Batman hits ground running in US

The new Batman film 'The Dark Knight' lit up cash registers during its midnight US debut, earning a record $18.5m (€11.7m) from 3,040 cinemas, distributor Warner Bros said.

That beat the 2005 performance of 'Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith', which took in $16.9m (€10.7m) during its midnight debut in 2,915 venues.