In the wake of the seemingly inexplicable tragedy in Aurora, Colorado on the night of the highly anticipated premiere of ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ the film’s director Christopher Nolan has taken the time to offer a statement.

RTE reports on Nolan’s statement: “Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of The Dark Knight Rises, I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community,” wrote Nolan in a statement.

“I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime.”

“The movie theatre is my home,” said Nolan, “and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families.”

At a midnight premiere of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in Aurora, Colorado, suspect James Holmes opened fire in a packed movie theater, killing 12 and injuring another 58 people.

The film’s star Christian Bale also offered his sympathies by saying ““Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them.”

Film studios have banded together to withhold box-office figures from the weekend out of respect for the victims affected by the tragedy. Estimates, however, have the film joining the ranks of ‘The Avengers’ as being one of the most lucrative opening box-office weekends ever.

The Washington Post reports that Warner Brothers studios also made a dash to remove an eerily relevant film trailer that was included in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ previews. ‘Gangster Squad,’ starring Sean Penn and Ryan Gosling features a scene in the trailer were mobsters shoot at a movie theater audience from behind the film screen.