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Arguably the biggest news of the day was Lionsgate's announcement that the studio would be premiering the "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2" trailer in front of "The Hunger Games" in theaters on March 23. Though this is definitely a match made in young-adult heaven, it's far from the first time trailers for highly anticipated films have premiered before similarly big new releases.

We've decided to go back and pick our five favorite examples of big trailer premieres from the past couple decades. The movies haven’t always matched the hype (we're looking at you, "Phantom Menace"), but they certainly gave us good reason to get excited.

"Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" before "Meet Joe Black"
Come with me back to a time long, long ago (1998) in a galaxy far, far away (where Brad Pitt was still playing romantic leads). "Meet Joe Black" was just hitting theaters, but fans weren't necessarily flocking to theaters opening night to catch Pitt playing the Death. Instead, many fans were anxiously awaiting the first trailer of George Lucas's highly anticipated "Star Wars" prequel, "The Phantom Menace." Considering the public's changed opinion on the movie as "The Phantom Menace" launches its 3-D rerelease today, it's hard to believe people were once so excited about the movie. But they were — seriously.

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Tags Captain America: The First Avenger, harry potter and the deathly hallows, i am legend, Meet Joe Black, Star Wars The Phantom Menace, the avengers, the dark knight, The Hunger Games, the twilight saga eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1

Kurt Loder compiled over 200 of his favorite movie reviews in his new book "The Good, the Bad and the Godawful," but that doesn't mean that he still necessarily stands by them.

The former MTV.com movie reviewer recently sat down for a chat to promote the book, currently in stores. Though he didn't change his opinions in the reviews since he wrote them, Loder did admit that his personal opinions of some of the biggest films of the past decade have changed with time. Let's just say he might regret a thing or two he said about "The Dark Knight" when it was first released.

"I've definitely changed my mind about 'The Dark Knight,' which I was not really impressed with and now I think is one of the great movies. Just a great, great movie," he said.

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Tags avatar, inception, the dark knight, watchmen

FROM SPLASH PAGE: "The Dark Knight Rises" is rumored to premiere its first official teaser trailer alongside the theatrical release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" later this week. What's not a rumor, however, is this week's debut of the first official poster from the film.

First unveiled over at the movie's official website, the first poster for Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman installment sets the stage for an astonishing amount of carnage and mayhem.

Read the full story at MTV Splash Page!

Tags the dark knight

If Facebook is already eating time in your professional and personal life, consider yourself -- as well as your employers and your loved ones -- warned.

In a press release, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that it will become the first studio to offer a movie rental system via Facebook, starting today. The studio plans to "begin testing an offering of selected movies for purchase or rental through Warner Bros. Entertainment’s Facebook movie pages,” beginning with the massively successful "The Dark Knight."

The WB's Facebook system requires that users "like" the movie of their choice, resulting in the option to either rent it for $3 or use 30 Facebook credits. Users have a 48 hour window to watch the film, during which time they can make comments, pause and replay, all while still on their Facebook page -- don't want to miss those pending requests, after all!

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Tags facebook, the dark knight, Warner Bros

"The King's Speech" and "The Social Network" might be the frontrunners in the Best Picture race, but there's something its contender "Inception" has a leg up on: an app for that.

In a press release, Warner Bros. announced the launch of apps centered on Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" and "Inception." Now available at the App store, these so-called App Editions give iPad users a new way to experience both films -- and, of course, show them off to their non-iPad-or-iPhone-owning friends.

In a statement regarding the new App Editions, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution President Thomas Gewecke said: "For many, watching a movie is a social activity and App Editions are the first mobile product to deliver this capability on a global scale. They offer a fully connected experience, allowing viewers to engage with others around the world in real-time through Facebook and Twitter. In 2011, Warner Bros. will release a full slate of App Editions including new release and catalog films.”

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Tags inception, the dark knight, Warner Bros

Christopher Nolan gave Batman fans quite a bit to chew on this morning, when he revealed that the movie we've heretofore known as "Batman 3" a) will not feature the Riddler as its villain and b) will bear the not-so-different-from-its-predecessor title "The Dark Knight Rises."

OK, take a moment to shed a tear for the Riddler (and for Jim Carrey, who no doubt would have loved to play him again). Got that out of your system? Good -- now let's talk about that title, "The Dark Knight Rises." "The Dark Knight" was a brilliant title for the 2008 sequel to "Batman Begins" because, in addition to referencing one of Batman's moniker's from the comics, it foretold of the Caped Crusader's descent into loneliness, self doubt and exile in that film. In naming the follow-up "The Dark Knight Rises," Nolan seems to be hinting that a little something called redemption lurks ahead for our tortured hero.

"The Dark Knight Rises" also calls to mind the great sequel title "Return of the Jedi": Both titles suggest a return to glory for our down-and-out heroes. Just as Luke and co. were left Solo-less, emotionally scarred (Vader was Luke's father!) and on the lam at the end of "The Empire Strikes Back," so too was Batman left friendless, girlfriendless and a fugitive from the law at the end of "The Dark Knight." These were the dark middle chapters our protagonists had to go through to emerge the stronger, better heroes we always knew they could be in the third chapter. Of course, while most franchises of this sort play best in trilogy form, I welcome Nolan to keep making Batman movies as long as he wants.

All of that said, what do you think of "The Dark Knight Rises" as a title and how does it stack up to some of the other all-time great sequel titles? Hit the jump to vote for the best and worst sequel titles ever in our poll. Read more...

Tags batman 3, christopher nolan, the dark knight, the dark knight rises

Steve Carrell isn't an actor we would typically think of as being despicable, but that seems to be the point of "Despicable Me." The villain he voices, Gru, actually ends up having a heart of gold -- as it turns out, he's not so despicable after all.

But there are quite a few other villains out there who are not as redeemable by the time their movies end. Here's a look at some of the most despicable bad guys in movie history, who we're sure will be keeping audiences terrified for years to come! Read more...

Tags Despicable Me, Harry Potter, heath ledger, kevin spacy, ralph fiennes, seven, star wars, Steve Carrell, the dark knight, the goonies

FROM MTV.COM: "District 9" director Neill Blomkamp might want to call up "The Dark Knight" helmer Christopher Nolan and say, "Thanks, bro!" That's because Blomkamp's film might never have nabbed a 2010 Best Picture Oscar nomination had it not been for Nolan's best pic snub last year.

While "Dark Knight" was by far the highest-grossing film of 2008, it failed to garner a Best Picture nod, leading some to speculate that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters were hopelessly out of touch with the tastes of the American public. Enough with the art-house flicks no one watches, some complained, it's time to honor the films we actually like. In other words, be more like the Golden Globes, which nominates 10 best picture films over two categories.

Continue reading 'District 9' Slips Into Expanded Oscar Best Picture Race

Tags christopher nolan, district 9, neill blomkamp, the dark knight

FROM MTV.COM: As of Monday morning (January 25), James Cameron's "Avatar" is now the top-grossing international release of all time. Following the weekend's ticket sales, the sprawling sci-fi epic slipped past Cameron's 1997 hit "Titanic" in overseas earnings (not including North America), with $1.288 billion compared to the doomed cruise ship's $1.242 billion, Reuters reported.

For six weeks now, ever since it was released in theaters on December 18, "Avatar" has ruled the box office. Described in pre-release propaganda as a "game-changer" for Hollywood, the spectacle-driven 3-D adventure is certainly living up to expectations. It picked up Golden Globes for Best Picture/Drama and Best Director, and it has now officially begun the process of sinking Cameron's 1997 hit, "Titanic."

Continue reading 'Avatar' Beats 'Titanic' In Overseas Box Office

Tags avatar, the dark knight

Happy “Battle: Los Angeles” week, folks! We’ve been eagerly tracking this so-out-there-it’s-gotta-be-awesome project for awhile around these parts, and with Ne-Yo joining the cast it’s gotten even more interesting. Aliens, scandal-plagued rappers, Harvey Dent kicking ass -– as cameras begin rolling on the February 2011 flick, what more do you need?

One of the more interesting aspects of the film emerged earlier this year, when we interviewed filmmaker Jonathan Liebesman, who oversaw “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning” and this year’s impressive Sundance thriller “The Killing Room.” At the time, the only actor who had come on board the aliens-invade-Los Angeles film was Aaron Eckhart, and Liebesman said that the star was planning to channel Dirty Harry. Read more...

Tags aaron eckhart, battle los angeles, Clint-Eastwood, Jonathan Liebesman, Ne-Yo, the dark knight