Crowds Eager to See Ending of Batman Trilogy - WSET.com - ABC13

Reporter: Carleigh Griffeth

Lynchburg, VA-It's one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The conclusion to director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy opens Thursday night. It's expected to earn $150 to $195 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend.

Theatres in Lynchburg are nearly sold out of multiple showings. We were at the Regal Cinema at the River Ridge Mall Thursday evening. It felt like Christmas Eve, with movie-goers eager to unwrap their present.

We spoke to several people earlier, some who've loved Batman all their life, some who caught the fever a couple years ago.

One thing we learned with this crowd, it doesn't matter when you jumped on the bandwagon.

"I'm just pumped all around. And I'm so excited I got my ticket. So, I'm excited. Out of all the super heroes this is the one I could relate to the most," said Aaron Charelton,

Just an average man, turned vigilante. No super powers, just super cool gadgets. Something some viewers have been a fan of since they were kids.

"I've loved Batman. I would watch the animated series all the time when I was a kid. And he was one of my favorites," said Corbin Bond.

A favorite that keeps breaking records at the box office, and is expected to break another.

"I thought I was going to be working all night I got cut early so I raced to come over here as quick as I can to make sure they had tickets still available, and thankfully they did, and it totally made my day. Cause I've been waiting for this movie for three years since the last one came out," said Charelton.

Movie-goers say this Batman series has something its predecessors lacked.

"It's dark, it's gritty," said Caleb Baker.

"It was a horror movie, it was a drama, it was an action story," said Bond.

"With the grittiness, the darkness and the realism," said Damian Miller.

"It was more like this could really be taking place, these could be real villains, real enemies. And this could be a real guy from just a rich entrepreneur who spends his nights going out and fighting the crime," said Charelton.

And that's part of the reason fans keep coming back for more. And one the thing movie-goers are most excited to see; this movie's villain- Bane. But some say Heath Ledger's Joker is a near impossible act to follow.