BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Christian Bale swept into Barcelona on Wednesday night to attend a glittering Spanish premiere of "The Dark Knight," appearing calm as he greeted fans a day after reports surfaced that his mother and sister had accused him of assault.

A 15-car motorcade delivered Bale and his co-stars to the red carpet, where the 34-year-old actor greeted hundreds of fans outside the city's Coliseum Theater. Bale spent half an hour signing autographs, looking relaxed in a tailored dark blue suit and asking each autograph seeker's name.

About 25 camera crews waited outside the theater. Bale did not speak to reporters and made no comment about the allegations that he assaulted his mother and one of his three sisters at a London hotel on Sunday.

The actor's wife, Sibi, smiling broadly, and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal stood by Bale as he attended to fans. Then the Welsh-born actor, who plays millionaire recluse Bruce Wayne and his bat winged alter-ego, entered the theater to watch the film.

"We expected some excitement but have truly been taken aback by all the media attention," Warner Bros. representative Gernot Dudda said.

Bale said through his lawyers the assault allegations were false Tuesday, hours after he was arrested, questioned by London police and released on bail. He spent four hours talking with authorities but was not charged.

British media reported that Bale's mother and sister told police he assaulted them at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Sunday night, a day before attending the European premiere of "The Dark Knight." The Sun newspaper said the complaint was filed by sister Sharon Bale and mother Jenny Bale.

Wednesday night outside the Coliseum's elegant baroque facade, built in 1923 and inspired by the Opera in Paris, bat lights flickered as fans dressed as The Joker waited to go in. Fellow actor Aaron Eckhart and director Christopher Nolan also spent time greeting fans and signing autographs.

Bale first made a splash as the child star of Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" in 1987. His screen credits also include "American Psycho," ''The Machinist" and "Batman Begins."

The film set a box-office record with $158.4 during its opening weekend in the U.S. last week.

-The Dark Knight Pictures

By HAROLD HECKLE
Associated Press Writer