15 Most Highly-Anticipated Blockbuster Movies In History

Lauded by many as the greatest comic book movie ever made, The Dark Knight expanded on Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins to legitimize the genre in the eyes of many critics, proving that it was possible to create a serious, grounded and mature work of cinema while working within the confines of the superhero blockbuster.

Widespread critical acclaim was lavished on the acting, directing, cinematography and thematic heft of the narrative, which in turn led to a box office total north of a billion dollars and expectations set on the inevitable follow up that it couldn't possibly hope to meet.

The slow-burning viral marketing campaign utilized social media to ensure that the movie had a huge online presence months before release, with even non-fans aware that a new Batman movie was on the way. The first trailer gained 12.5m views in its first 24 hours online and made its way to theaters attached to The Avengers, guaranteeing that it would be seen by the widest possible audience.

Even Nolan himself played a huge part in the rising anticipation levels; in between Batman movies Inception was a critical and commercial success that was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, meaning even those initially deterred by the thought of a comic book movie were intrigued to see what the filmmaker would come up with next.

While it may be true that The Dark Knight Rises ultimately failed to reach the almost-unattainable heights reached by its predecessor, it is nowhere close to being the cinematic abomination that a vocal minority on the internet claim it to be.