Batman Returns

Batman Returns
Batman Returns
Directed by	Tim Burton
Produced by	Denise DeNovi
Starring	Michael Keaton; Danny DeVito; Michelle Pfeiffer
Music by	Danny Elfman
Cinematography	Stefan Czapsky
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	June 19 1992
Running time	126 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$282 822 354

Batman Returns was the second Batman movie directed by Tim Burton. It was released on June 19, 1992 worldwide to audience and financial success.

Synopsis

One year after the events of Batman, Batman falls in love with the beautiful and crafty vigilante Catwoman. Meanwhile, he has to stop a deformed psychopath called Penguin and the greedy and cruel Max Shriek.

Release Dates

Country	Premiere
Australia	June 19, 1992
United States	June 19, 1992
Spain	June 26, 1992
Peru	July 1992
Brazil	July 3, 1992
Finland	July 3, 1992
Portugal	July 3, 1992
Uruguay	July 3, 1992
Argentina	July 9, 1992
United Kingdom	July 10, 1992
Ireland	July 10, 1992
Japan	July 11, 1992
South Korea	July 11, 1992
France	July 15, 1992
Colombia	July 16, 1992
Germany	July 16, 1992
	July 16, 1992
Sweden	July 31, 1992
Netherlands	August 7, 1992
Norway	August 8, 1992
Denmark	August 14, 1992
Hungary	August 14, 1992
Chile	September 1992
Italy	September 11, 1992
Greece	September 18, 1992
Turkey	October 1992
Poland	October 2, 1992

Plot

A couple throws their child into the sewers because he is a deformed monster that killed their cat and showed violent tendecies. 33 years later, the child becomes the criminal Penguin. He kidnaps businessman Max Shreck, blackmailing him into helping him become a citizen of Gotham City using evidence of his corporate crimes. Meanwhile, Max finds out his secretary, Selina Kyle, has found out he is planning to build a power plant which will drain Gotham City of its electricity. Max pushes her out of a window, ensuring that she will not tell anyone. However, a flock of alley cats lick her semi-corpse, reviving her. She returns home, suffering a mental breakdown, becoming the antiheroine Catwoman.

Penguin makes one of his costumed henchman to kidnap the mayor's baby while he "saves" him, becoming a hero in the eyes of the people however, billionaire Bruce Wayne is suspicious of the Penguin and finds out that he is the leader of the Red Triangle Circus Gang who commits crimes throughout Gotham. As Batman, Bruce decides to protect Gotham from the gang. After Penguin finds out his parents are dead and his name is Oswald Cobblepot, Max decides to make Penguin the mayor of Gotham City because the current mayor will not approve Max's power plant.

To do this, Penguin makes the Red Triangle Circus Gang create a riot, making the people lose all faith in the mayor but Batman stops it. During the riot, Catwoman vandalizes Shreck's Department Store. When Batman and Penguin confront each other, she intervenes, saying "Meow" before the store blows up(she rigged it to blow). Penguin escapes but Catwoman fights Batman. Batman pushes her off a rooftop but a sandbox on a truck saves her. The next day, Penguin and Catwoman work together to destroy Batman. Bruce and Selina also have a romantic relationship. Penguin and Catwoman kidnap the Ice Princess, an actress chosen to turn on the Gotham City Christmas Tree Lights, framing Batman for it. Batman finds her but Catwoman takes her to a rooftop where Penguin releases a swarm of flying bats which make the Princess retreat backwards, falling off, making the people believe Batman killed her. Catwoman is shocked that the Penguin killed the Princess and rejects Penguin's advances, prompting him to kill her, unsuccessfully though. Batman enters the Batmobile and finds out that Penguin has control over it. Penguin takes it on a devastating rampage but Batman regains control over it, escaping death.

During the rampage, Batman recorded Penguin's evil plans and plays it during Penguin's election speech, turning the people against him. Penguin goes mad with rage and kidnaps all the first-born sons of Gotham City and Max too. Batman saves all the babies and pushes Penguin into toxic liquid. Catwoman tries to kill Max but Batman stops her. Max shoots Batman, knocking him out and Catwoman claims that she has six of her nine lives left but Max shoots her four times, leaving her with two lives. Catwoman kisses Max with an electrical taser between their lips and connects it to a broken wire, creating an explosion which kills Max but Batman cannot find Selina's corpse. Penguin emerges from the water but the heat kills him.

Afterwards, Alfred, Bruce's butler, drives Bruce home. Suddenly, Bruce spots Selina's shadow in an alley. He investigates the area, only finding her black cat, Miss Kitty, taking her with him. He and Alfred exchange Christmas wishes. Finally, Batsignal lights up in the night sky and Catwoman rises up, staring at it, confirming that she is alive.

Production

Tim Burton was not willing to direct a second Batman. However, when the studio told him if it was a Burton movie, not a Batman movie, it got his attention and he agreed to direct it. They cast Michael Keaton as Batman, Danny DeVito as Penguin and Annette Bening as Catwoman. However, Bening dropped out due to pregnancy and every actress from 20 to 45 on the planet wanted to be Catwoman. When Michelle Pfeiffer expressed an interest, something clicked to the producers thinking "You know, she's perfect. She also could be both Selina Kyle and Catwoman." The final shot of Catwoman staring at the Batsignal was shot during post-production and cost US$250 000.

Release

The movie was released on June 19, 1992 worldwide. It received a score of 81% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $282,822,354^[1] worldwide, being the sixth highest-grossing film of 1992. It is then and now, the best reviewed Batman movie from the Burton/Schumacher movie series.

Batman Returns Media

Tim Burton (pictured in 2012) agreed to direct Batman Returns in exchange for greater creative control.
Writer Daniel Waters (seen in 2008) was hired by Tim Burton to revise Sam Hamm's initial draft.
Christopher Walken (pictured in 2008) based his performance on moguls such as Sol Hurok and Samuel Goldwyn.
Michelle Pfeiffer in 1985. Although critics were polarized by many aspects of Batman Returns, Pfeiffer's performance received near-unanimous praise.
Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America was opened in 1992 with Batman Returns.
Cosplayers at the 2015 Dragon Con dressed as the Batman Returns versions of Penguin and Catwoman