The Dark Knight Rises: Is a midnight screening ticket really worth $150?

Tickets for midnight screenings of Christopher Nolan's hoopla-generating Batman flick The Dark Knight Rises, which hits theaters July 20, went on sale last week, and unsurprisingly, the coveted passes sold out quickly at many locations. But late-to-the-game fans of the Caped Crusader aren't completely out of luck: A handful of opportunistic scalpers are hocking extra passes on websites like eBay and Craigslist, with the top price hovering around the $150 mark. (Tickets to the "Dark Knight Trilogy" marathon, which will screen all three of Nolan's Batman films successively, are even more expensive.) Is it worth shelling out this much cash just to be among the first fans to see The Dark Knight Rises?

No way: "This is ridiculous," says Mike Sampson at Screen Crush. No one should spend more than $20 on a Dark Knight Rises ticket — and that's assuming that person lives in a major city and is planning to see the film in IMAX. The film's opening is still a month away; even if midnight screenings are sold out, there are still plenty of tickets available for plenty of other showings during premiere weekend. In New York, for instance, there are still 3:00 am tickets available. "An extra $80-$100 seems a little silly just to see a movie three hours earlier."

"The Dark Knight Rises midnight tickets selling for big bucks on eBay"

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But it might be the only way to avoid spoilers: "There certainly is something to being among the first people to see" the movie, says Kevin P. Sullivan at MTV. Members of the midnight screening audiences are all but guaranteed to flood Twitter and Facebook with spoilers, so "seeing the film as early as possible is the best way to avoid the deluge" of leaks. That's especially true for The Dark Knight Rises, which has successfully remained shrouded in secrecy, and thus unspoiled. But after the midnight screenings, all bets are off.

"Dark Knight Rises midnight tickets going for $150"

This whole scalping plan may backfire: Online ticket seller Fandango may throw a wrench in scalpers' plans — not to mention fans who coughed up for the pricey tickets, says Ace Showbiz. The company's policy is that "any ticket re-sold is declared invalid." Admittedly, that sounds hard to enforce. But it's a relevant fact that "should be considered by ticketbuyers before they obtain the ticket from a scalper."

"The Dark Knight Rises opening-night tickets scalped for $150"