“ Flop ” is how merchandising research group Marketing Evaluation Inc.assessedthe box bureau potential of the 1989 Warner Bros. filmBatman . The big - budget production , directed by Tim Burton and co - starring Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker , was expected to be one of the rare times a major Hollywood studio took a comic book adaption seriously . But according to the marketing data , the character of Batman was not as pop as the Incredible Hulk , who was then appearing in a slate of made - for - television movies . And he was only a quarter as appealing as theCalifornia Raisins , the claymation stars of advertizement .
That prevision was made in 1988 . The film was released on June 23 , 1989 , and went on togross$253.4 million , have it the fifth most successful question motion picture up to that point .
While Marketing Evaluation may have miscalculated the movie ’s potential , they did hedge their bet . By the time gain from the picture show ’s merchandising — lid , shirt , posters , toys , bed sheets , etc.—were summate , the company said , Warner Bros. could be looking at a sizable draw .
When the cash register stopped echo , the studio apartment hadsold$500 million in tie - in merchandise , which was double the gross of the film itself .
In 1989 , people did n’t only require to seeBatman — they wanted to wear the shirt , eat the cereal , and think over , if only for a moment , couch down $ 499.95 for a black denim jacketstuddedwith rhinestones .
Batmania was in full swing . Which made it even more unusual when the studio later claimed the pic had fail to turn a profit .
The merchandising blitz ofStar Warsin 1977 break studio hopethat ambitious science - fiction and risky venture movies would forever be intertwined with elaborate licensing scheme . George Lucas’sspace operahad driven audiences into a hysteria , leading retailer to stock up on everything from R2 - D2 coffee mugs to plastic lightsabers . It was expected that other “ toyetic ” prop would follow suit .
They did n’t . away from 1982’sE.T. , there was nodirect correlationbetween a film ’s succeeder and requirement for accessory product . In 1984 alone , pixy , Ghostbusters , andIndiana Jonesand the Temple of Doomwere smash bang . None of them move people to flock to store and corrupt Gizmo plush animals or toy proton multitude . ( Ghostbusterstoys finally take in on , but only after ananimated serieshelped prod minor in their counselling . )
Warner Bros. sawBatmandifferently . When the script was being developed , producer Jon Peters and Peter Guber were urging writers to ensure scenes were aligned with aforethought merchandising . They scrabble note insisting that no onscreen damage come to the Batmobile : It should continue pristine so that kids would need to snap up the toy version . As Batman , millionaire Bruce Wayne had a collection of vehicle and gadget at his administration — all props that could be replicated in plastic . Batman’scomic bookorigins gave him a unequalled iconography that bestow itself to meretricious graphic apparel .
In March 1989 , just three months before the film ’s sack , Warner Bros. announced that it wasmergingwith Time Inc. to make the mega - empire Time - Warner , which would allow the moving-picture show studio to capitalise on a deep workbench of talent to help labour the “ event ” spirit of the film .
Prince was signalize to Warner ’s record label and agreed to indite an record album of concept medicine that was tie to the characters ; “ Batdance " was among the songs and became a # 1 hit . Their licensing arm , Licensing Corporation of America , contracted with 300 licensees to make more than 100 products , some of which were featured in an expansive folder that resembled a chiropteran - earedNeiman Marcuscatalog . The cobwebby glut of Cartesian product became a story , as evidenced by thisEntertainment Tonightsegment on the film ’s licensing push :
In addition to the rhinestone jacket , fan could opt for the Batman lookout ( $ 34.95 ) , a baseball crownwork ( $ 7.95 ) , bicycle shorts ( $ 26.95 ) , a match top ( $ 24.95 ) , a poser Batwing ( $ 29.95 ) , legal action figure of speech ( $ 5.95 ) , and a satin crown modeled by Batman co - creator Bob Kane ( $ 49.95 ) .
The Batman logotype became a way of communicating anticipation for the film . The most textless teaser poster , which had only the June 23 opening date printed on it , was snapped up and taped to paries . ( about 1200 of the posters sized for double-decker blockage and subways were stolen , a crude but good form of grocery store research . ) In barber shops , masses beganaskingto have the logo sheared into the sides of their headspring . The Batman symbol was omnipresent . If you had forgotten about the flick for even five arcminute , someone would eventually take the air by sporting a pair of Batman earrings to remind you .
At Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles , 7000 packs of Batman trading lineup flew out the room access . Managementhiredadditional faculty and a certificate guard to palm the crowds . The entrepot carried 36 dissimilar kinds of Batman T - shirts . observer compared the craze to thehula hoopcraze of the 1950s .
One retailer made a more modern-day equivalence . “ There ’s no question Batman is the hot thing this year , ” Marie Strong , manager of It ’s a Small World at a center in La Crosse , Wisconsin , toldtheLa Crosse Tribune . “ [ It ’s ] the spicy [ thing ] sinceSpuds McKenzietoward the close of last year . ”
By the timeBatmanwas in theaters and break records — it became the first film to make $ 100 million in just 10 daylight , alerting studio to the thought of scant - term profits — the merchandising had become an avalanche . store that did n’t unremarkably carry licensed goods , like Macy ’s , put up video display .
Not everyone opted for formally - certify apparel : U.S. marshals conductedraidsacross the country , seizing more than 40,000 counterfeit Batman shirt and other bogus item .
Collectively , Warner raked in $ 500 million from lawful products . In 1991 , theLos Angeles Timesreported that the studio claim only $ 2.9 million in net income had been realized from merchandising and that the pic itself was in a $ 35.8 million financial fix owe to excessive promotional and production monetary value . It was a narrative distinctive of creative studio accounting , long a method acting for head off payouts to net earnings participant . ( Nicholson , whose declaration stipulate a slash of all profits , earned$50 million . )
Whatever financial manual dexterity - of - deal was go through , Warner clearly weigh on Batman to be a money - printing operation . selling design for the sequel , 1992’sBatman Returns , were even more strategical , including a affiliation - in agreement with McDonald ’s for Happy Meals . In a meta present moment , onedeletedscript handing over even had Batman ’s enemies attack a toy store in Gotham full of Batman merchandise . The hardening was built but the picture never made it onscreen .
The studio was willing to give Burton more command over the movie , which was emphatically morose and more sexualized than the original . Batman Returnswas barely a loser , but merchandising was no longer as hot as it was in the summer of 1989 . Instead of deal out of shirt , stores ended upmarking downexcess inventorying . McDonald ’s , unhappy with the substance of the film , enact a policy of shield movies they planned to partner with before making any agreements . By the time Warner liberate 1995’sBatman Forever , the franchise was essentially a feature article - distance plaything commercial message .
It paid off . license for the filmtopped$1 billion . Today , move over the alternative between a film with Oscar - tier prestige or one with the potential to have its logo emblazoned on a rhinestone jacket that people would in reality want to purchase , studio would probably choose the latter . In that sense , the Batmania of 1989 endures .
