Midnight screening at the Lincoln Square NYC IMAX. Nothing has come close to that energy since, although TDKR came pretty close. Different vibe though-- looking around and realizing that you're surrounded by grown men crying. It was more bittersweet, while TDK was just pure electricity. I had the same experience in NY shauner, with the news interviewing us. Man, such good times.
I think one aspect of the whole experience that can't be replaced in modern day with reserved seating, is the waiting in line all day. I waited on line with my friends for 11 hours. It was super annoying on one hand, but on the other hand you got to actually hang out and geek out with other fans who were just as pumped as you. Sitting around, talking Batman, counting down the hours and minutes really heightened the anticipation to a ridiculous degree.
I also had a pretty great experience with the TDK prologue in December 2007. I've probably told this story before on here so forgive me, but me and a few other fans were told by a WP rep that Jonathan Nolan was there and gave us a heads up to wait in the lobby for a while after the screening. Sure enough, about 20 minutes later we see him on his way out, literally carrying out the IMAX reel himself. He was cool enough to stay and chat with us for a while after the WB rep told him we'd been waiting. Just super nice and down to Earth (and freaking tall). The whole experience was just so cool, because the WB rep did not have to tell us that, and Jonah did not have to stay behind. It was a special time. There was this unmistakable feeling in the air that something special was happening, and they were sharing it with the fans in a way that felt personal, before it went on to become a global phenomenon. It really hit home the idea for me that these movies were just two brothers' dream projects that happened to be backed by a major studio with 200 million dollar budgets. That moment felt like the equivalent of seeing a band in a tiny venue and hanging out with them after the show, just before they released a hit single that blew up.
I just like sharing that story because I think there's this perception out there than the Nolans were cold to fanboy culture or thought they were above it or w/e, but I think it's somewhat of a misconception. I think they made the movies personal and obviously made their own artistic choices, but they definitely wanted it to connect with the fans. Jonah was clearly very excited and humbled to see how excited the fans were and that their take was resonating with people that night. Just cause they didn't do Comic Con panels didn't mean they didn't care.