'The Dark Knight Rises': 6-minute prologue hits IMAX theaters with 'Mission: Impossible'

Christopher Nolan is giving Batman fans an early holiday gift: You'll be able to see the first six minutes of "The Dark Knight Rises" starting Dec. 16.

Provided, that is, you can get to an IMAX theater equipped with 70-millimeter projection.

The "Dark Knight Rises" prologue will be paired with "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," which is itself opening in IMAX theaters a few days ahead of its general release. You'll be able to see both at 42 theaters in North America.

Nolan and Warner Bros. offered a similar tease of "The Dark Knight" several months before its 2008 release, to much praise from fans. Given the already absurd level of anticipation for "The Dark Knight Rises," we're guessing that will happen again.

The theaters showing the prologue are:

Atlantic City, N.J. - IMAX at the Tropicana

Austin, Texas - IMAX Theater Austin

Boston - Jordan's IMAX in Natick

Boston - IMAX 3D Theatre in Reading

Calgary - Scotiabank Theatre Chinook 16

Chantilly, Va. - Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX

Chicago - Navy Pier IMAX Theatre

Des Moines, Iowa - SCI IMAX Dome Theater

Detroit - Henry Ford IMAX in Dearborn

Edmonton - Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - AutoNation IMAX

Harrisburg, Pa. - Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts

Houston - Houston Marq*E Stadium 22 + IMAX

Indianapolis - White River IMAX

Los Angeles - Irvine Spectrum 21 + IMAX in Irvine

Los Angeles - RAVE 18 + IMAX

Los Angeles - Ontario Palace Stadium 22 + IMAX in Ontario

Los Angeles - CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX

Madison, Wis. - Star Fitchburg 18 with IMAX in Fitchburg

Minneapolis - Great Clips IMAX in Apple Valley

Montreal - Cinema Banque Scotia Montreal

Nashville - Opry Mills Stadium 20 + IMAX

New York - Lincoln Square 13 with IMAX

New York - Palisades IMAX in West Nyack

Omaha, Neb. - Star Cinema 16 with IMAX in Council Bluffs

Orlando, Fla. - Regal Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 + IMAX

Ottawa - SilverCity Gloucester + IMAX in Gloucester

Palm Springs, Calif. - Desert IMAX Theatre in Cathedral City

Philadelphia - Tuttleman IMAX - Franklin Institute

Phoenix - Arizona Mills 25 with IMAX in Tempe

Providence, R.I. - Providence Place 16 with IMAX

Quebec City - IMAX Le Theatre At Quebec

Sacramento, Calif. - Esquire IMAX

San Antonio - IMAX at RiverCenter

San Francisco - Metreon 16 with IMAX & ETX

Seattle - Boeing IMAX - Pacific Science Center

Tampa, Fla. - Museum of Science and Industry

Toronto - Coliseum 12 Mississauga + IMAX

Toronto - Scotiabank Theatre Toronto + IMAX

Toronto - Colossus 18 Woodbridge + IMAX in Woodbridge-Vaughan

Vancouver - Colossus Langley + IMAX in Langley

Vancouver - SilverCity Riverport + IMAX in Richmond