As the de facto most popular superhero of DC comics, it's no shock that Batman has always been a box office draw. The caped crusader's battle against mafia toughs and Gotham's criminals are a surefire way to get butts in seats, no matter who is behind the cowl. It is a proven franchise blockbuster.
However, some Batmen performed a lot better at the box office than others. By taking a look at the statistics on Box Office Mojo, fans can get a good idea of which cinematic Batmen were the most beloved (at least in theaters).
Batman & Robin (1997) - $238.2 Million
The last Batman film of the '90s left the franchise not with a bang, but more of a light fizzle. Going even farther from the dark aesthetic of the original Batman (even more than Batman Forever did), Batman & Robin is widely considered by many to be the worst live-action Batman movie of all time. While time has given a mild smirk towards the campiness, it certainly wasn't doing great when it was released.
The combination of corny humor with the weirdly sexual undertones, the odd casting of the iconic Mr. Freeze, and the expensive yet incredibly cheap-looking sets (the movie had a budget of $125 million) made for a movie that was best experienced in the midst of a high fever. Still, it made a decent amount internationally according to other sources, but the movie left the Batman franchise in murky waters for almost a decade.
Batman Returns (1992) - $266.9 Million
Batman Returns, despite being the second lowest-earning movie in the box office, was a record-setter in itself and shows exactly how much of a box office powerhouse Batman was. Easily making more than double its budget of $80 million, Batman Returns was a major hit and was the highest opening weekend for any film of 1992. It's no surprise considering how well-received the first cinematic Batman outing went.
The film, despite being noted as rather dark and violent for its time, is beloved by comic book fans and casual fans alike. The movie also had some macabre new takes on iconic characters such as the sultry and sadistic portrayal of Catwoman by Michelle Pfeifer, and the disgustingly dark flesh-eating Penguin, portrayed by Danny Devito.
Batman Forever (1995) - $336.5 Million
This may shock some newer fans of the Batman franchise, but Batman Forever was actually a box office success (almost doubling its budget domestically), despite a lot of modern takes on the movie skewing towards the negative. As it turns out, people really liked Batman and Jim Carrey during the '90s, and movies like Batman Forever being the way they are and still making a huge profit show how huge of a draw both these two things were.
While many critics rightfully complained about the sudden shift away from the grim and edgy universe of Keaton's Batman, Batman Forever seemed to resonate most with audiences who just wanted to have some fun at the cinema. The charisma of Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey carried the film on its back, and Kilmer was a serviceable enough replacement for the caped crusader.
Batman Begins (2005) - $373.6 Million
Completely straying away from the campy energy of Schumacher's films, Batman Begins reminds audiences what made Batman's cinematic debut such a hit in the first place. Gone are the bright colors and wacky villains, replaced with a much more grounded and human story about Bruce Wayne's eventual transformation into Batman.
Christopher Nolan takes Batman's origins in a mature new direction which resonated hard with audiences. Batman Begins would set the trend for superhero movies going forward as gritty and realistic affairs, and that trend has continued for DC films since (barring a Shazam! or Wonder Woman 1984 here and there).
Batman (1989) - $411.5 Million
The cinematic debut of Batman finally cements the hero's position as a "Dark Knight." In sharp contrast to Adam West's goofy and humorous Batman, Tim Burton's Batman rocked the blockbuster world by proving that a guy who wears a cape and bat ears can pull off some incredibly menacing things.
The movie was the benchmark for all Batman movies (sans Schumacher) going forward. A dark and relatively grim portrayal of Gotham, and no matter how absurd some villains got, their danger would never be played for laughs. Keaton's Batman was a classic anti-hero, and the equally dark but positively chipper portrayal of the Joker by Jack Nicholson was a great foil.
The Batman (2022) - $598 Million+
The latest incarnation of Batman is still in theaters, but it's not likely to beat Batman V Superman or the rest of the Nolan trilogy anytime soon. However, it's more than earned its spot it has now, especially in a world that is just recovering from a global pandemic. Matt Reeve's The Batman is more akin to the likes of Tim Burton's Batman as opposed to the Nolan incarnation.
While still far more grounded than most Batman incarnations, it does take a few important liberties with the aesthetic and gadgetry that are more fantastical than Nolan's universe. The Batman takes on a new side to Batman that hasn't been really explored in other movies: being the 'World's Greatest Detective." Time will tell if this new franchise has the same box office power as Nolan's trilogy. It is also still growing in this department.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) - $873.6 Million
Of course, having two huge draws in the form of DC's two most popular superheroes ensured this movie would be a success. However, it wasn't quite as successful as a clash between these two titanic icons of comic books should have been. Batman v Superman suffered a massive drop in box office profits, going down over 80% in its second theatrical week.
The hype managed to earn this movie solid profit, and the visuals and action were certainly a strong point. However, the movie tried to have its cake and eat it too with too many storylines being mashed in towards the end. Although a success, the movie's disappointing numbers foreshadowed the eventual restructuring of the DCEU.
The Dark Knight (2008) - $1.060 Billion
Considered by many to be Christopher Nolan's magnum opus, as well as one of, if not the best comic book movies of all time, The Dark Knight gives the cape crusader its first taste of the billion-dollar box office. The Dark Knight held the record of highest-grossing comic book movie of all time focused on a single character until that record was beaten by its sequel, The Dark Knight Rises.
Batman hype was at an all-time high by this point, and Ledger's portrayal was so iconic that every version of the Joker since has fallen under his long shadow. Many attribute the movie's success to Heath Ledger's fantastic portrayal of the Joker as an anarchist hellbent on toppling Gotham's facade of "justice" crumbling to the ground.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - $1.081 Billion
2012's The Dark Knight Rises, despite having a strangely "prequel' sounding name, is the conclusion to Nolan's trilogy. That alone easily earns its spot as the highest-grossing Batman film of all time, as audiences rushed to theaters to see how the trilogy would finally end. While there are admittedly a few fumbles narratively, it was still a great swan song for the character of Nolan's Batman.
Tom Hardy's performance as Bane, whether audiences unironically loved it or just found his funny voice amusing, was without a doubt a huge factor in the film's success.