Christopher Nolan’s finale in his acclaimed Batman trilogy, ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ has earned an international gross of $1.005 billion, making it the 11th film to reach that mark in its original theatrical run, Deadline is reporting. While Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are waiting from China’s grosses to be officially announced today, the second sequel in the hit superhero series has earned over $574 million worldwide, and $431 million domestically.

Despite the shootings in Aurora, Colorado during the opening midnight showings of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ on July 20, the film is the fifth top grossing 2D theatrical release of all time. The movie has also grossed more than its immediate predecessor, 2008’s ‘The Dark Knight,’ which earned $1.0003 billion during its theatrical release.

It’s predicted that ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ will remain in the Top 10 grossing films at the box office for several more weeks. The Aurora movie theater shooting brought down the all-important first weeks of the North American ticket sales.

While ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ has garnered positive theatrical ticket sales abroad, the ending of Nolan’s trilogy, along with last year’s ending of the ‘Harry Potter’ series, leaves Warner Bros. with two less successful franchises. The studio is now under pressure to create more successful series, such as the upcoming ‘Hobbit’ prequel franchise.

Written by: Karen Benardello