One of the movies in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy earned DC nothing at the global box office, but it deserves far more credit than it has received. This is especially considering how beloved the Dark Knight franchise is overall, with The Dark Knight, in particular, being widely regarded as one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.

Batman is one of the most prolific superheroes in both cinema and TV shows, with the Michael Keaton-led Batman arguably being a progenitor for modern adaptations. The character has also been one of the most successful, with impressive global box office results propped up by largely favorable critical responses.

Batman’s future in the DC Universe is still shrouded in mystery, although the character has already appeared in animated form in Creature Commandos. This isn’t the first time that an animated Batman has appeared as canon in a largely live-action franchise, however, nor is it the only one that has been particularly well-received.

The Dark Knight Series Are Batman’s Biggest Movies Of All Time

Two Of Them Grossed Over $1 Billion

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight franchise revolutionized the superhero genre when it launched with Batman Begins in 2005. After the likes of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin delivered one of the campiest renditions of the Caped Crusader yet, Batman Begins redefined the character in a grittier, more grounded reality akin to the likes of “Batman: Year One.”

Batman Begins earned a relatively modest (by today’s standards) $356 million worldwide, according to The Numbers, but earned rave reviews and an Oscar nomination. The warm reception helped to reignite enthusiasm around Batman, regardless, setting the live-action Dark Knight trilogy in good stead to break $1 billion globally with both sequels.

The Dark Knight then entered a league of its own, becoming the first superhero movie in history to earn $1 billion worldwide. This accolade would be bolstered by The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, which earned slightly more thanks to the franchise’s unᴀssailable reputation.

In fact, despite earning just a fraction of its successors, Batman Begins was the second-highest-grossing Batman movie at the time, behind 1989’s Batman, which earned $413 million globally. Now, Batman has become one of the most bankable characters in superhero cinema, with 2022’s The Batman earning $773 million globally.

Nevertheless, this unprecedented success is somewhat tempered by an often-overlooked extra installment, technically the franchise’s second, which earned just $0 globally upon release.

Batman: Gotham Knight Is Still Part Of The Franchise Even If It Didn’t Release In Cinemas The Same

It Earned $0 Worldwide

Batman: Gotham Knight is an animated anthology movie that is technically canon to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight series. The Japanese-American movie takes a unique approach to the Dark Knight’s newly established cinematic story, with six animated segments produced by separate animation companies, including:

• Studio 4°C
• Madhouse
• Bee Train
• Production I.G

Batman: Gotham Knight canonically takes place between the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight​​​​, fleshing out the тιтular hero’s story and activities in Gotham after making his heroic debut and before encountering his greatest enemy yet, the Joker. Unlike the prequel and sequel movies, however, it wasn’t given a theatrical release.

This means that Batman: Gotham Knight earned precisely $0 at the global box office. In fact, as it was a straight-to-TV movie, it suffered relative obscurity with only the most die-hard Batman fans being aware of its existence. This is a shame, because Batman: Gotham Knight is a criminally underrated installment in the franchise.

Batman: Gotham Knight Is Criminally Underrated

It Is A Unique Supplement To The Dark Knight Franchise

Batman: Gotham Knight was largely well-received by fans and critics upon release. It provides a fascinating exploration of Batman’s activities in Gotham, supplementing the limited depiction that could be included in the space of a standard live-action movie. What’s more is that the тιтular hero is voiced by a bona fide legend in Batman’s media legacy.

The late Kevin Conroy made his mark as the voice of Batman in the celebrated Batman: The Animated Series (where he starred opposite Mark Hamill’s Joker) and went on to voice the Caped Crusader in various other animated adaptations, including Justice League Unlimited and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. His lending his voice to this production consequently gives it more gravitas.

Batman: Gotham Knight is also one of the more unique takes on an animated version of Batman. The fact that it depicts six stories in different animation styles keeps it fresh and distinct from the recognizable animation style ᴀssociated with the likes of Batman: The Animated Series.

This also helps to distinguish Batman: Gotham Knight from animations geared towards younger audiences. Fans of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight franchise might be surprised at how the animated anthology doesn’t sidestep the more mature themes depicted in Nolan’s live-action film series. In fact, Batman: Gotham Knight even goes a step further in its depiction of bloodier violence.

Ultimately, Batman: Gotham Knights is an unmissable supplement for fans of the live-action Dark Knight series that helps to bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight with a distinctly fresh format. Now that the DCU gets underway in earnest with both animated and live-action installments, more credit should be afforded to Batman: Gotham Knights.

Source: The Numbers