Batman Begins: Coming to a theater near you (really)
Batman Begins has already begun for most of the world -- including Hong Kong and Taiwan -- and, actually, it's already arrived in Shanghai, too (thanks to some guy with a camcorder). But you may want to hold off on watching your pirated DVD just yet, because the movie of the summer is actually going to open in Mainland China this summer. In just six days to be exact. Batman Begins opens in Shanghai on June 29. Yes, it's a full two weeks later than most of our friends beyond our borders -- but it is two weeks earlier than much of Scandanavia and Eastern Europe. Ha! Take that Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. And poor Ukraine has to wait until August 4.
Critics are giving the movie a big thumbs up. And the cast is top notch: Christian Bale -- successfully fattened up -- Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy and Katie Holmes. Speaking of fresh-faced Katie, a Shanghaiist favorite, this may be the last time you get to see what she looked like before crossing over to the dark side. (Did you know that Germany considers Scientology a cult?)
To repeat: Batman Begins begins its Shanghai run June 29. Check your local listings for details. And, as always, good luck trying to find the theater with the fewest mobile phones and audible belches.
