1. FM2 – Section A – Audience & Producers
Harry Knowles
‘Aint it cool news’ review of: ‘Batman & Robin’ (1997)
Folks, I'm going to tell you to do something hideous, something against my better
judgment, but I simply have to tell you to see BATMAN & ROBIN. Why? After all
my screams of agony, of pain, or mistrust of Joel Schumacher? Because no matter
how bad you have heard this film is, nothing can prepare you for the sheer
glorious travesty of the 200-megaton bomb of a film this is. This film is so bad, so
awful, so vanity ridden with horrible over the top performances, that nothing I can
say, can prepare you for it. You don't have to see it this weekend, in fact it's
probably best if you didn't, but I suggest you see it during the week at some early
matinee, or better yet a midnight show. Yes, this is a midnight movie. The sort of flick that cries out for
vengeance. Joel Schumacher should not under any possible circumstances direct another one. This film will
fill you with disbelief and rage if you are a long standing BATMAN fan, if you aren't, you'll be bored. On the
page before people mentioned Clockwork Orange and Max Headroom references, well there is even a
BARBARELLA reference in here too. Do they cause a smile? More like a smirk. However, the most shocking
cameo I saw was something I couldn't believe. Did you ever see FLESH GORDON? No, not FLESH GORDON
AND THE COSMIC CHEERLEADERS, but the original film, which I kinda like? Well, the spaceship that looks
like a curved dildo that sparks away from the planet? I swear to god, that that is FREEZE's ship. My friend,
and battle companion Glen, recognized it instantly and we turned and in unison said, "That's Flesh
Gordon's Spaceship!!!" We smiled, shook our heads and continued to watch.
Who are the survivors of this, the worst Batman film? George Clooney manages to weather the storm with
minor cuts and bruises. Michael Gough seems to look like he actually is acting, despite the film around him.
Everyone else is absolutely the worst they have ever been. Arnold has never been in a film this bad and
inconsistent in tone. HERCULES GOES BANANAS is at least somewhat balanced in tone. His performance
if you could call it that, was TERRIBLE. He was the best of the TERRIBLE performances though. UMA was so
bad, so awful, my friend and I literally grabbed vainly in front of us, as if in some desperate hope to rip her
violently off the screen. Get her out of the film, she is HORRENDOUS. Is it all her fault oooooooooh
nooooooooooooooooo. Eliot Goldenthal (with Schumacher's insistence I'm sure) came up with the
BRILLIANT idea to put sleazy saxophone music as her theme. You know, did you see THE SPECIALIST? You
know the shower scene, where Stallone and Stone begin making love and out of nowhere comes hurtling
at our ears the terrible waning of out of tune saxophones screaming out. Well, they used saxophones much
better in that, than in this. Her theme hurt not only an already terrible performance, but contaminates
the rest of film too.
Ok, enough enough harping on the film, you want here what the audience did? Without some sort of
speech from me, or a sign beneath the film saying RUN HOME RUN NOW!! They did that exactly. In almost
perfect 5 minute intervals beginning at the 15 minute mark of the film they began their exodus. First
unrelated individuals, then couples, then families. My friend Glen pleaded cried into my shoulder,
"DAMMIT LET ME THE FUCK OUT HERE, I CAN'T HANDLE ANY MORE OF THIS!!" Oh no, it wasn't
gonna be that easy for him. He doesn't even think it's a bomb in the watchable sense, but then he hadn't
seen SPEED 2 the week before.
To me, this is Star Trek 5. But let me explain that. This is a much worse film for the following reasons.
Shatner had the budget cut by 40% during the course of filmmaking; Schumacher had the entire sources of
one of the best studios behind him. He had a good script. He had the right cast. He destroyed this film. He
directed the normally fun and enjoyable actors to act as if they were pumped up on amphetamines and

2. FM2 – Section A – Audience & Producers
chased it with exotic hallucinogens. These people are lost. Only Clooney, Gough, and possibly O'Donnell
(though he stunk up the room pretty bad) seem somewhat immune. Alicia, well, she's Alicia.
Kids were not excited by this film, often times SCREAMING could be heard. You know the sound a kid
makes when a parent is forcing them to STAY IN THEIR SEAT. Hey what type of movie makes you wanna get
out of your seat? When I was kid, watching those SUPERMAN films you couldn't pry me from my seat. In
fact nothing could remove me from the theater. Even the worst of that series, doesn't begin to compare.
Mr Fingernails would kick Arnold's ass any day of the week. As for female villains URSA and Catwoman
would whoop IVY's rear (description of rear deleted for fear of offending those with less than adequate
toned butts)!!!
This film has that, oh how do I do this? Ok, here I go. "Oh WOW that's kinda.. AWW MAN THAT SUCKS!!!"
You see what I'm getting at? You almost get the thought out that something you glimpsed on screen was
cool, then instantly without reason that coolness is jerked away and replaced with a hideous wormy Uma
voice. Her voice. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. This voice could scare men out of the trenches in
a war. The defense department should study it. The voice would make a straight guy go gay; I heard that
after the screening from an anonymous source.
Speaking of after the film, the casualty victims, the audience, stood in front of the theater with stunned
looks of disbelief. You know that look on people's faces in ATOMIC CAFE? The survivors of Hiroshima? I saw
that stare again. The pain. The agony. The wish to make it all go away. The masochist in me loved it. I had
attended a train wreck and sat third row center. Far more effective than the one in THE FUGITIVE this is
what I saw. This is honest. I love Batman, I was even wearing a BATMAN & ROBIN tie to the screening. I
didn't try to convince anyone this film was going to be awful. Instead I was like WANG in BIG TROUBLE IN
LITTLE CHINA. You know, "I've got a real positive feeling about this." I did, it's true. I had resolved myself to
watching the 60's Adam West Batman series brought to life with the full cooperation of Hollywood. What I
saw cannot be explained. Why do people make ugly things? Is it stupidity, is it ignorance I don't know.
Maybe this film is beautiful in an Ed Wood way. Maybe Schumacher is like that kindergarten child with
finger-paints doing portraits of mommy and daddy. When you see those finger-paints you say, ooooh Joel,
that's nice, but inside you look at the indiscernible mixtures of colors forming vague shapes and wonder
what the hell your kid was thinking. You put it on the fridge, and then one day it's in the closet being
eaten by roaches and rats. This is that film. The one that gathers dust and fades away.
Let it fade!

3. FM2 – Section A – Audience & Producers
Batman & Robin weekly US box office figure.
Per
Date Rank Gross % ChangeTheaters Total Gross Days
Theater
6/20/19971 $42,872,605 2,934 $14,612$42,872,605 3
6/27/19973 $15,735,702-63.30% 2,942 $5,349 $75,208,048 10
7/4/1997 5 $8,027,257 -48.99% 2,942 $2,729 $90,716,119 17
7/11/19977 $4,085,748 -49.10% 2,701 $1,513 $98,795,842 24
7/18/199710 $1,780,393 -56.42% 1,916 $929 $102,808,36631
7/25/199715 $703,205 -60.50% 1,090 $645 $104,552,40338
8/1/1997 23 $306,973 -56.35% 448 $685 $105,189,28345
8/8/1997 31 $149,408 -51.33% 210 $711 $105,506,13552
8/15/199739 $83,183 -44.32% 153 $544 $105,674,49859
8/22/199726 $417,528 +401.94%712 $586 $106,135,31366
8/29/199730 $412,090 -1.30% 677 $609 $106,712,33573
9/5/1997 33 $200,106 -51.44% 640 $313 $107,000,03380
9/12/199736 $103,126 -48.46% 569 $181 $107,188,61987
9/19/199743 $52,648 -48.95% 416 $127 $107,285,00494
Harry Knowles’s review was released mid week after the film’s opening weekend
Notice the dramatic 63% drop in box office revenue. These figures demonstrate the power and influence
the media has over a film’s success rate.
Although Warner Brothers labelled the film a financial success it under performed at the box office and
was not the hit they had expected
“Batman & Robin was released on June 20, 1997 in North America, earning $42,872,605 in its opening
weekend, making it the third-highest opening weekend of 1997. However, the film rapidly declined with
a 63% second week plunge. Many observers based the second week drop on negative word of mouth. In
addition, Batman & Robin faced early competition with Face/Off and Hercules.[1] Schumacher blamed it
on yellow journalism started by Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News and other film websites such as
Dark Horizons.[23] The film went on to gross $107.3 million in North America and $130.9 million
internationally, coming to a worldwide total of $238.2 million”
From www.wikipedia.com