Netflix Is Officially Removing the Best Batman Movie Ever

2 days ago 10

Thomas Wayne (Linus Roache) sits in Bruce Wayne's room, reassuring him in 'Batman Begins' (2005).

Published Oct 20, 2026, 10:45 PM EDT

Rohan Naahar is a News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

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.

The Movie Launched a Blockbuster Franchise

Produced on a reported budget of $150 million, the movie grossed $375 million worldwide. It now holds a “Certified Fresh” 85% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.” Also featuring Cillian Murphy, Katie Holmes, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Ken Watanabe, and Michael Caine, the movie paved the way for The Dark Knight to gross more than $1 billion at the global box office. The trilogy was concluded in 2012 with The Dark Knight Rises. You can watch Batman Begins on Netflix in the U.K. until November 7, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.