Heath Ledger HLEDGERPALM020906_01_X17.jpg The Dark Knight shattered box office records for the midnight opening, earning an unprecedented $18,489,000 at the box office last night. Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures made the announcement today, and added:

“We have been thrilled by the response to The Dark Knight, first from the critics and now from audiences. From our earliest screenings, the buzz on the film has been white hot and it hasn’t let up. Now that the opening weekend is here, we are very excited to finally share The Dark Knight with moviegoers nationwide.”

The 12:01 a.m. opening grosses beat the previous record of $16.9 million, which was held by Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith from May of 2005. Insiders have predicted that the film could make up to $150 million this weekend, and Heath Ledger has already gotten Oscar buzz for his role as the Joker.

We can't wait to see it!!!!