Even a 50-foot tall crime fighter staring down at him didn’t scare off a real life thief — who specialized in ripping off the audience at an IMAX theater on the Upper West Side.

The serial thief had allegedly been focusing on the theater, in a muiltiplex at Broadway and W 68th Street, stealing purses and electronics from patrons engrossed in “The Dark Knight Rises,” the Post has learned.

Adding insult to injury, the suspect, ex-con Nicholas Fairclough, 25, didn’t even pay for a ticket, cops said.

He allegedly slipped into the building through a back door on Aug. 19 and headed straight to the theater.

He slinked inside and snatched a bag containing a debit card and cell phone lying in the aisle next to a patron, court papers charge.

Seven days later, he was back — and allegedly grabbed a bag containing an iMac laptop, iPod and headphones belonging to another patron.

“He’s a creeper,” said one law enforcement source. “He sits on the floor next to you or sits behind you and takes your stuff.”

The next day, anti-crime cops were dispatched to the theater to keep an eye out for Fairclough, who resurfaced at about 11 p.m. attempting to sneak through the back door again, sources said.

The officers recognized him, slapped on cuffs and charged him with burglary and grand larceny.

“He just said, ‘Yeah, I did it,’ as if he wanted to go back to prison,” said a source, speculating he prefers a cell to the homeless shelter where he lives.

Fairlcough has already served two stints in state prison after being convicted on two similar cases in 2010 and 2011.

In both cases, he stole purses and credit cards from IMAX moviegoers. He then used the credit cards to make purchases, including one in which he booked a helicopter tour of the city.