Batman breaks new box office record

Batman star Christian Bale is facing questioning by police over claims that he assaulted two family members.

Scotland Yard has been passed a complaint by his mother and his sister over an incident in central London.

Bale, 34, is alleged to have lashed out in his suite at Park Lane's Dorchester Hotel on Sunday.

The two women, who live in Dorset, went to a Hampshire police station to make their allegations formally.

The complaint about the actor was then passed to the Metropolitan Police for further investigation.

A spokesman said: "We can confirm we have received an allegation from another force in relation to an alleged incident in central London." A Hampshire Police spokesman said any allegation that took place in another force area would be referred on but declined to comment further.

There was no sign of the family drama as Bale attended the first European screening of the new Batman blockbuster, The Dark Knight on Monday. Bale joined co-stars Sir Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart at the Odeon West End cinema in Leicester Square.

The allegations are not the first controversy to surround the film which made record box office sales in its first weekend in the United States.

In January 28-year-old Heath Ledger, who gave an Oscar-tipped performance as villain The Joker, died from an accidental drugs overdose.

Bale, a keen environmental activist and martial arts enthusiast, also starred in American Psycho, Empire Of The Sun and Batman Begins.