You don’t have to stay home washing your tights this summer: two classics of modern superhero cinema are returning to theaters. 1989’sBatmanand its 1992 sequel,Batman Returns, are returning to theaters courtesy of Dolby Cinema. But the Bat-Signal won’t stay on forever: this special event is one night only. Both films will screen on August 25 at all Dolby Cinema at AMC Theaters nationwide.
Both films have been remastered for both Dolby Vision picture and Dolby Atmos sound, giving unparalleled depth toTim Burton’s black-on-black vision of Gotham City and its inhabitants, and to the films' distinctive soundscapes andDanny Elfman’s indelible scores.Batman Returnswas, in fact, the first film ever to be presented in Dolby Digital, the precursor to Dolby Atmos. Says Burton, “I hadn’t watched these films since I made them, and seeing them again with this level of clarity, beauty, color, and sound felt really new and exciting. Dolby Atmos and Vision brought it all to life in a fresh way.” Tickets for bothBatmanandBatman Returnsare on sale now; check your local theater for showtimes.
What Are ‘Batman’ and ‘Batman Returns’ About?
Presented as a new, darker vision of the Dark Knight, far from previous live-action adaptations,BatmanstarsMichael Keatonas Bruce Wayne, the eccentric millionaire who leads a double life as a black-garbed vigilante. Hunted by both Gotham’s police officers and its gangsters, his sole confidant is his butler, Alfred (Michael Gough)…until crusading photojournalist Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) enters both his lives. A raid on a chemical plant inadvertently transforms hitman Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) into the gruesome Joker, who has designs on both Batman and Vicki…and a shocking connection to the former. InBatman Returns, Gotham comes under attack again, from both the ghastly Penguin (Danny DeVito) and his ally, crooked tycoon Max Shreck (Christopher Walken). In the midst of all this, Shreck’s put-upon secretary Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) returns from a near-death experience as the cunning Catwoman — but whose side is she on?
Batmanwas the prototype for the modern superhero blockbuster: accompanied by a truly inescapable marketing campaign, the film ruled the 1989 box office, raking in $411 million USD on a $48 million budget, and countless more from spin-offs and merchandising.Returns, although it brought in a handsome haul of $288 million, was less of a phenomenon, andcourted controversyover its rampant sexual innuendos, brutal violence, and the sheer repulsiveness ofDeVito’s Penguin.
BatmanandBatman Returnswill beshown at all Dolby Cinema at AMC Theaters nationwide on June 23, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
