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Superheroes easily rank among the most popular characters in the history of modern cinema, and action-packed superhero movies captivate both young and adult audiences. Over the years, superhero movies have escalated from B-movies to commercial blockbusters, and even created complex universes that have changed entire industries forever, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Expanded Universe, which are still expanding year by year as new titles are released.
There are certainly a lot of popular superheroes, and while every viewer has their favorites, it's safe to say that Batman is one of the most popular superheroes of all time. It's no exaggeration to say that this iconic character has firmly established itself in popular culture, becoming one of the finest fictional characters of all time, as well as one of the most commercially successful.
Since its creation in 1939 by Bob Cain and Bill Finger, this DC Comics character has starred in a wide variety of productions, from comics to films, TV series, video games, and spin-offs of all kinds. Over the years, his film series has become one of the highest-grossing films in the world. Cinematically, Batman has left a deep imprint on screen history since the release of the first film to bear his name in 1943.
So far, he has played the lead role in 15 films and has played major roles in several films, the most recent being the 2022 film The New Batman, starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Matt Reeves. Throughout history, star actors such as Michael Keaton, Fon Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale have played him. While not all Batman movies were well-received by audiences upon release, many of the franchise's titles were box office hits. Here are a few of the highest-grossing Batman movies.
Joel Schumacher's 1997 "Batman and Robin" is one of the highest-grossing films in the Batman franchise, but the film is still one of the worst-rated films of all time, so much so that the actor even apologized for his performance in the movie. "Batman and Robin" is the fourth film in the Batman series, starring George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell, and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone and Michael Golfe. In this movie, Batman and Robin embark on an urgent mission to stop the villains Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy before they take control of Gotham City.
Batman & Robin was criticized by critics, receiving several nominations and awards at the Golden Raspberry Awards and the Bad Bug Awards. Its performance was so disappointing that Warner Bros. decided to stop filming the originally planned sequel, Batman Unchained. With the film's failure, Clooney stated that he would never play a superhero again.
In 1989, Tim Burton directed "Batman", which became an instant hit. So, three years later, he returned to direct the sequel "Batman Returns", but on the condition that he enjoy creative freedom. Although the film was not as popular as the first one, it still became one of the highest-grossing films of 1992. Michael Keaton once again plays the lead role, with Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken and Michael Gough joining in the cast.
This time, Batman has to face crime boss Oswald Copperporter, better known as the Penguin, who teams up with Celina Kyle, a vengeful catwoman, to cause a series of troubles. "Batman Returns" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects, and also received four nominations for the Saturn Awards, but did not receive any awards.
2017's The LEGO Batman Movie is the first spin-off film in the LEGO Movie franchise that began in 2014. The film is directed by Chris Mackay, and Will Arnett, who voiced Batman in The Lego Movie, continues to interpret the character with his voice, and Zach Gallifianakis, Michael Serra, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes also join the film.
In this movie, Batman must once again take on the Joker, but in order to stop this villain and save Gotham City, he must learn to fight alongside his allies. The LEGO Batman Movie received several nominations and some awards, was a box office hit, and critics were satisfied.
1995's Batman Forever, the third film in the series and the sequel to Batman Returns. This time, Burton served as the producer and Schumacher as the director. Val Kilmer replaces Keaton in the lead role, and Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman and Chris O'Donnell join in the cast.
Batman Forever follows the popular DC hero who must stop two notorious villains, Two-Faced and the Riddler, though this time he needs to rely on the assistance of Dick Grayson, who has gone from an orphaned acrobat to his most loyal assistant. Despite its mixed reviews, the film performed very well at the box office, fueling the development of the next sequel, Batman & Robin, which was not as popular. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Effects.
The 1997 response to Batman & Robin was a disappointing one, and Warner Bros. decided to suspend all Batman-related projects until Christopher Nolan appeared, who launched the first installment of The Dark Knight Trilogy in 2005, Batman Prequel, which took off a global craze. Not only did the production bring the DC superhero back to popularity, but it also became one of the greatest films of the 2000s, cementing Nolan's status as a famous director, and starring Christian Bale as one of the most acclaimed actors of the time.
Batman: The Mystery of the Shadows depicts the origins of Bruce Wayne and his journey to become Batman, and pits him against two powerful villains who plot to destroy Gotham City. Bale co-stars with actors such as Michael Kane, Liam Neeson, Katie Helms, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Crilian Murphy. In addition to being a box office hit, the work was critically acclaimed by critics and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
In 1988, Burton was just beginning to make a name for himself as a director due to the success of "Beetle Juice". Warner Bros. gave him the opportunity to direct "The Batman," which was also his biggest work at the time. For the film's lead role, Burton and the producers chose Keaton, which was a very controversial casting at the time, as Keaton was widely believed to be a comedian. However, Keaton defied all odds to present the audience with one of the most popular performances in Batman's history.
The Batman kicked off the Warner Bros. Batman film series, and in addition to Keaton, the cast includes Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wool, and Pat Singer. The film follows the confrontation between Batman and the Joker, brilliantly played by Nicholson. "Batman" won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction and many other honors.
After the news broke that Robert Pattinson would star in Batman, everything was the same as in 1989 when Keaton was announced to play Batman. But just like Keaton, Pattinson took on the challenge of the role, his first major production since starring in the teen film series Twilight. The 2022 movie "The New Batman" directed by Matt Reeves tells the story of a young Bruce Wayne who fights crime in Gotham City in his early years and battles wits with a mysterious killer who calls himself Riddler. Pattinson's cast of the hit film are Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Tetoro, Colin Farrell, Peter Sarsgard and Andy Serkis.
This reboot of the "Batman" series has caused a huge response among critics and audiences, and there are two sequels planned and a series of TV series featuring characters such as Penguin Man to build a Batman cinematic universe. The second part is already scheduled to be released in October 2025.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, released in 2016, is DCEU's second film and a sequel to 2013's Superman: Man of Steel. The film is directed by Zach Snyder, starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as Batman and Superman, with actors such as Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Lawrence Fishburne, and Gal Gadot.
The story takes place a few years after Superman and General Zod destroy Metropolis, and Bruce Wayne believes that Superman is more of a threat to society than a hero, so he decides to solve Superman's problem with his own hands. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was a box office hit and was one of the highest-grossing films of the year, however, its reputation was not as good as expected.
Following the huge success of 2005's Batman: The Mystery of the Shadows, the second installment in the Nolan trilogy, The Dark Knight, was released in 2008 and became the highest-grossing film of the year and the most popular superhero film of the time. In this film, Bale once again plays Batman, this time he must face the Joker, played by Heath Lay. Initially, Ledger's casting was controversial, with many believing that he was not up to the task of playing the infamous villain, and of course, he proved everyone wrong.
Ledger passed away a few months before the release of The Dark Knight, but he received several honors after his death, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Along with Bell and Ledger, the film stars Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman.
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises is the finale of Nolan's trilogy and the most popular entry in the Batman franchise, surpassing its predecessor to become the highest-grossing Batman movie of all time. The film takes place eight years after the events of the Dark Knight Joker, and Batman is believed to be responsible for Harvey Dent's death, forcing him to keep a very low profile. But when a *** and a cat thief come to Gotham City, he must come from the shadows ** and defend the city again.
In addition to Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Morgan Freeman also join the film. To date, The Dark Knight Rises remains Nolan's highest-grossing film.