8 Movies That Blurred The Line Between Our World And Theirs

2. The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan’s Batman movie released to universal praise from critics and fans alike, solidifying its identity as a triumphant superhero flick and a masterstroke of cinema. While perhaps best known for Heath Ledger’s performance, the marketing campaign that came before has gone down in history as one of the most complex and immersive.

In 2007, 42 Entertainment began the campaign with a whisper. Joker playing cards were being found in comic book stores and dollar bills vandalised with the image of The Joker handed out at Comic-Con. These items led participants to a series of websites containing clues that pointed to real-world locations. Upon arriving, fans found anything from a skywriter scrawling a phone number in the clouds to bakeries holding ‘Joker cakes’ with burner phones inside.

Over 11 months, fans were asked to join one of two sides: The Joker's or Harvey Dent's. The former group were tasked with dressing up and occupying landmarks, while the latter fought to regain Gotham via rallies and a convincing election. Gotham newspapers were published and many more cryptic websites erected, culminating in a huge gathering as the Bat-Signal was projected on to the side of a building. The Dark Knight ended up being the highest-grossing movie of 2008 but, more importantly, for one year fans became citizens of Gotham.