'Dark Knight' breaks box office record

LOS ANGELES, July 18 (UPI) -- Midnight screenings of Hollywood's latest Batman picture, "The Dark Knight," racked up $18.5 million at the box office its first day, Warner Bros. said.

Warner Bros. told Variety.com that figure only included the Thursday into Friday midnight screenings, not the Friday 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. showings that many theaters offered.

The well-reviewed "The Dark Knight" broke the midnight screening record set by 2005's "Star Wars, Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith," which grossed $16.9 million, the entertainment industry trade paper said.

"The Dark Knight" stars Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader and the late Heath Ledger as the Joker.