How WB's Batman 1989 Tricks Completely Changed Movie Marketing Forever
Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman was not only a turning point for the Batman intellectual property but also the way that blockbuster films are marketed. Batman is a deservedly iconic superhero film on its own merits, but the history behind and ramifications of its aggressive promotional campaign, nicknamed “Batmania,” is intertwined with the film itself. Forever changing the methods of film promotion made Batman the biggest DC Comics property for Warner Bros., with an influence that’s even felt in modern Marvel properties, such as the MCU franchise. Batman’s gargantuan marketing campaign was the result of a changing American communication industry in the 1980s, and a subsequent merger that allowed WB to market their upcoming film on an unprecedented scale — meaning Batman succeeded as both a film and as a brand and shaped the modern blockbuster film, regardless of genre.
Batman was one of DC Comics’ most mainstream intellectual properties, with the Dark Knight and his iconic cast of supporting characters and villains being second to perhaps only Superman, whose popularity and cultural significance transcended his comic book origins. Batman’s mainstream popularity was bolstered by the 1960s TV show starring Adam West as the titular Batman. While the series was successful, lasting for three seasons and encompassing a theatrical film, it led to a general perception of the Batman mythos as campy, despite its dark tales of surreal murders and organized crime. The Neal Adams and Denny O’Neal era of Batman comics in the 1970s brought the character into even bleaker territory, as did Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, but, despite these tonal changes, Batman was largely still defined by his more lighthearted 60's adaptation.
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