The tragic events of last week in Denver, Colorado didn't have as big an impact on the Box Office sales of 'The Dark Knight Rises' as some had forecast, with the third Christopher Nolan 'Batman' film besting its predecessor 'The Dark Knight' on its opening weekend and taking an estimated $161 million, making it the third highest debutant in American history behind two films that also had premium 3D releases - 'The Avengers' and the final instalment of the 'Harry Potter' series. It's now looking good to match its predecessor which became one of just 12 films to gross over $1 billion worldwide.

Nevertheless, the victims and the families affected by Thursday night's horror story are still first and foremost in everybody's minds, and figures were withheld on Sunday night out of respect to those involved. There was no way to accurately work out if the tragedy had impacted box office sales, with many tickets bought in advance, and experts saying they noticed only a negligible difference if any.

"Attendance has been staggering," said Kristina Hershey, the manager of Entertainment Cinema in Rhode Island. "We've had a handful of customers ask if we're checking the emergency doors.... [But] I don't think it's hindering a lot of people here from going to the movies." Michigan cinema man Paul Glantz meanwhile said "Most of our guests understood that this was an isolated incident. I think there was a perception among our guests that they weren't going to allow the horrific act of one deranged individual stop them from living their lives".