In an effort to drive subscribers to its HBO Max streaming service, Warner Bros. sacrificed box office revenue in 2021 and ended up with a string of flops (with The Suicide Squad and The Matrix Resurrections among them). While their movies will now only play in theaters for 45 days before arriving on Digital, the studio is back to embracing the big screen this year starting with The Batman.
Opening weekend estimates in North America are already pretty good (possibly north of $100 million), but things are looking similarly positive overseas with the news that The Batman will be released in China.
This is a surprise given some of the DC Comics adaptation's themes, not to mention the Middle Kingdom recently refusing to release the vast majority of Hollywood blockbusters, including Spider-Man: No Way Home and Marvel Studios' entire Phase 4 slate thus far.
Deadline reports that a video has been posted to Warner Bros.' Weibo account with Robert Pattinson telling fans in China, "Today, I have good news for you," before co-star Zoë Kravitz adds, "our new movie, The Batman, will be released in China." There's currently no news on a specific release date.
In related news, a Korean TV spot for The Batman has been released that features an intense sequence with the Caped Crusader chasing down The Penguin in the Batmobile. The vehicle may be a little more grounded than its comic book counterpart, but it's still an absolute beast of a Batmobile.
The Batman is set to be released in theaters on March 4.