Tim Burton’s Batman was released in the United States on June 23, 1989.
Warner Bros. launched the film during the summer movie season, following a major marketing campaign that used the famous yellow-and-black bat emblem. The release became a major cultural event and helped establish the modern superhero blockbuster.
Batman opened strongly and became the highest-grossing film of 1989 in the United States and Canada. It starred Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. The film’s release date is sometimes confused with dates for its international openings, which occurred at different times.
The movie’s success led to Burton’s 1992 sequel, Batman Returns, also starring Keaton. Its production design, Danny Elfman’s score, and darker comic-book atmosphere strongly influenced later superhero films.