to steady himself.

Whether this film would live up to expectations depended entirely on the market response following tonight's premiere—and especially the results from its first weekend.

At exactly 7:00 PM, the lights in the screening room began to dim.

The sounds of chatting, munching, and sipping drinks gradually quieted down as darkness spread.

Everyone understood: the movie was about to begin.

Now it wasn't just Nolan who was nervous—even Alan Horn was feeling the pressure.

After all, this wasn't just any premiere—2,700 advance screenings were taking place simultaneously across the United States.

The real test was about to begin.

The IMAX screen lit up, and the theater fell completely silent.

The premiere screening of The Dark Knight had begun.

…

Upper East Side, New York.

At an Imperial Cinemas location, New Yorker columnist and renowned film critic David Denby walked into the theater.

He had bought a ticket with his own money, planning to write a spontaneous review.

Now, he deeply regretted joining forces with guys like Robert and Turan in opposing Martin. The two sides weren't even on the same playing field, for heaven's sake.

The only result of this so-called contest was that the world now had a front-row seat to Martin's capability and power—while more and more film studios began to disregard traditional film critics altogether.

Aside from awards-season contenders, almost none of the major studios—the "Big Six" of Hollywood—bothered spending much on critics anymore. Like it or not, it didn't matter. Their priority was the audience.

Shaking his head to dispel those distracting thoughts, Denby pulled out a small notebook and a pencil, ready to take notes.

On the big screen, the Warner Bros. logo had already faded out, followed by the Meyers Films and DC logos. After the title card Directed by Christopher Nolan, the screen suddenly went dark—then lit up again, revealing the image of a bank building in New York.

That's right. This time, the words Written by Martin no longer appeared beneath the director's name—at Martin's own request.

He believed such promotional tactics only needed to be used once. Overdo it, and it would only attract resentment.

As the music played, a masked robber—wearing a clown mask—used a hand crossbow to shatter the bank's upper window. The arrow was attached to a rope, which was then anchored for descent.

In the next shot, another clown-masked gangster stood on a Gotham City street, bag slung over his shoulder, head lowered.

Soon, a vehicle pulled up in front of the bank, and more clown-masked gangsters stepped out.

Their objective was clear: rob the bank.

Clowns #1 and #2 slid down the rope into the building.

The other three stormed in through the front doors.

Bank robbery scenes are common in American cinema, but the opening of The Dark Knight was something else. Far from boring, it felt thrilling and refreshingly new.

Because—unbeknownst to the audience—before the robbery began, the Joker had instructed every clown to kill off a teammate after completing their task, so the survivors could split the loot.

As the robbery unfolded, viewers watched a precise yet chaotic dance of betrayal—each clown killing the last after fulfilling their role.

After Clown #2 cut the power and phone lines, he was immediately shot. Clown #1 reached the vault and began cracking the lock.

The moment he succeeded, Clown #3 shot him in the head.

Clown #4 was gunned down by a bank staffer.

Clown #5 wounded that staffer, just as Clown #3 emerged with the bags of cash.

Clown #5 then turned his gun on Clown #3.

But before he could fire, a school bus rammed through the entrance, slamming into Clown #5 and killing him instantly.

The driver stepped out, helped load the cash, and asked where the others were—only to be shot in the back by Clown #3.

Now, only one clown remained.

"You think you're smart? The clown will kill you in the end…"

The injured bank employee, groaning in pain, spat out those words.

The final clown walked over, slowly, gun in hand. He crouched beside the man.

Then, with a theatrical flourish, he removed his mask—revealing a grotesquely painted face beneath.

Yes. He was the real Joker.

"Holy shit…"

"That's the Joker!"

"Oh my God, how did Martin become like this?!"

"Wait… that's Martin?!"

A wave of gasps rippled through the theater as the Joker climbed into the yellow school bus, loaded with stolen cash, and drove away.

Martin's first appearance was absolutely breathtaking.

He manipulated his fellow robbers, incited betrayal, and walked away the sole survivor—money in hand.

David Denby stared at the screen, his eyes wide, filled with astonishment.

The opening alone had pulled him so deep into the story that he didn't even feel like jotting notes anymore.

Still, he picked up his pen and scrawled a few words:

"Charming.""Explosive.""A stunning beginning."

From just that one sequence, he knew this version of the Joker was going to be anything but a typical villain.

"Batman! Come out!"

A few immature voices rang out in the theater—children, watching alongside their parents.

While the adults were captivated by the Joker's dark charisma, the kids, without exception, cheered for Batman.

On screen, Ben Affleck's Batman appeared.

He'd received a tip from Commissioner Gordon and rushed to the bank that had been robbed earlier that evening.

Through Gordon's narration, the audience learned that the Joker had orchestrated a series of robberies across Gotham.

This time, the police and Batman had collaborated in advance: a tracking device had been hidden in the cash the Joker stole, allowing them to trace its destination.

Soon after, Harvey Dent—the "White Knight" of Gotham—made his entrance.

As Gotham's shining hope, Harvey didn't need flashy theatrics.

In court, he was sharp, persuasive, and confident, even arguing with the opposing counsel. This scene also subtly revealed his romantic relationship with Rachel—they were dating.