Warner Bros has keyed up a re-release of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy in Hong Kong and Taiwan, ahead of the mid-July launch of the director’s latest epic, Tenet.
The three films — Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises — will release over several weeks. The first rollout is in Taiwan starting on May 29. (Notably, Vue International’s 20-screen SBC multiplex has continued to operate throughout the coronavirus crisis in that market while other theaters have started coming back.)
In Hong Kong, whose cinemas re-opened two weekends ago, Batman Begins will begin play on June 4, followed by The Dark Knight on June 11 and The Dark Knight Rises on June 18.
This is all in keeping with Warner Bros’ plans to bring back a number of catalogue titles around the world as cinemas ease into operations following closures forced by COVID-19. In China, for example, WB earlier set plans for Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone to return to the market once movie theaters re-open.
Nolan’s time-twisting espionage thriller Tenet is currently still sitting on July 17 domestically with many offshore markets due to go day-and-date. There is excitement that the director, who is a huge proponent of the theatrical experience, could be the one to get the world back into cinemas. But the situation could still change. (See Anthony’s recent deep dive here.)
The Dark Knight trilogy has grossed $2.46B worldwide since 2005 (unadjusted), and the series has grown in Hong Kong and Taiwan as the markets have grown. These re-releases are not eyed as big money makers — rather they’re something to chew on for a perhaps skittish yet hungry audience before moviegoing comes back in earnest. Still, for reference, 2005’s Batman Begins did $1.8M in Hong Kong, then in 2008, The Dark Knight grossed $7.55M there with 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises upping the ante to $10.35M, all at historical rates.