Officially, there are no box-office numbers this weekend. Nothing to see here. Move on.

But somehow — believe it or not — entertainment outlets have still managed to report that The Dark Knight Rises took in about $160 million this weekend.

Here's the thing: Warner Bros.' decision to withhold a box-office report this weekend looked noble on the surface. So, too, did all the other studios following suit. But it was always a charade. Of course the numbers would be "leaked," and of course The Dark Knight Rises was still going to do really well.

Not just really well. If that figure is correct, The Dark Knight Rises had the best 2D weekend opening ever, and the third-highest domestic opening behind 3D films The Avengers and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2.

And it's not as though Warner Bros.' response has put a stop to all the ghastly stories about how the Aurora shooting would affect the box office. It's impossible to know, and it feels garish to speculate — but it was bound to happen anyway.

So, yes, the box office is dark this weekend. And naturally, we're talking about it more than ever.

[Image via AP/Warner Bros.]