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Michileen Martin is a contributing entertainment writer located in New York. His focus is on Comics and Comic Book Movies. He has in-depth knowledge of Comics as a whole, being a fan for over 40 years and covering them at Looper, Digital Trends, and Giant Freakin Robot. Michileen joined Newsweek in February 2025. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany. You can get in touch with Michileen by emailing m.martin@newsweek.com. You can find him at Threads @mickmartin182.
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Two of the biggest superhero movies of the twentieth century are coming back to theaters for one night. The Tim Burton directed “Batman” and “Batman Returns” will screen exclusively in Dolby Cinema locations on August 25.
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This will mark the first time both “Batman” and its sequel will be presented in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, according to Variety‘s report. The remastered films will screen at over 160 AMC Theater locations nationwide.
Warner Bros.
“I hadn’t watched these films since I made them, and seeing them again with this level of clarity, beauty, color, and sound felt really new and exciting,” director Tim Burton said of the remastered films. “Dolby Atmos and Vision brought it all to life in a fresh way.”
Michelle Maddalena, VP of global content and industry relations at Dolby, said, “‘Batman’ and ‘Batman Returns’ remain seminal films in the history of the superhero genre. The new presentation of these films in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos honors Tim Burton’s bold creativity while showcasing how far audio and image technology have evolved.”
“Tim Burton’s acclaimed ‘Batman’ films deliver a dark, iconic vision of Gotham City that continues to influence the modern superhero genre today,” said Jeff Goldstein, president of global distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures. “With their advancements over the past decades, Dolby now transforms these beloved classics into completely new cinematic experiences through Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, delivering unprecedented visual and audio fidelity.”
The choice of these two films is particularly fitting. In 1992, “Batman Returns” became the first feature film presented in Dolby Digital.
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“Batman” premiered in 1989 and heralded a new era for the titular character. A huge hit, the film popularized a darker version of Batman, who was previously best known for the campier version played by Adam West in the 1960s TV show.
Michael Keaton played the eponymous Dark Knight while his nemesis the Joker was brought to life by Jack Nicholson. Kim Basinger played Batman’s love interest Vicki Vale.
“Batman Returns” followed in 1992 with Danny DeVito as the Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer playing femme fatale Catwoman, and Christopher Walken as crooked businessman Max Shreck.
While the film series would continue with 1995’s “Batman Forever,” the threequel and its critically panned follow-up were helmed instead by the late Joel Schumacher and different actors replaced Keaton.
Keaton eventually returned to his role as the Dark Knight in 2023’s “The Flash.”
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