The Batman Movie That Made The Least Amount Of Money In Theaters

Batman is arguably the most famous superhero of all time. Superman and Spider-Man could probably give him a run for his money, but the Dark Knight has remained a formidable presence in pop culture for decades and continues inspiring new stories in a variety of mediums. Regardless of what happens in the future of the DC Extended Universe, you can be certain Batman will be part of it some way, as evidenced by “The Batman” shaking things up in a big way by replacing Ben Affleck’s version of the character with a new, younger iteration played by Robert Pattinson. Not only that, but the Bat-family will continue doing pretty well for itself with “Batgirl” coming out in the near future, as well as a new “Gotham Knights” series being in the works for The CW (via MovieWeb).

That’s not even getting into the litany of comic books that feature the Caped Crusader as well as other live-action and animated series that will incorporate the Batman mythos in some form or another. Batman is the very definition of “iconic,” but with so many properties bearing his name, it makes sense that not every one can knock it out of the park.

While you would assume a title with “Batman” in the name would rake in the big bucks, the character also has some stinkers to his name. And his lowest-performing movie ever to hit theaters may not be the one you immediately think of.

Batman and Harley Quinn barely made a dent at the box office

When trying to guess the lowest-grossing Batman movie in theaters, you may assume it’s something like “Batman and Robin” or even “Catwoman.” However, there’s an entire animated section of the Dark Knight’s filmography, which is (for the most part) worth a look. You have the likes of “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” and “Batman: The Killing Joke,” which were able to make a few million at the box office before moving over to home releases, but one movie has all of those beat when vying for the bottom spot. In 2017, an animated Batman flick called “Batman and Harley Quinn” came out, which you could only watch in theaters in the United States for a special one-night-only event.

Between that and its run in other countries, “Batman and Harley Quinn” managed to bring in $39,091 (via The Numbers), earning it the distinct honor of being the lowest-grossing Batman movie of all time. Granted, there are plenty of other animated Batman movies the general public may not be aware of, such as “Batman: Gotham Knight” and “Batman: Bad Blood,” but those didn’t have a theatrical release at all. 

“Batman and Harley Quinn” fared much better for its home release, bringing in total domestic video sales of just under $2.2 million. Not bad for a Batman side project, but it’s a far cry from the most successful Batman movie at the box office, namely “The Dark Knight Rises,” which brought in $1.082 billion in theaters. It’s a high bar for any future “Batman” movie to beat, but you better believe the studio’s going to try.