The Bat Summer of '92

[Symbiotic]

ok. so, 1992. at this point, I'm about 2 and a half years old. Batman Returns comes out. I don't remember much from back then so I ask ya. What was the summer of '92 like compared to '89? Same as the '89 thread, just '92 instead.

 

[CFE]

Not AS memorable for me as 89, but I was very excited when the film was coming out.

I've heard that the anticipation wasn't nearly the level of 89 or even for Forever, but I couldn't tell.

From seeing ads for the Super NES game in the comics to having that little kit with the sticky figures and the backgrounds...remember? And you could apply the characters in anyway you wanted on the background then take them off and do it again. I love that.

I also remember going to Toys R Us after seeing "Returns" and buying the Artic Blast Batman (Batman in a white Batsuit) and the Penguin...and being surprised to see Robin in the toyline even though he wasn't in the film.

As for the film itself, it NEVER scared me once. No matter how much Bile the Penguin spat up he couldn't get my tear ducts or vocal chords to budge in any sort of negative way. I was just as into seeing this film as the original.

I also fondly remember getting the toys in the McDonald's Happy Meal, which was great.

And probably because I was so young and such a fan that I didn't pay attention, but I never once heard anything negative said about "Batman Returns."

Great film, still one of my favorite films of all time. And a welcome addition to the Batman film's IMO.

CFE

 

[K.B.]

No the bat hype was nothing compared to 89. It still had just as much merch (maybe even more actually).

This flick is and always will be a good memory for me as it was one of the movies me and my mom went to see.

About a year ago I found a batman returns sleeping bag at the local Value Village for 5 bucks, this came in handy one night when I had to sleep over at the store when I worked at the porn shop.

It's the movie that keeps on giving lol

 

[SHADOWBAT69]

Not as memorable as 89, for sure, but there was still hype in the air. You could still walk into stores and see Batman merchandise, you still had the fast food promotions, tho this time at McD's. I contimued my collecting, buying figures, shirts, poseters, whatever. The day it opened, my friend and I both skipped our college classes to go see it. We went to the newest theatre in one of the neighboring towns because it had that new THX room.lol I remember there was a huge line and we arrived veary early. The theatre was sold out, I mean every seat was taken. I liked the movie, and the general consensus of people when we were all walking out was about the same. I only saw Returns in the theatre 2 more times, but once it came out on vhs, I watched it all the time.

 

[ShaneHelms]

This was my first Batman film that i was old enough to actually enjoy the hype for.

The first glimpse i got of Batman Returns was at the grocery store where i picked up the comic adaption of the film, then i made my way to McDonald's where i got the Batmobile and Penguin happy meal toys. This was just the beginning of my large collection of Batman Returns items i accumulated during my childhood in 92. Man i miss those days. We had this film along with The Animated Series.. Batman was everywhere. I still say those were some of the greatest days to be a Batman fan.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Lets see in 1992 I was 16 years old but I remember seeing the early advance poster (the close up of the Bat logo head) in December '91 that was cool.

At that time I was too old for buying toys but I still collected the comics, the hype wasn't as big as 1989 but I remember recording the CBS special hosted by Robert Urich and another one on E! television.

Around this time was when talks show had parents come on to talk about the negative S&M disturbing images of the movie.

 

[KnightBat]

I remember we rented some movie, "Curly Sue" I think and at the beginning of the tape it had a preview for "Batman Returns" and I was ecstatic. The next morning I put the tape in and kept watching the preview until my parents got up and saw what I was doing.

I remember going and seeing the movie opening day and waiting in the crowed lobby. They had a display and the Penguin's umbrella rotated. It was the hypno-umbrella.

For Christmas that year I got a ton of Batman toys, (returns and TAS) but not the movie itself. I always wondered why I didn't get it, probably cause my parents took heed of the outcry.

 

[CFE]

That's a damn shame, KnightBat...

for some reason, my mom was cool. She never tried to shield me away from "Batman Returns" even though I was 4 at the time.

Saw it in theatres when I was 4 and didn't cry about S&M Catwoman, Fried Shreck or Penguin Goo...IDK I guess I'm just that crazy

CFE

 

[Genosha]

This is still one of my favorite comic-book movies of all time and was the one Batman film that I got most hyped for.

Probably because I was a HUGE Penguin fan at the time. I remember watching Burgess Meredith in the TV show and always liked his villian the most, even more than Joker. So, I was really excited.

I remember when we all heard that Danny DeVito had been casted everybody on my baseball team was talking about the Batman films and how they are going to be getting all these cool celebrities in the, mold of Nicholson, to come be villians. I remember Robin Williams was supposed to be the Riddler and everybody was so hyped that Michelle Pfieffer ended up being Catwoman.

I saw it opening weekend, of course, and my parents made my sisters take me to it. I remember both of them being mildly disturbed at the very dark nature of the film. Especially the Penguin.

Me? I ate it all up. It was probably the single greatest movie I had enjoyed in a theater up to that point. Everything I liked about the first film was heightened in every way. Keaton was wonderful! I loved that the action didn't overtake the drama of the piece and there was just this real epic quality to it.

Danny Elfman's music really helped with this. I loved the opening with the baby Penguin being dumped and then Elfman's epic theme playing in the background.

Really, really cool stuff.

I still watch this Batman film the most and will probably always be my favorite no matter what. Its just one of those moments in time for me.

I did get a Penguin "Party Crasher" card right after the movie at Walden Books. It basically says that I'm allowed to crash any party I want as per the Penguin's version of this at Shreck's masked ball.

With one caveat of course.......................you have to be under 5 ft. tall.

 

[Cain]

I didn't know the movie even existed till it got mentioned in Detective Comics in 1991. After that I was extremely excited as I was a huge fan of the first and Batman in general by that point. Then in about April of that year when I saw the promo poster with DeVito as The Penguin on the subway. When I saw "Batman Returns June 19" the date was tattooed on my brain. Then I saw the Catwoman one and that was one of the best things I ever saw people used to see Scarface in my house all the time but I had no idea that the same girl played Elvira. Matter of fact I remember renting Tequila Sunrise cause I recognized Pfeiffer's name, Russell and Gibson were some of my childhood movie heroes but they're inclusion wasn't even the draw it was "hey that's the lady that's playing Catwoman I have to see her in action".

The Bat, The Cat and The Penguin doc that aired on ABC I taped and I taped the trailer's premiere on E!'s Coming Attractions show, then I got all 4 happy meal vehicles and started to buy the Kenner toys. By the time the film dropped I told myself I have to catch it on opening day due to missing the original in theatres. I remember a line wrapped all the way around 66th street and we had to end up buying tickets for the 11:30 show even though it was around 4 in the afternoon. Everything was basically sold out. I don't remember any kids crying at all and I was 9 but was just entranced by the whole thing then again I grew up on horror movies and hardcore action and sci-fi so Penguin's bile wasn't something that really phased me. Matter of fact I remember vividly laughing at the Penguin biting that guy's nose and my stepmom looking at me like I was the son of the beast or something.

I also remember this being one of the first movie's I saw where the audience clapped at the end (still don't get why people do that) which is ironic considering how years later I would read on the net that it got a lot of negative receptions.

 

[The Shredder]

I have to agree with the consensus, in that the summer of 1992 wasnt quite as memorable as the summer of 1989, but it still had it's great moments. What I remember most about that summer was that was infact the summer I finally began seriously collecting comic books, as opposed to just buying one here and there (and just in time too, since it was right before the whole Death of Superman/Knightfall storylines in the DC books). Other interests that were Batman Returns related, were a Batman Returns backpack for school, pencils, action figures, a ton of Batman Returns trading cards, and of course those Mcdonald's happy meal toys.

 

[GoogleMe94]

yeah i dont think the hype for B89 will ever be topped, that was probably because batman movies hadnt been done before and it was like a HUGE challenge to make a serious blockbuster batman film at the time, and after that first trailer was shown, the hype for the film skyrocketted. the hype for ANY sequel will never probably be as big as it was for the original, so im not surprised that the 4 sequels for batman hadnt matched the hype like B89 had (nor the money). but, in the end the hype is nothing, its how good the film is, and Returns was GOOD, in many ways it surpassed the original. i still think this is one of THE best batman films ever made, a worthy companion to the first film. just wish burton made a 3rd instead of WB wanting to reboot the franchise to fit little kids more.