Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ and ‘Batman Returns’ Swing Back Into Theaters for One-Night-Only Event

Tim Burton’s legendary Batman movies are heading back to the big screen for a special one-night event. On August 25, his 1989 Batman and 1992 Batman Returns will play in more than 160 Dolby Cinema at AMC Theatres locations across the U.S., giving fans the chance to see them in a way they’ve never been shown before.

This will be the first time both films are presented in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. That means richer colors, sharper images, and powerful, immersive sound that makes you feel like you’re right inside Gotham City. The remaster promises to bring Burton’s dark, gothic world to life with more detail and intensity than ever.

Michael Keaton returns as the brooding Caped Crusader in both movies, joined by unforgettable villains. Jack Nicholson plays the manic Joker in Batman, while Batman Returns features Danny DeVito’s twisted Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer’s fierce Catwoman. These films helped set the tone for the darker, more serious style of superhero movies that followed.

Tim Burton himself is impressed with how his work looks and sounds today. “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,” Burton told Dolby. “Dolby Atmos and Vision brought it all to life in a fresh way.”

The return is especially meaningful for Dolby. Back in 1992, Batman Returns became the first film ever shown in Dolby Digital, the groundbreaking audio technology that forever changed how movies sound in theaters. Michelle Maddalena, Dolby’s VP of global content and industry relations, said, “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.”

Warner Bros. is equally excited about bringing these classics back. Jeff Goldstein, the studio’s president of global distribution, called Burton’s Batman movies “a dark, iconic vision of Gotham City that continues to influence the modern superhero genre today.” He added that Dolby’s upgrades “transform these beloved classics into completely new cinematic experiences.”

For one night only, Gotham will rise again, only this time, it will look and sound sharper, richer, and more alive than ever before.

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