Batman & Robin is the most hated Batman movie ever, but does it actually deserve the continued venom? Does George Clooney's Dark Knight deserve his label as the worst live-action Batman? Three decades after the Bat nipples debacle, there could be temptation for a revisionist reassessment of Joel Schumacher's alleged $160m bomb, but there's something to be said for reviewing Batman & Robin in a light that is all-too-rarely considered. Not for what it isn't, but for what it actually is.
The narrative around Batman & Robin has been shaped by three things more than any other factor: firstly, George Clooney's disowning of what he's called his worst movie; second, the idea that it didn't "get" Batman; and last, that compared to Burton and Nolan's visions for the Dark Knight, it is comically inferior. There is some truth to all three elements, but all remove any assessment of Batman & Robin on its own terms. It's not Burton, it's not Nolan, it's not Ocean's Eleven, it's not Out Of Sight, it's not the dark image of Batman from the comics... but what about the things it is? Let's address it head on.
Batman & Robin In NumbersRelease Date
June 20, 1997
Rotten Tomatoes Score
12%
Budget
$125–160 million
US Box Office
$107,353,792
Worldwide Box Office
$238,235,719
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