10 Franchises That Should've Quit After Two Films
4. Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher's Batman
Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns are incredible pieces of filmmaking which managed to bring gravitas to the world's greatest detective after the campy Adam West 1966 debut film. Joel Schumacher's subsequent offerings of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin were seen by many as a step back to this era of ridiculous gadgets and cheesy dialogue which Burton had attempted to avoid.
To the casual viewer it would seem that Michael Keaton's time as the caped crusader in Tim Burton's two films were unrelated to Val Kilmer and George Clooney's solo ventures wearing the mask in the 90s.
However, these four films spanning nearly a decade with three different Batmans and two different directors are actually all in the same chronology thanks largely to Michael Gough's Alfred Pennyworth who appears in all of the films.
Perhaps Schumacher was attempting to create his own vision for Batman with extravagant set piece-led films after Burton's more gritty aesthetic which the studio wanted to desperately steer away from.
Whatever the reason, 1995's Batman Forever starring Kilmer did mark a downward trajectory in the film series before its final death throes in Clooney's Batman & Robin.
THE OFFENDING SEQUEL(S) ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: Batman Forever - 39%, Batman & Robin - 11%