Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight was partially filmed in Hong Kong and was welcomed there back in 2008 because it was expected to provide a small boost to tourism. That attitude has since changed, as evidenced by the recent cancelation of a public screening.

As reported by Bloomberg, organizers The Grounds attempted to arrange a public outdoor screening of The Dark Knight, scheduled for Oct. 27. The Hong Kong Government Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration sent a notice the organizers directing them to cancel the event. While government officials did not make the reasons behind the decision public, Mingpao interviewed the organizers, who suggested The Dark Knight was perceived to be too violent for public screening.

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There is also some speculation that some of the themes contained in the film may violate the film censorship law passed in 2021. Those found violating the law with films that have not been given official approval face fines of up to $130,000 and three years in prison. Furthermore, authorities are allowed to search a premises without a warrant in order to check whether or not film screenings violate the law. The legislation followed a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing in response to the 2019 Hong Kong protests.

In recent years, the CCP-ruled government has been criticized for violating Hong Kong's democratic freedoms -- which was guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration -- and attempting to assimilate the special administrative region where it was previously governed under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle. It has been this principle that allowed the majority of Hollywood films to screen in Hong Kong, even if they were banned in Mainland China.

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The Dark Knight's Legacy

The Dark Knight was the second instalment in Nolan's trilogy and continues to enjoy widespread praise for helping to shape the superhero genre in cinema. On top of being a hit with critics and audiences, the film was a massive box office success, grossing $1.006 billion against a budget of $185 million. The trilogy was capped off with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, concluding Christian Bale's time as Bruce Wayne.

The actor recently expressed a willingness to reprise the role, should the opportunity arise. However, there was one caveat. "For me, that would be a matter of [Dark Knight trilogy director] Chris Nolan, if he ever decided to do it again and if he chose to come my way again, then yeah, I would consider it because that was always our pact between each other is we would just stick to it. We said we would only ever make three. And then I said to myself, and I'd only ever make it with Chris."

The Dark Knight trilogy is currently available for streaming on HBO Max.

Source: Bloomberg, Mingpao