Batman: The Dark Knight Opening Box Office Weekend Receipt Odds

Heath Ledger "brilliant" performance another reason why oddsmakers offer bets on The Dark Knight opening box office receipts 

Online gambling website Bookmaker.com has posted odds on The Dark Knight opening box office weekend receipts.  The Dark Knight is the latest installment of the Batman series and features Heath Ledger who passed away tragically last year.  Ledger's performance has been called "terrific" and many believe he could be nominated for an Academy Award.

Mike LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle:

"The Dark Knight" rides on Ledger's performance as the Joker. So does a lot of audience hope, and that's another element at work here. There has never been a situation quite like this: Audiences for the biggest blockbuster of the summer are flooding in, not just hoping an actor will be good but also expecting and needing him to be absolutely amazing. They want something profound, to put alongside Ledger's Ennis in "Brokeback Mountain." They want the fabled gift that arrives six months after the loved one's death.

Bookmakers have slashed the odds of Heath Ledger winning a posthumous Oscar for new Batman movie The Dark Knight to 3/1.

When asked why he cast Ledger as the malevolent, psychotic clown prince of crime, director Christopher Nolan said “because he’s fearless.” But while they trusted Nolan, the director of “Batman Begins,” fans were not convinced that Ledger, who had just played a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," was the right man for the job.

“Heath Ledger’s casting did seem a little odd at first; he usually took more art-film roles as opposed to being a part of big commercial blockbusters,” said Daniel Hubschman, 23, a fan from Douglaston, N.Y., who relied on Web sites like imdb.com for updates on the film.

"He also never played a villain before. But then again, what isn’t an odd choice when Jack Nicholson is the predecessor of the role? That was going to draw comparisons no matter what.”

As for the opening weekend receipt odds (the film actually opens Thursday July 17), the biggest payout for gamblers would come if the film takes in between $120,000,001 and $130,000,000.  A $10 bet pays $55.  A $100 bet pays $550 at Bookmaker.com.

Oddsmakers have the film reeling in between $80,000,001 and $100,000,000 with odds just short of 2/1.

Batman: The Dark Knight Opening Box Office Weekend Receipt Odds Batman: The Dark Knight Opening Box Office Weekend Receipt Odds Here

23891 LESS THAN $80 MILLIONS +220 - -

23892 BETWEEN $80,000,001 - $90,000,000 +175 - - (these odds pay $17.50 for every $10.00 bet)

23893 BETWEEN $90,000,001 - $100,000,000 +175 - -

23894 BETWEEN $100,000,001 - $110,000,000 +250 - - (these odds pay $25.00 for every $10.00 bet)

23895 BETWEEN $110,000,001 - $120,000,000 +450 - -

23896 BETWEEN $120,000,001 - $130,000,000 +550 - - (these odds pay $55.00 for every $10.00 bet)

23897 BETWEEN $130,000,001 - $140,000,000 +300 - -

23898 BETWEEN $140,000,001 - $150,000,000 +300 - -

23899 MORE THAN $150 MILLIONS -185

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Payton O'Brien, Gambling911.com Senior Editor POBrien@CostiganMedia.com

Originally published July 16, 2008 10:22 pm EST