Batman made his comic debut back in Detective Comics #27, published in March of 1939. Ever since then, he has become one of the most iconic characters in entertainment history. That's not exactly hyperbole - everyone knows who Batman is, even the people who have never read a comic book, watched a TV show, or viewed a single movie.
Since 1989, nine films have been released with Batman as the primary protagonist. Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher released four, Christopher Nolan did his Dark Knight trilogy, and he has starred in the DCEU films Batman v Superman and Justice League. But how successful were these respective releases?
9 Batman (1989): $42.7 Million
Released in 1989, Batman was directed by Tim Burton and starred Michael Keaton in the titular role. It opened on the Thursday preceding the weekend of June 23-25 and grossed a total of $42.7 million from 2,194 theaters.
It held the top spot through the July long weekend, where it grossed another $43.5 million for a total of $113.7 million. It finally finished its theatrical run on December 10, with its domestic box office totaling $251.1 million. Despite being a huge success, it is the lowest opening weekend for a Batman film.
8 Batman & Robin (1997): $42.8 Million
By 1997, interest in the Batman series had waned. Batman Forever was a bit of a critical disappointment owing to its wackier and more colorful tone, and Batman & Robin was earning exceptionally poor reviews. To this day, it is widely regarded as one of the worst movies ever made - let alone the worst Batman film.
The movie opened the weekend of June 20-22, 1997 and grossed $42.8 million, accounting for the lowest opening for a Batman film since the 1989 original. This universe was officially over, and Nolan would later take over eight years later.
7 Batman Returns (1992): $47.7 Million
The second Batman movie to be directed by Tim Burton, Batman Returns served as the direct follow-up to the 1989 original and retained the dark and dreary tone of its predecessor. It also proved a huge commercial success.
Opening on a Thursday for the weekend of June 19-21, 1992, Batman Returns grossed $47.7 million from 2,644 theaters. It held the top box office spot for three consecutive weeks and finished its run on October 18 with a domestic total of $162.7 million. It wasn't nearly as successful as the 1989 original, but a huge commercial success, nevertheless.
6 Batman Forever (1995): $52.7 Million
Despite a significantly worse critical reception, Batman Forever was still a commercial success and the highest-grossing film of the original Batman series in terms of opening weekend gross.
With Joel Schumacher taking over for Tim Burton, Forever came equipped with a more comedic tone - complete with Jim Carrey as The Riddler - and a different Batman in Val Kilmer. The movie opened on the weekend of June 16-18, 1995, grossing $52.7 million. It ended its domestic run on November 5 with a total of $183.9 million - over $20 million more than its predecessor.
5 Batman Begins (2005): $72.8 Million
Following the failure of the goofy, pun-filled Batman & Robin, Christopher Nolan brought the series back to its dark and gritty roots with Batman Begins. While everyone was still a little sore from the disappointment of Batman & Robin, Batman Begins proved a respectable success.
Like its predecessors, the movie opened in June, this time on a Wednesday. From June 17-19, Batman Begins grossed $48.7 million, with its five-day opening totaling $72.8 million. It surpassed Batman Forever as the highest opening for a Batman film, but it was nothing compared to what was coming.
4 Justice League (2017): $93.8 Million
Serving as the climactic achievement of the DCEU, Justice League was a monumental disappointment. Ben Affleck stars as Batman, reprising his role from Batman v Superman. The movie opened to poor reviews and a poor box office gross, taking in just $93.8 million in its opening weekend of November 17-19, 2017.
It was an enormous commercial disappointment, and it would later gross just $60 million over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Justice League finished its domestic run on March 11 with a paltry $229 million.
3 The Dark Knight (2008): $158.4 Million
Batman Begins proved a huge critical and commercial success, and hype was through the roof for the 2008 follow-up, The Dark Knight. Hype was also aided by Heath Ledger's performance and passing, with his performance garnering wide praise from critics and Ledger having passed away six months before the film's release.
The movie opened the weekend of July 18-20, 2008, grossing a very respectable $158.4 million.
2 The Dark Knight Rises (2012): $160.8 Million
The Dark Knight was instantly acclaimed and enormously popular, and The Dark Knight Rises was proving the final movie in Christopher Nolan's rebooted trilogy. Of course it was going to have a stellar opening weekend.
Opening the weekend of July 20-22, 2012, The Dark Knight Rises grossed a solid $160.8 million, making it the highest-grossing opening weekend for a standalone Batman film. That said, the movie's domestic cumulative fell short of its predecessor, grossing $448 million compared to The Dark Knight's $533 million.
1 Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016): $181 Million
Serving as the crossover movie event of the 21st century, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice combined Ben Affleck's Batman with Henry Cavill's Superman, making for the first crossover film of the DCEU. And like most films of the DCEU, it opened in a relatively disappointing fashion.
Opening over the long Easter weekend, expectations were high, but Batman v Superman grossed $181 million over four days. It heralded the movie's disappointing box office performance, as it finished with just $330 million - significantly less than both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
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