Everyone has their favorite superhero movie, some of which are divisive cult classics while others are confirmed box office juggernauts. Then, there is The Dark Knight, the second movie in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, which is widely regarded as the greatest Batman movie of all time, and one of the highest rated comic book movies ever made. Now, it is unsurprisingly soaring on free streaming after joining Tubi’s library this month.
Starting with Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan helped everyone forget the potential franchise-killer that was Batman & Robin, introducing Christian Bale as a more grounded, tougher version of Bruce Wayne than the one portrayed by Michael Keaton in the dark fantasy world of Tim Burton, or the more colorful outings of Val Kimer and George Clooney in Joel Schumacher’s movies. With The Dark Knight, though, Nolan delivered a near-perfect movie that became the highest-grossing DC movie ever at the time of its release.
Now The Dark Knight has immediately leaped to the number one spot on Tubi after being added to the free streamer’s library this month, and it is closely followed by Batman Begins in the number two spot. At the time of writing, The Dark Knight Rises, the most divisive of Nolan’s movies, is not in the chart, but will likely join the other movies in the coming days as fans binge the whole trilogy while it is available on free streaming.
‘The Dark Knight’ Is the Best Batman Movie of All Time
It may be a subjective topic, but naming the greatest Batman movie of all time will usually come down to a battle between the nostalgic romance of 1989’s Batman, being the first big screen iteration of the character and having the driving force of Jack Nicholson’s Joker behind it, and Nolan’s The Dark Knight, most notable for Heath Ledger’s disturbing and powerful performance as Gotham’s clown prince. For many, it is Ledger’s Joker performance, which would become one of his final and best, that elevates The Dark Knight to a whole new level.
As far as the stats go, The Dark Knight holds the record as the highest rated DC superhero movie ever, with both critics and audiences giving it a 94% rating. Combined with its $1.08 billion box office, it is hard to knock the movie in any way. While many comic book movies are happy to just be that, Nolan’s masterpiece was both a thrilling Batman adventure and a dark, complex crime thriller at the same time.
While the world awaits a new Batman in James Gunn’s DCU, as well as the continuation of Matt Reeves The Batman saga – which is so grounded and gritty it makes Nolan’s trilogy look like it’s lit in neon – there has never been a better time to catch up with Christian Bale’s time as the protector of Gotham City while the movies are available for free on Tubi.
- Release Date
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July 16, 2008
- Runtime
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152 minutes
- Producers
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Benjamin Melniker, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Kevin De La Noy, Michael Uslan