Warner Bros. has officially announced that they will be showing the 6-minute prologue for Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT RISES at select IMAX movie theaters across the country. The prologue will be shown in IMAX theaters only starting December 16th 2012 attached to copies of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL. Thanks to comingsoon.net for the heads up!

Below is the official press release along with a list of lucky theaters that will showcase the prologue:

Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” — the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy — is one of the most anticipated films of 2012, but moviegoers won’t have to wait until next year to see the six-minute opening sequence of the film. The film’s prologue will be unveiled exclusively in select 70mm IMAX® theatres worldwide. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.


The Prologue will be released in North America on December 16, and in the UK on December 21, 2011. Additional international dates vary by territory and will be announced soon.

In making the 2008 blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” Nolan was the first to use IMAX® cameras in a major motion picture release, and, as now, audiences were given an advance look at that film’s prologue months prior to the Summer 2008 opening. Nolan employed the extremely high-resolution cameras even more extensively on “The Dark Knight Rises”—including the film’s prologue—to achieve unprecedented crispness and clarity and a truly immersive experience for the moviegoers.

Christopher Nolan stated, “Our experience on ‘The Dark Knight’ shooting and projecting IMAX 15 perf 65mm/70mm film was inspiring. The immersive quality of the image goes beyond any other filmmaking tool available, and in revisiting Gotham, we were determined to shoot even more of the movie in this unique format. Giving the fans an early look at an IMAX sequence is a great way to draw attention to what I believe will be an incredible way to experience our story when it comes out next summer.”

Following is a list of the theatres in North America in which the Prologue of “The Dark Knight Rises” will be revealed on December 16th:

Market – Theatre – City

Austin, TX – IMAX Theater Austin – Austin
Boston, MA – Jordan’s IMAX – Natick
Boston, MA – IMAX 3D Theatre in Reading – Reading
Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Theatre Chinook 16 – Calgary
Chantilly, VA/Washington, DC – Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX – Chantilly
Chicago, IL – Navy Pier IMAX Theatre – Chicago
Des Moines, IA – SCI IMAX Dome Theater – Des Moines
Detroit, MI – Henry Ford IMAX – Dearborn
Edmonton, AB – Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton – Edmonton
Harrisburg, PA – Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts – Harrisburg
Houston, TX – Houston Marq*e Stadium 22 + IMAX – Houston
Indianapolis – White River IMAX – Indianapolis
Los Angeles, CA – Irvine Spectrum 20 + IMAX – Irvine
Los Angeles, CA – RAVE 18 + IMAX – Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA – Ontario Palace Stadium 22 + IMAX – Ontario
Los Angeles, CA – Citywalk Stadium 19 with IMAX – Universal City
Madison, WI – Star 18 Fitchburg with IMAX – Fitchburg
Miami, FL – AutoNation IMAX – Fort Lauderdale
Minneapolis, MN – Great Clips IMAX – Apple Valley
Montreal, QC – Cinema Banque Scotia Montreal – Montreal
Nashville,TN – Opry Mills Stadium 20 + IMAX – Nashville
New York, NY – Lincoln Square 13 with IMAX – New York
New York, NY – Palisades IMAX – West Nyack
Omaha, NE – Star Cinema 16 with IMAX – Council Bluffs
Orlando, FL – Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 + IMAX – Orlando
Ottawa, ON – Silvercity Gloucester + IMAX – Gloucester
Palm Springs – Desert IMAX Theatre – Cathedral City
Philadelphia, PA – IMAX & the Tropicana – Atlantic City
Philadelphia, PA – Tuttleman IMAX–Franklin Institute – Philadelphia
Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Mills 25 with IMAX – Tempe
Providence, RI – Providence Place 16 with IMAX – Providence
Quebec City, QC – IMAX Le Theatre At Quebec – Quebec City
Sacramento, CA – Esquire IMAX – Sacramento
San Antonio, TX – IMAX at RiverCenter – San Antonio
San Francisco, CA – Metreon 16 with IMAX & ETX – San Francisco
Seattle, WA – Boeing IMAX–Pacific Science Center – Seattle
Tampa, FL – Museum of Science and Industry – Tampa
Toronto, ON – Coliseum 12 Mississauga + IMAX – Mississauga
Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Theatre Toronto + IMAX – Toronto
Toronto, ON – Colossus 18 Woodbridge + IMAX – Woodbridge-Vaughan
Vancouver, BC – Colossus Langley + IMAX – Langley
Vancouver, BC – Silvercity Riverport 18 + IMAX – Richmond

Below is a list of the theatres in the UK in which the Prologue of “The Dark Knight Rises” will be revealed on December 21st:

UK – BFI London – London
UK – National Media Museum IMAX – Bradford
UK – Glasgow Science Centre IMAX Cinema – Glasgow
UK – Odeon Manchester IMAX @ The Printworks – Manchester

Opening on July 20, 2012, “The Dark Knight Rises” features an international all-star cast, led by Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) in the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake. Reprising their roles from both “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” Oscar® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) plays Lucius Fox.

Nolan directed “The Dark Knight Rises” from a screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull are the executive producers, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. “The Dark Knight Rises” is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman created by Bob Kane.

“The Dark Knight Rises” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The prologue has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for “some violence.”