Batmania 89 - This is what it was like - Batman (1989) 35th Anniversary  

You had to be there in 89 to understand how hype this movie was when it came out.

Those were the days... blessed are those of us who were there to live this.

I was raised on 60s Batman and when I was 12 the word that Batman was coming to the big screen was everywhere, there was shirts with the symbol everywhere, lots of whining that mr mom / beetle juice was playing Batman. Then that trailer hit and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing- it looked so real and big. I skipped school and caught the train to the first screening and what I saw was simply amazing. I raced to the record store and bought the soundtrack and listened to it non stop. It was unreal!

R.I.P. Bill Finger 🦇

Batman (89) is my favorite movie of all time. After 35 years, it still holds up.

Batman achieved what it took Marvel to do with its entire franchise and he did it twice (60's and 80's)... because he's Batman!

Makes my skin crawl to see Bob Kane reminiscing about how HE created all of the Batman mythos.

Everyone backed then learned a valuable lesson... never ever judge a book by its cover. Keaton is brilliant, brilliant as Batman as well👍🏻 my favourite Batman. I was 9 and saw this in the states when my family and I were on holiday visiting family that lived on Long island. I miss those days. Rest easy Bill Finger the creator 🙏🏻🦇

Fantastic compilation. Batmania was everywhere and it was the blockbuster of its time.

I was 14 in 1989 and this movie was a HUGE part of my life! Buying the trading card packs with terrible gum inside, RENTING video game systems and trying to figure out how to play the Batman game... drawing the logo on anything that would hold still long enough... it was a pretty magical time. 😁👍🏾

Oh, man. My high school gf and I had just started dating. This premiered the day before my 17th bday, so we spent the day at the beach, then we went out to dinner (she was a year older than me and had her own car, which I did not at the time), met up with friends at one of the many local malls that literally does not exist anymore (knocked down, nothing but a memory) and stood in line for an hour that felt like minutes. We couldnt have been more excited. My friends and I were not just Batman fans but huge comic book fans, so to say that we were thrilled was an understatement. We must have seen that film 5 times or so in the theater. Anyway, later that night, after a perfect day, I entered the ranks of adulthood, so to speak. So the beach, Batman, and birthday boinking. Man, every day was Christmas in the 80s.

Im old enough to remember the hype the entire usa went thru when this was released. The summer of the Bat. And you haven't lived, until you hear the Batman March coming thru those movie theater speakers. And it will never happen again.

I have very vivid memories of seeing this in the theater during opening weekend.

And that Danny Elfman score is the definitive Batman theme, nothing else can come close.

you just don't see people going to the cinema like this any more

1989 was a great year for movies: Batman. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. Lethal Weapon 2. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Back to The Future 2. Dead Poet's Society. The Abyss. Born on the Fourth of July. Ghostbusters 2. Uncle Buck. License to Kill. Pet Semetry. Parenthood. Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. Roadhouse. See No Evil, Hear No Evil. Black Rain. Dead Calm. And then, of course, it would only be 4 years until Jurassic Park launched into Cinemas. Great days! The mid-late 70s, 80s, and 90s were honestly the best years for movie-goers. Going to the cinema in those days to watch the original classic movies for the first time was a real experience. Films like: Jaws and Jaws 2. The original Star Wars trilogy. Alien and Aliens. Superman. Bladerunner. The Terminator, and T2. Ghostbusters. Back to The Future. ET. The Thing. Raiders of The Lost Ark. Beverly Hills Cop. Lethal Weapon. Gremlins. Poltergeist. Karate Kid. Jurassic Park. Speed. Independence Day. Plus, all of the Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan Bond movies! So many good memories 😊

It's the film that truly started the superhero movie genre. Batman 1989 was brilliant and always be, a timeless classic.

Our local theater painted the entire front of the building white with a giant black bat logo, it stayed for six months or so

Thanks for compiling. My first job as a 17 year old, in 1989, was at Six Flags amusement park, which is also owned by Warner Brothers. You couldn't go anywhere in the park...especially the gift shops...without seeing the Batman logo. It was crazy that summer. The whole world had Bat-fever.

The Movie of the Decade is Batman and I was 4 years old when it premiered in cinema theaters and still loving it.

I was 16 when batman came out and i was hyped and sitting in the cinema and the lights went out and that dark music started i truly felt i was watching movie history ❤

Without the original Superman and this Batman film we would never have Marvel today.

If you weren’t there in 1989, you wouldn’t know what it felt like. You had to be there to understand the craziness. Honestly I never felt that excited about a movie. And i haven’t felt anything like that since then. I wasn’t even that much into Batman. Spider-Man was my character. But I got swept up in the mania. The advertising was EVERYWHERE. There was an air of excitement, mystery and uncertainty because we knew the characters but we didn’t know what to expect. When I saw it on the big screen, I was blown away. I got hooked on the 1989 Batman. The look and feel of the movie was and is hard to put into words.

“Where does he get those wonderful toys?”

Batman 89 was absolutely everywhere, the black t-shirt with the golden bat logo was on every tenth person. It was crazy. I was 15 at the time and saw it in theaters several times. Ya had to be there.

I was 9 years old when I saw this in the theater. It was a whole family affair.

35 years ago today. Happy Anniversary, Batman 89.

I remember seeing the trailer for the first time and when that flamethrower engine burst out just made everyone in the theater just get surprised and jump out of their seats…. Remember there was no internet, not everyone watch the news or read the news magazines whatever, especial a child like I was…so seeing it for the first time with no warning what’s so ever was just so awe inspiring that is very difficult to replicate in this day in age. I was 7 years old when this came out and you’re damn right i watched it day 1 in the drive-in (yes I’m that old) I had the Taco Bell cups, Nintendo game and some of the toys.

This movie made me by Scores for cassette and CD. I was too young to remember Superman cause being born in 78'. This was my big deal.

I was 9 years old and it was one of the greatest most exciting times to be alive! If you weren't there than you don't know what you missed. I watch this now and the commercials make it feel like it was just yesterday. I will always have that feeling and remember what it was like back than and nothing has ever compared since.

Bill Finger created Batman and died penniless and alone. F Bob Kane!

So I decided to take a shot everytime the word "Batman" appeared in this video. I am now on my second stomach pump! LOL Excellent video Gareth.

I read the novel..comic book..wore out my vhs copy. Had calendars..this is the movie that cemented my love for film. Can't believe its been 35 years since this was released. PS I still love this movie my phone case is Batman 1989 and have it on Blu Ray along with Returns.

I wasn’t around during this time I was born in 95 but I could only imagine the pandemonium it caused. The closest thing I could probably compare it too is when the first Spider-Man movie in 2002 came out, I remember the hype as I was around 7 at the time of its release. I love the Batman 89 film though, I used to watch it on vhs all the time as kid.

This and Jurassic Park were events. I remember when these movies came out and everywere you went there was merchandise for it. The when the VHS would come out for both these films, even stores that normally dont carry VHS films got them. I remember at Home Depots were selling these movies. It was crazy. I had to preorder my Jurassic Park at Wherehouse music to be able to get the lithograph. These movies were events not just movies.

Michael Keaton will be my Batman forever.

“Winged freak terrorizes? Wait till they get a load of me!”

I remember I was 5 years old and walking in a shopping center and seeing the Iconic Batman movie poster. I had no idea what the movie looked like back then, but I was just excited for for what was to come.

I remember watching that in the theater when it came out. Excellent movie.

Superman 1 and 2 and Batman 89 still is the top 5 best all time greatest comic book superhero movies of all time

I remember this. They marketed the HELL out of it. It was EVERYWHERE

This is the perfect thing to watch on the eve of the 35th anniversary, as I plan to rewatch the film tomorrow. It is my absolute favorite movie, and I'm treating this anniversary very seriously 💛🦇🖤

What great memories. I was nine when it came out and saw it opening weekend. One of the few great memories and fun of seeing a movie. Great stuff.

Batmania was real and it was awesome. 9 hrs old in 89, the soundtrack playing everywhere RIP PRINCE. One nugget I’ll add to the comments is do you all remember how many laugh out loud moments The Joker had? Jack Nicholson stole the show yet you still cheered for good to win vs evil.

That news guy kept murdering Kim Basinger's name. " Kim bass-en-jer, bass-en-jer- bass bass" I'm like yelling at the screen, "Bay-singer!"

probably the best soundtrack of a superhero movie ever made

I vividly remember that time, you saw that Batman logo everywhere: t-shirts, cereal boxes, lunch box, and nothing since in comic book movies has come close to that Batman fever of 1989.

I was there that summer, and this video nails it.

I was obsessed with Batman and this movie. Then short after the second Tim Burton’s Batman movie, we got the animated series. I’m pretty sure if you were a kid during this time Batman is your favorite superhero character.

I watched this movie for the 1st time at a Zellers store when I was 9. My mom just shopped and I was glued to the screen showing the movie. Then I got it for Xmas , still one of my favorite movies. Still own about 20 batman shirts and all the movies. 89 was the best.

Yeah. I was around back then. A freshman in high school. This is what it was like. Went to the midnight showing, lined up around the block. Well done.

I remember seeing the teaser for Batman Begins in 2004 and thinking how unreal it felt to see a realistic version of Batman after seeing the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher versions.

I remember queuing on the first showing on opening day, August 11, 1989. Massive queue. So excited. I was 11 years old. My Mum and Dad took me. I came out on a high. Absolutely LOVED it. What a classic film ❤🦇

The genius of Tim was taking a huge production and making scenes shrink to fit a small scale. All the actors knew they were in the middle of a phenomenon. 🦇

I was seven years old when we saw Batman in 1989. The week before, Ghostbusters II came out. The feeling over the course of those two weeks was something I’ll never forget as a child: the toys, the Topps trading cards for both movies, the VHS releases. It was truly something special.

I was 12 when this come out and I remember going batman crazy.

I haven't experienced hype like it since... it was crazy at the time!

I remember turning 7 that year it came out. All the kids had Batman cereal, bat mobiles, costumes, you name it

Every boy in school had a bat symbol shaved in the side of their heads, when I got my hair cut my mom refused to let me do it, I’ll never forget feeling so left out.

It was in the prime of my childhood years. As a comic book fan growing up, this was the start of what really good comic book movies could look like (Superman with Reeves was also good). This Batman started it all and the rest of the comic book movies became cool after.

I remember queuing down the street In Bournemouth, everyone was all about Batman, then again i queued around the block in Chester to see it again. Batman was everything everywhere. Amazing

Thanks for uploading this,Batman 1989 still one of my favorite Batman films along with the Dark Knight 2008. Thanks to this film Batman the animated series was created.

I was there, saw Batman on the cinema.....I can still remember the feeling of being witness to something special

One of my ten favorite superhero movies ever! Great compilation video!

I have a lot of nostalgia for the Tim Burton Batman films. I used to watch Batman 89 all the time as a kid, I remember seeing the merchandise everywhere. I had a few of the figures. Thank you for sharing this.

Wow! I remember when my friends and I got into my dads station wagon and went to see this, ten days after my 12th birthday. We all had our Batman t shirts and buttons and were bonkers out of our minds. Young people today have no idea how huge the hype was around this. Lines down the block for screenings, everyone wearing Batman t shirts every day…amazing.

I remember. It was great. A time when movies were FUN.

I graduated high school in 89. I remember well when Batman came out. I loved it so much....went to see it twice in one day. I loved Jack Nicholson as the Joker.

Batman was the first movie I had ever seen at the cinema this movie will always hold a special place in my heart and Keating is the best batman and Jack played the joker so good !

Aside from Star Wars, there's never been more hype for a movie than this.

In the US it was everywhere the Summer of 89. Whatever hype you might imagine if you're younger than the film, double it at least. Batman cereal, Batman toys, Batman everything! I was 24 and grew up on the 1966 Batman show. The first week it came out, on a Friday, I couldn't get tickets until the following Wednesday night at midnight in a different state. Ok, so it was less than 20 miles but I still had to cross a state line to get there. The VHS release was one of the first low priced video releases in history. It came out in the theaters in June and was on home video before Christmas in the US which was unprecedented at the time and was less than $20 US. Batmania was real. I went to the bathtub races in Moravia, NY (It's a thing, Google it) that summer and someone had decorated one of the tubs like the Batmobile.

This was a huge deal when this movie hit the big screen

(MEMORY #1) - In the summer of 1989 I was 15 years olds and I was buying Batman items left and right. Shirts, buttons, window danglers, comics... etc. I have the talent for art and painted a Michael Keaton Batman on my bedroom door. The local newspaper stopped by (my mother called them) and they took pictures of my door and all of my Batman memorabilia at the time and did a story on me and Batmania. (MEMORY #2) - In 1989 I had the Batman VHS Pre-Ordered at my local Video Store (my second home) and they called me the night before it was to be released (Monday.... All new releases were released on Tuesday). I forced my brother-in-law to take me down there to get it. I got home and popped it in the VHS player hit play and called my best friend. He did not believe I got it early so I turned the volume up loud enough so he could hear it. He stayed on the phone with me the whole movie and listened.... I was in the 9th grade and a fat kid so there were no girls in my life at all... This little documentary brought these memories back.

Batmania was great. I was a kid at the time and all the toys, tv commercials, fast food restaurants were Batman themed.

I love your video. So funny to see all the takes at the time. Happy 35, Batman 89. My brother and I did a look back at 35 years of Batman on his page Mostly Movies & Poetry. It's a fun discussion of Batman and the culture it created.

Thank you for this exciting compilation! I've always wished I was there in 1989 when Batman was all the rage. Unfortunately, I was born a year after. But this is like travelling back in time to this exciting time! I will treasure this video and come back to it from time to time!

I was 7 years old when this movie came out. I remember my mom took me and my best friend and his big brother to see it at noon on the saturday after it opened. It was epic. I remember walking 12 nyc blocks that seemed like forever because of the excitement.

1989 Batman is one of the Greatest. Good Times. 🦇 💯👍

What made Keaton work as Batman, despite all his flaws (being short, balding and not the most muscular) Keaton had that serious scowl look on his face when he was thinking. That was totally Bruce/Batman in the comic. Also Keaton understood less was more when he was Batman, and let the costume do most of the work.

Saw this in 89 @ Old Town Mall in Torrance, CA. 35 years ago. Oh my!

Saw it in theaters in St Augustine Fla on vacation one rainy afternoon!

Absolutely amazing Gareth! Well done and great trip down memory lane! Batmania there will never be anything like it 🦇🤓👍🦇

I was 17 years old in 89 and working at GCC Broward Mall Cinema in Plantation FL when BATMAN hit. The trailer was first to grace the audiences on the silver screen and the crowds watching didn't quite know what to make of it. Most though it was a comedy like the Adam West show. Others paid it no mind. It was a cool time, and the BATMAN merchandise was everywhere.. EVERYWHERE.

Ahhh the good days!! I remember watching this, ghostbusters 2 and karate kid 3 in the theatres that summer

Still remember the line that wrapped around the inside and outside of the theater. And that summer was when Taco Bell introduced the cinnamon twists I would shmuggle bean burritos and twists and spend the whole day sneaking into different flicks. Glorious times!

That footage of the "man on the street" stuff in the begining, lol. Fandom was always so clueless and myopic. "I'd rather see Arnold Schwarzenegger!" Good god, lol. Could you imagine?

I still clearly remember those great times. I read the novel and constantly played both Prince and Elfman's LPs months before it was released here in the UK. Still have the posters, newspaper clippings, magazines and VHS clips I taped.

Batman 89 is one of my favourite films and one that changed my 7 year old life back then. My partner and I just had the pleasure of watching the film in the Barbican recently in a concert while an orchestra performed Elfman’s gorgeous and gothic score. Needless to say, I cried. 😂 Thank you for this brilliant video that shares the passion for this phenomenal film of pure imagination.

I was actually born on the week the film came out (about 2 days before it's wide release).

I was 6. This was the first movie I got to see in the theater. My father ( Rip) took me. I'll never forget the experience. I've been a comic fan ever since

It is unfortunate this monumental film was released when the truth about Batman's creation was still unknown. It makes me sick seeing Bob Kane being interviewed taking full credit for everything about Batman including the Joker! Bill Finger is the man who made key changes to the rough character Bob presented to him that gave Batman the look we all know. Finger created most of the villains including Joker. Bob Kane went to his grave with the lie he told for decades. It was only several years later the truth about Bill Finger's involvement with Batman came to light. He never got to see his name credited or receive any royalties. He died in 1974, in obscurity and poverty while Bob was living like a rich fat cat. Bob Kane stole everything that should have been awarded to Bill Finger. For this unspeakable crime Kane's name should be removed, and Bill should be credited as the sole creator of Batman in my opinion.

I remember it quite well, I was 20 when Batman89 came out....sh*t I'm old! :)

This and Star Wars Episode 1 were the biggest hyped projects in my lifetime. I remember both as a kid born in 1980 so well. Haven't had that since, not even End Game garnished this much or this kind of hype.

I remember walking past Michael Keaton on the street while he was scouting out my neighborhood, for One Good Cop. I remember noting how short he was, and thinking what an unlikely choice he was to play Batman....But he pulled it off.

“I have given a name to my pain and it is Batman.”

Man this was awesome! I was about 16 with the bat symbol cut into the back of my hair and saw it in Georgetown DC on opening night! I had so many requests for photos! I was an actual GEEK in that theater and annoying the hell out of my cousin who was happy but not a geek! A PHENOMENAL NIGHT!!!!😝

That was a pretty sweet Halloween 4 shirt.

This is awesome. Thanks for putting all of this together. Excellent compilation! Batman is still one of the greatest films of all time, without question.

Those were the days, I had the sticker album, collector cards and the batman toys to go with this film . And genuine excitement about a film . Which I haven't had in years. Along side Robocop, Ghostbusters , indiana Jones, Beverly hills cop, and back to the future. I found the 80's to be a magical time to be a film buff Everything felt more original. Not forgetting Rambo , Dirty Harry and The Terminator. If only the world could go back this way . Exciting cinema adverts, themed food and drink , desirable toys and video-games spin- offs . Would help out troubled cineworld cinema's greatly

It really was a great time! It was everywhere, in the mall and each store, in fast food joints, on television. Every person was wearing some sort of Batman tees and it was everywhere in school. I still have a ton of collectibles from Batman 1989... My copies of The Dark Knight Returns I got after the viewing in the theater. What a fun time it was. I loved every minute of it!