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In the days that followed, the shooter was later revealed to have dyed his hair orange. His intention was to become the real life version of the Joker. At least, that was what was speculated during a police interview that was later downplayed. This psycho’s celebration of malice disrupted 70 lives and in the process ruined the movie-going experience of The Dark Knight Rises for many. The former is exponentially more important than the latter.

What follows next is a conversation about The Dark Knight Rises and how much it was impacted by the tragedy. I want to stress that I recognize how insignificant these concerns are in comparison to the events above. Such is the discomfort created by the tragic events of Aurora that a bridge from mass murder to how it impacts a Batman movie is automatically trite. Please keep this in mind as we discuss the trivialities of the matter.

The highly anticipated release of The Dark Knight Rises, the moment movie fans awaited for four years, became a footnote relative to the crime described above. Any existing expectations for the third Nolan-directed Batman movie to become the largest opener of all time vanished immediately. Rather than obsessing over box office receipts, people instead found themselves glued to the television, trying to make sense of what had transpired.

Was there a significant impact on The Dark Knight Rises’ box office? We will never know for sure either way. Readers passionately debated the subject all summer. I am of the opinion that being inexorably linked with the shooting definitely hurt the movie. Exactly how much is the unknown aspect.

Here is what we can quantify. The Dark Knight Rises did not feature 3D, a decision that favored art instead of commerce. Nolan should be applauded for this sort of respect shown toward his craft. Since The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises both featured IMAX exhibitions, there was no notable disparity in the earning potential of the two titles. The third movie was the beneficiary of an 11% increase in average ticket price over its predecessor. Other than that, the films were capital-neutral.

Disappointingly, The Dark Knight Rises debuted with an opening weekend of $160.9 million, only 1.5% better than The Dark Knight. By day four, the sequel had already fallen behind the pace of Nolan’s second Batman movie. Some analysts blamed the difference in early performance on the longer run time of the third film. Through clenched teeth, I have informed several of them that The Dark Knight Rises is only 12 minutes longer than The Dark Knight. Both titles have run times that prevent an additional showing a day. Since they are exhibited in multiple theaters per location, it’s a non-issue anyway. As many people went to see The Dark Knight Rises as felt comfortable doing so after the catastrophic events in Aurora, Colorado.

In the end, the third Batman movie starring Christian Bale grossed $448 million domestically. This is the seventh best box office performance of all time yet it is $85 million short of The Dark Knight. Globally, the news is brighter. The international marketplace has expanded exponentially in only a few years. Thanks to the overseas growth, The Dark Knight Rises has bested its predecessor in terms of global revenue. If not for this one artificially inflated box office tally, the final Nolan film would be inferior to its predecessor in every regard.

Simply stated, The Dark Knight Rises was less popular than The Dark Knight. Reviews were not as glowing, praise was less emphatic and box office revenue was less lucrative. The tragedy of Heath Ledger’s death infused the 2008 release with incendiary buzz, leading to its scorching box office pace as well as eight Academy Awards nominations including two victories. The events of Aurora, Colorado left a bitter taste in the mouths of most consumers that unfortunately stained the perception of The Dark Knight Rises through no fault of anyone involved with the production.

How well The Dark Knight Rises would have done without the Aurora tragedy is something we will never know for sure. What I can say with confidence is that The Dark Knight Rises still managed to become one of the most popular movies of all-time in terms of box office. Given what transpired, I consider this a victory not just for the movie but for the movie-goers who overcame the fear caused by a mad man in Aurora. Their courage allowed The Dark Knight Rises to achieve what any other film franchise would consider epic results.

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