'Dark Knight Rises' Prologue Lands in IMAX Theaters Dec. 16

The Dark Knight Rises will be treating fans to a prologue in select IMAX theaters starting on Dec. 16, Warner Bros. Pictures announced on Thursday.

While the film doesn't come out for another seven months, the prologue will surely stir the minds of those eagerly waiting for Christopher Nolan's third and final film in the Batman series.

According to Warner Bros. Pictures, the six-minute prologue will screen before select showings of Tom Cruise's new film Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

The prologue was shot on the same IMAX 15 perf 65mm/70mm film that Nolan used for some sequences in 2008's The Dark Knight.

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, Nolan said in a statement obtained by Variety.

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, he added.

The Dark Knight Rises, out July 20, recently wrapped production in New York City in November. Fans and paparazzi alike spotted stars like Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt shooting various scenes in the Financial District for two weekends.

Over the summer, Nolan and company also shot parts of The Dark Knight Rises in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, which was known as Batburgh for its 18 days of production.

In November, Bale, who has donned the Caped Crusader look for all three films, confirmed that The Dark Knight Rises would be his last Batman venture.

I wrapped a few days ago, so that will be the last time I'm taking that cowl [Batman hood] off . . . I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it's all done. Everything's finished. It's me and Chris - that will be the end of that Batman era, Bale told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Like its predecessors, The Dark Knight Rises is expected to dominate the box office when it opens next summer. The Dark Knight made a whopping $1 billion at the box office worldwide in 2008, while Batman Begins grossed more than $372 million in 2005.

Nolan and company are expected to announce more prologue screening dates and locations for The Dark Knight Rises in the days to come.

For now, here is where you can see The Dark Knight Rises six-minute prologue in North America, starting Dec. 16.

The Dark Knight Rises opens in theaters on July 20, 2012.

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