How Many Batman Movies Were Made?

Just how many Batman movies were made? There are actually seven, full-length live-action Batman films that were released in theaters. Fans of the dark knight can also find Batman DVDs with feature-length animated stories, based on the Batman cartoons.

• In 1943, "The Batman" was released as an episodic movie serial based on the Batman comic books. In 1949, a second movie serial, "Batman and Robin" was released. 
• In 1966, a Batman television series and a feature-length movie (Batman the Movie) were released. These adaptations focused on humor more than adventure, and were primarily aimed at kids. Their campy quality has made them cult favorites.
• TV movies that are based on Batman include Batgirl, released 1967 and considered a short TV movie; Legends of the Superheroes, released in 1979, and Return to the Batcave, released in 2003. 

Batman on the Big Screen
Movies released for cinemas include Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Catwoman, released in 2004, features a prominent character from the Batman comics, but Batman himself does not appear in the movie.

Though all the movies are based on the original Batman comic, the movies have different moods. Tim Burton's take on Batman featured a mix of dark storylines and colorful, surrealist imagery. When Joel Schumacher took over as director, he toned down the dark themes and restored the campy qualities found in the original series, losing many fans in the process. Christopher Nolan's take on Batman is based on broad, mythic storylines with a heavy dose of modern psychology.

The Dark Knight is the most successful Batman film to date, earning more than $1 billion in worldwide box office receipts, nearly triple the earnings of the third-most successful film, Nolan's Batman Begins. The second most-successful film is Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, which earned $411 million worldwide.