The Dark Knight breaks US box office record

Latest Batman instalment The Dark Knight has smashed the box office record for takings on its first day of release in the US.

The movie, which stars Christian Bale stars as the caped crusader, pulled in some $66.4 million (£33.1 million) on its opening night.

Last summer's Spider Man 3 was the previous holder of the record, having made $59.8 million on its first day.

It is now widely expected that the new movie will top the $151.1 million record for an opening weekend.

Warner Bros head of distribution Dan Fellman said: "I don't see any reason why we are going to slow down".

Much of the hype surrounding the film has been created by Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker, with many people predicting he will be awarded a posthumous Oscar.

According to Paul Dergarabedian, president of tracking firm Media By Numbers LLC which compiled the preview figures, there has been "unbelievable demand" for the film.

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