Batman Begins | Returns to Cinemas

After 20 years, Batman Begins will return to select cinemas in limited markets. It’s been in the news for almost a week now, and this won’t be considered news by now. But in one of those regional markets, the Philippines will have a special screening of the said film, as discovered through Ayala Cinema in their Sure Seats ticketing website, which is just older than the Batman Begins itself. It is not often that Ayala Cinemas has ever had this type of special screening. Most of the past films that get a limited re-release in cinemas are hosted by competing rivals like SM Cinemas, which has screened several classics like E.T., Jurassic Park, and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Superman ’78, as prime examples of what they have done in the last five years. But this December, Ayala Cinemas is getting theirs with Batman Begins, celebrating 20 years, which is also the launch of the directorial career of Christopher Nolan to a wider audience that grounded the Dark Knight in a relatable character.

Batman is not just a “creature of the night” or a caricature that is portrayed in comics and past media in the past.It would be one of the elements that would be adapted under superhero films in this genre.

This also cements a more human portrayal of Bruce Wayne and a modern retelling of the character’s origins based on graphic novels that inspired it, such as Batman: Year One, The Long Halloween, and The Man Who Falls. These books are still held in high regard as the titles to have in your collection.

When Batman Begins was released on June 15, 2005, there were not many merchandise tie-ins compared to the current films, which had a slew of products prior to the release of the film. It’s a product of a simpler time in the early 2000s, and DC with Warner Bros was trying to revive the franchise after it failed at the box office in 1997 with Batman & Robin.

This film had an ensemble cast with Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, and Morgan Freeman. This stars Christian Bale in the lead role and a pre-Academy Award winner in Cillian Murphy as the villainous Scarecrow, who would appear in the follow-up sequels. It’s something worth living, the type of nostalgia, the 2000s kids’ version of Batman ’89.

It’s worth seeing it again on the big screen, and lucky Filipinos will have their chance next month, as tickets will be available soon.

For now, another flashback nostalgia for those who first saw the film twenty years ago is some limited edition drinking cups that were sold by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in the Philippines to promote the film, with three unique designs to choose from, and these were found in a cupboard just sitting behind other collectible cups lost in the past. KFC didn’t make any more promotional items by 2008 as their last to do so with The Dark Knight, but that’s another story to share.

These images of the cups are enough to bring that nostalgia now that Batman Begins is heading to the cinemas once again.

"Batman Begins" returns to Philippine cinemas on December 10, 2025, with tickets available soon from Ayala Malls Cinemas or through SureSeats.com!