“Dark Knight Rises” to Help Victims of Colorado Theater Shooting
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Ron Phillips | Warner Bros.(AURORA, Colo.) — Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio that produced The Dark Knight Rises, will make a “substantial” donation to a fund that supports charities helping the victims of the theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., a studio representative and a spokesman for Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said Monday night during a screening of the film.
Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded early Friday morning when a gunman walked into a sold out midnight showing of the latest Batman film in Aurora and opened fire.
The Hollywood Reporter quoted sources as saying the studio’s donation to Colorado’s Community First Foundation would be “substantial,” though they would not name a specific amount. Both the studio and the Colorado governor’s office confirmed the report to ABC News.
Hickenlooper’s office said there would be an official announcement of the studio’s donation on Tuesday morning.
Despite the mass shooting, The Dark Knight Rises took in about $162 million in North America over the weekend.
Warner Bros. had announced it would hold off reporting the film’s opening grosses until Monday, but the information was leaked to several media outlets Sunday.
“Out of respect for the victims and their families, Warner Bros. Pictures will not be reporting box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises throughout the weekend,” the studio said in a statement to ABC News.
Warner Bros. also removed the trailer for the Ryan Gosling film, “Gangster Squad,” which featured a movie theater shooting scene, from screenings of The Dark Knight Rises. The studio pulled some TV ads for the Batman film, according to Bloomberg News.
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