Batman Returned
Rejected Batman Returns movie poster
In 1992, Tim Burton was set to release his sequel to his smash 1989 film Batman. Like most summer blockbuster films, Warner Bros. released a teaser movie poster for Batman Returns several months in advance. The initial Batman Returns advance poster featured a close crop of a black and white image of the Batman logo “ears” with the word RETURNS underneath.
The iconic look was interesting to say the least, and surprisingly artistic for a big budget studio film poster. Just one problem: movie theater owners absolutely hated the Batman Returns teaser poster design — and made this clear to the higher ups inside Warner Bros. marketing and exhibitor relations. Faster than you can say “Holy Revision Batman!” a replacement Batman Returns teaser poster with a more conventional version of the Batman logo filled theater lobbies everywhere.