attendance at work could be dramatically down . During a survey given to people who buy tickets through Fandango.com , 38 percent of those who are working said they would be taking either some time or the day off to see the movie . According to MovieTickets.com , `` Dark Knight '' sold out more than 150 performances in Los Angeles and New York alone . The midnight show times were not just for major movie centers , either . Medved said cities such as Fresno , California ; Orlando , Florida ; and towns in Minnesota are hosting early-morning showings . Enthusiasts showed up in groups , some dressed head to toe in costume to celebrate the movie 's release . The midnight showing at the 428-seat Henry Ford IMAX theater in Detroit sold out in less than a week , according to the Detroit Free Press . One group attending the showing , which was preceded by a costume party , showed up with a homemade version of the Batmobile and outfits representing nearly every major Batman character . The film also opened Thursday in Australia and Wednesday in Taiwan . It will be released in Japan on
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As `` The Dark Knight 's '' crusading District Attorney Harvey Dent vigorously tries to combat Gotham City 's crime spree , he quotes the old saying : `` The night is always darkest before the dawn . '' The late Heath Ledger plays the Joker in `` The Dark Knight , '' a performance already garnering raves . But the dawn may have been the brightest time for `` The Dark Knight , '' which was scheduled to have about 3,000 late-night showings , including almost 100 showings at 3 and 6 a.m. Friday , according to Fandango.com spokesman Harry Medved . Medved said he could n't remember the last time there were more than two or three such showings in the middle of the night -- usually in New York or Los Angeles . `` Is n't that when people are just thinking about waking up and going to Starbucks ? '' Medved asked . `` I predict coffee sales will increase tomorrow . '' With the film 's running time of two and a half hours , Medved is declaring `` The Dark Knight 's '' opening day Dark Friday , predicting that