10 Famous Films That Failed To Turn A Profit Thanks To Hollywood Accounting

10. Batman

Tim Burton’s darkly gothic take on Batman redefined the superhero from the camp Adam West Batman we saw in the 1960s TV show but even though the 1989 film was by all accounts a huge success amassing a whopping $411 million worldwide Warner Brothers claimed a loss of almost $36 million.

This prompted producers Michael E. Uslan and Benjamin Melniker, who own the film rights to the Batman character and were reportedly responsible for the darker direction of the superhero, to file a suit against Warner Brothers in 1992 claiming they hadn’t been paid a penny after being coerced into a virtually worthless net profit clause.

Warner Brothers got the last laugh when the lawsuit was thrown out of court two years later though they did make a rather pitiful conciliatory gesture towards Uslan and Melniker in the form of an out of court settlement that according to their attorney amounted to “two popcorns and two Cokes.”

Although, Uslan and Melniker have been credited as producers on every single Batman film released since including this year’s LEGO Batman Movie so you’d think they’ve had a few cheques sent their way by now.