The Weirdest Batman Movie Turns 25

<div><p>After the massive box-office hit that was 1989's <em>Batman</em>, director Tim Burton returned for its even higher-budget followup, 1992's <em>Batman Returns.</em></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/batman_returns_michael_keaton_2.jpeg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>DenOfGeek</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div align="center" data-freestar-ad="__336x280 __789x280" id="throwbacks_articles_incontent _1"> </div><p></p><p>The hype was even more massive this time around. Michael Keaton returned as the Caped Crusader, and this time he was joined by not one, but two of his most famous foes: Danny DeVito's The Penguin, and Michelle Pfeifer's Catwoman.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/513341-96678_batman_returns_movie_stills_ccbn_20_122_521l.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>SciFiNow</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p><strong>In honor of its 25th birthday, let's take a look at some of the interesting thing about this movie.</strong></p><h3>1) Michelle Pfeifer went through 60 catsuits</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/batman-returns-catwoman-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>TopTenz</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>This was over a 6 month shooting period, apparently costing the studio about $1000 per suit. When asked about the costume, Pfeifer responded that as soon as filming was completed, she never wanted to see it again for the rest of her life.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/latest-cb-20130622075037.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center">We can only imagine how relieved she was to rip the mask off.<cite>Batman Wiki</cite></figcaption></figure></div><h3>2) Batman straight up kills a guy.</h3><div><amp-youtube height="9" width="16" layout="responsive" data-videoid="hn_FMsoTkGY"></amp-youtube></div><p>Yeah. That's Batman, the superhero who insists on never killing anybody, strapping dynamite to an evil circus performer, knocking him down a drain, and walking away from the resulting, definitely fatal explosion.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/BR9-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center">Jeeze dude...<cite>The Sports Hero</cite></figcaption></figure></div><h3>3) Christopher Walken made Tim Burton uncomfortable</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/vlcsnap-2014-02-15-23h22m09s102-1.png" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>WalkenChronicles</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>I remind you that Tim Burton is the director of strange, sometimes genuinely creepy films like <em>Beetlejuice</em> and <em>Sleepy Hollow</em>. But no, according to the film's casting director, Tim Burton's comment on Walken was "The man scares the hell out of me."</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/latest-cb-20160609025325.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center">Can't imagine why.<cite>Villains Wikia</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div align="center" data-freestar-ad="__336x280 __789x280" id="throwbacks_articles_video"> </div><p></p><h3>4) Danny DeVito stayed in character between takes</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/PVRuRG7-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>imgur</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>In an effort to truly manifest the sheer weird grossness of this film's version of The Penguin, Danny DeVito remained in character even when the cameras weren't rolling. I'm sure this didn't unnerve a single cast or crew member at any point.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/88e284a34e81c1ad2e2f411140c4929b.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>imdb</cite></figcaption></figure></div><h3>5) It broke box office records</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/final_cool-20angle-20perf-20hall.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>UChicago</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>The film made nearly $44.7 Million in its opening 3 days, which at the time was unprecedented. However, this would soon be beaten with the <a href="https://www.throwbacks.com/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-jurassic-park/" target="_blank">release of <em>Jurassic Park</em> the year after.</a></p><h3>Click to the next page for more facts about <em>Batman Returns</em>!</h3><h3>6) Parents were not happy about it</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/angry-parents-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Ministry to Children</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>Despite the film being a huge box office success, Warner Bros. was inundated with letters from angry parents who felt the film was far too dark and cynical for their children. This in turn caused Warner Bros. to replace Burton with Joel Schumacher for the following Batman films, which ultimately lead to <a href="https://www.throwbacks.com/13-reasons-batman-robin-is-the-worst-movie-of-1997/" target="_blank">one of the worst movies of the 90s, <em>Batman &amp; Robin</em>.</a></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/batman-robin-movie.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center">Parents ruin everything cool.<cite>DenOfGeek</cite></figcaption></figure></div><h3>7) It really is pretty freaking dark</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/latest-cb-20130901022401.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>BatmanWiki</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>Tim Burton drew on a lot of German expressionist horror films from the 1920s for the look of Gotham city and the movie's various sets, and MAN does it show.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/batman-returns-04.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>ToyLab</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>Fun fact: Christopher Walken's character, Max Schreck, is named after the actor who portrayed Count Orlock in <em>Nosferatu</em>, the first vampire film.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/nosferatuhed.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center">This'll be a GREAT reference for the kids!<cite>MentalFloss</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><div align="center" data-freestar-ad="__336x280 __789x280" id="throwbacks_articles_incontent_2"> </div><p></p><h3>8) The posters for the film kept getting stolen</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/61upTFV12BL-_SY550_-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Amazon</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>Warner Bros. apparently had to send tons of copies of the iconic Catwoman poster to various cities, as they kept getting stolen from bus stops. The police even had to get involved, as people would break the Plexiglas casing surrounding the posters!</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/batman2police5-1075-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>imdb</cite></figcaption></figure></div><h3>9) Lots of actors didn't make it into the movie</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/960-2.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>The AV Club</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>Billy Dee Williams was supposed to return as D.A. Harvey Dent, who would ultimately turn into Two-Face during the span of the film. Even after the character was replaced with Max Schreck, it was first offered to David Bowie!</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/davidbowie-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center">He took a role in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me instead.<cite>imdb</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>Annette Bening was originally cast as Catwoman as well, but she was replaced by Pfeifer upon discovering she was pregnant.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/315d63b36f7b9a15c85a3f0ec2976426-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center">Wonder how she would've done?<cite>imdb</cite></figcaption></figure></div><h3>10) The original Penguin was almost in it</h3><div><figure><amp-img src="https://legacy.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/burgess-meredith-penguin-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Ghost of Blind Lemon</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p>Burgess Meredith, who played The Penguin in the iconic 1960s <em>Batman</em> TV series alongside <a href="https://www.throwbacks.com/6-reasons-we-miss-adam-west/" target="_blank">Adam West</a>, was offered to appear in the film's opening as the father of The Penguin. Unfortunately, illness prevented him from taking the role.</p><p><strong>Happy birthday </strong><em><strong>Batman Returns</strong></em><strong>! Here's to another 25 years!</strong></p><div><amp-youtube height="9" width="16" layout="responsive" data-videoid="TlbtLfWvFbo"></amp-youtube></div></div>