Batman would break records around the world, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars. The film’s marketing and merchandise partners would also find huge success. Anything emblazoned with the Bat symbol flew off of store shelves and McDonald’s would regret not signing up as a partner. Batman’s success would forever change the way films were promoted and marketed. Prior to Batman, few people outside of Hollywood cared about or followed box office grosses. Batman changed all of that, making box office grosses a new type of spectator sport.
Beating even the loftiest of expectations, the picture was both a critical and box office success. The film cemented Tim Burton’s place among Hollywood’s A-List directors, resurrected the superhero genre and made Jack Nicholson one of the richest actors in Hollywood. While Jack’s actual haul from the film was never officially announced, it was estimated that he made $95 Million from his share of the box office and merchandise sales in 1989 alone.
Batman’s most enduring change was to the home video market. Prior to Batman, live action releases would initially retail for $99.95 on VHS. It was believed that people didn’t really want to own their own copies of live action movies and only wanted to rent them. Disney films were exceptions to the rule and sold for less than $30, which put them in the reach of regular buyers. Warner Bros. wanted to see if it could enter the market with Batman. The studio released the film to stores priced at less than $30. It was a huge seller and proved that live action pictures could succeed in the retail market. By the end of 1989, having broken just about every record imaginable, it was no longer a question of if there would be a sequel but when the sequel would be released.
