Netflix Is Removing Batman Begins in Certain Regions

The early 2000s were a golden era for superhero filmmaking, even though the genre truly took off only around a decade later. It was after the turn of the century that Bryan Singer delivered X-Men, Sam Raimi made Spider-Man, and Christopher Nolan released Batman Begins. The three movies offered distinct, director-driven spins on the superhero genre, which had previously experienced moments of success with the classic Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve and Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. There can be no doubt that Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy changed not only how the world views superhero films, but also how Hollywood makes tentpoles. The trilogy is currently streaming on Netflix in the United Kingdom, but not for much longer.

The first installment of the trilogy was released in 2005, after Nolan was tasked with rebooting the Batman series following the critical and commercial failure of Batman & Robin in 1997. Nolan took the franchise in an entirely unexpected direction, grounding it in a recognizable reality that stood in contrast to the high camp fantasy world of Joel Schumacher's previous two installments, and even Burton's Gothic version of Gotham City. Nolan's Batman Begins introduced audiences to Christian Bale's version of the iconic superhero, and opened to positive reviews and solid box-office reception.