Warner Bros. is either assuming it's getting a ton of Oscar noms, or it's morbidly commemorating the one year anniversary of Heath Ledger's passing, but on January 23, The Dark Knight will be re-released in theaters and IMAX nationwide.Even though the DVD and Blu-rays come out next Tuesday, the re-release is a smart idea. The movie is only $4 million short of the $1 billion worldwide benchmark (a fait accompli at this point) and there are enough Bat-fans out there to justify seeing the flick on the big screen one last time. Also, even if you have a ginormous HDTV at home, nothing beats seeing The Dark Knight in IMAX.
The other reason it's a smart move on WB's part is the fact that Oscar nominations will be announced the day before. And most industry insiders believe TDK will be the Return of the King of comic book adaptations and be bestowed with multiple nominations (Heath's nod for Best Supporting Actor is a given, but there's a good chance for Best Director and Best Picture noms as well). Tacking on a successful theater run might be just enough motivation for Academy members to convert those nominations into statuettes.
If that happens, by the way, I'm going to have to add a special addendum to my "Batman & Oscar" post!
