The Dark Knight had its European premiere in London last night bringing huge flames and a giant batmobile which raced down the red carpet to cheers from fans.
The Leicester Square premiere saw stars of the film led up the carpet by a 2.5 tonne six-wheeled batmobile. Eerie music played in the background as flames shot up from the roof of the cinema.
The movie is the follow-up to the action hit Batman Begins and calls for a posthumous Oscar nomination for the late Heath Ledger have continued.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday about the possibility of Ledger wining an Oscar, Sir Michael Caine said he would "pay good money" to see the part that won it over him.
Christian Bale, who returns as brooding Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne is the Dark Knight, said:
"He did an incredible job with The Joker ... I enjoyed watching him perform."
He said Ledger brought an anarchic, Clockwork Orange element to the role.
Maggie Gyllenhaal, who plays Rachel Dawes in the film, said the "degree of difficulty should be incorporated into the award".
"To be that incredible in a movie that's this huge, that's about so many things, is really an accomplishment."
Bale talked about the character of Alfred being a transferred "father figure" to Wayne as well as his butler.
Speaking on the red carpet about being seen as a sex symbol, Bale told journalists: "All you've got to do is stand on this side of the line and any of you guys could be a sex symbol."
The film has taken a US box office record of 55.34 million dollars (£77.7 million) in its opening weekend.
Brokeback Mountain star Ledger plays his arch-villain The Joker, who is terrifying the residents of Gotham, while Sir Michael Caine plays faithful butler, Alfred.
Ledger, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Brokeback Mountain in 2006, died aged 28 of an accidental drugs overdose at his home in New York in January.
He would become the first actor to win a posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for Network in 1977.
The 5.7 litre engine batmobile has a longest jump distance of 65ft, reaching a height of 6ft to 8ft on the Amstutz Expressway, Chicago.
Comments