Countdown to 'The Dark Knight Rises' Begins in Newark

Nighttime is falling Thursday in Newark but the "Dark Knight" is rising at CityPlex 12 for the premiere of the third flick of the Caped Crusader series.

Fans of all ages trickled into the to catch the Batman trilogy, which began screening with director Christopher Nolan's first installment "Batman Begins" at 6 p.m., followed by "Dark Knight" at 9 p.m. and finally, "The Dark Knight Rises" at 12:01 a.m.

"I think he's going to live but he's going to go somewhere else, like take a break for a while," predicted D-Angela Prentice, who was catching the series with best friend Shanaia Lawrence as part of Prentice's 13th birthday.

"The Dark Knight Rises," which made headlines and drew swarms of Batman diehards to Newark when is the last of the Nolan franchise.

Tickets are still available, according to CityPlex 12 officials, who said sales for the blockbuster are "doing very well." The theater paid homage to Bruce Wayne's alter ego with yellow, black and silver balloons and the iconic Bat signal illuminated above the theater entrance. Villains Catwoman and Bane were also on hand to take pictures with patrons.

The premiere in Newark drew fans from all over Jersey, including sisters Raquel and Daniela Molina who were especially excited to get a glimpse of the Bat Mobile and the city's own Batman,

"I’m a huge super hero fan. Personally, Superman is my favorite but Batman is a close second," said Raquel Molina. "He doesn’t have any real superpowers, but he’s got a lot of cool gadgets."

"I’m excited to see how it ends,” she added, “because it is really different from the original Batman series. They wrote a whole new segment for this trilogy, so I am excited to see where he (Christopher Nolan) is going to go with it."

For Newark youths, Batman serves as a positive role model for those who need it most, said Councilwoman Mildred C. Crump, who briefly visited the theater Thursday.

"He's a good guy," she said of Batman.

"I can't wait. It's going to be exciting," she added about seeing parts of Newark in the movie, which shot scenes inside city hall, on Raymond Boulevard and underground in the Military Park light rail station.

– West Orange Patch editor Mike D'Onofrio contributed to this report

Are you excited to see the Caped Cruiser in action one last time? Tell us in the comments!