And these days, there’s no better way to know the film has been embraced again than by the recent release of one of the ultimate collectibles for any franchise: High end Hot Toys figures! But time can heal all wounds and such is the case with Batman Forever 28 years later, which is looked back on fondly once more by many of those who grew up with it.

For a while, there was a tendency to group together both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin as films that hurt the Batman brand, despite the clear proof that one was much more popular than the other. “Val Kilmer has my favorite Batman suit in that movie” – BatmanWhoLaughs76, discussing Batman Forever at Fandom’s Batman Wikiīatman Forever’s legacy would be somewhat tarnished though after the release of Schumacher’s follow up film, Batman & Robin, a decidedly NOT well received entry that was a major box office disappointment and led a hiatus on Batman films for eight years, until Christopher Nolan came along. Instead, it was greeted with open arms and solidified that the Batman character was innately beloved and popular, even as the man behind the mask changed.

With a new director and a new Batman, as Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer stepped in for the departing Tim Burton and Michael Keaton, there were many ways Batman Forever could have stumbled. A notably larger hit than its darker and somewhat controversial “Is this too dark for kids?” predecessor, Batman Returns, Batman Forever would make more money than any other movie at the domestic box office in 1995 (albeit with an asterisk, since Toy Story, released near the end of the year, would ultimately be the biggest box office hit of any movie released in 1995, though much of that was still coming in at the start of 1996). When Batman Forever hit theaters in 1995, it was a big deal.

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