Every Batman Movie Opening Scene Ranked From Worst To Best

12. Batman & Robin

Unsurprisingly the worst opening to a Batman movie belongs to, well, the worst Batman movie.

Within the first 90 seconds alone of Joel Schumacher's ultra-camp Batman & Robin we're "treated" to absurd close-ups of George Clooney's bat-butt and bat-crotch, before his exasperation with Robin (Chris O'Donnell) prompts him to spit the groan-worthy quip, "This is why Superman works alone."

Schumacher's eye for snazzy visuals remains apparent as it did in Batman Forever, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's introduction as the pun-happy Mr. Freeze is amusing to a point, but by the time Batman and Robin are donning ice skates to battle Freeze's goons, it's clear we're in for a rough two hours.

The sequence ends with Freeze trying to send Batman into space to freeze to death, but Robin frees him and they escape by riding the rocket's capsule doors back to safety, complete with Robin's spirited utterance of "Cowabunga!"

The production design team certainly did their jobs here, albeit in the service of a rank, tacky opening that failed to provide Clooney's Batman with a compelling introduction.

And yet without Schumacher going so hard in the wrong direction right out of the gate, we likely never would've got the radical reinvention that was Batman Begins.