If you want to find out where to watch The Batman, it may be worth clarifying which film you’re looking for. Viewers may confuse three other films with The Batman. There’s the 1943 Columbia Pictures release called Batman, the 1966 film adaptation of the popular Batman TV series called Batman: The Movie, and the 1989 first installment of Warner Bros.’s initial Batman film series — also called Batman.
2022’s The Batman is also a superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman, created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. Like 1989’s Batman, it’s produced by Warner Bros. — but this time alongside DC Films, 6th & Idaho, and Dylan Clark Productions. The Batman was directed by Matt Reeves, who wrote the screenplay with Peter Craig. This seeming reboot of the film franchise stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne or Batman, alongside Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Zoë Kravitz, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, John Turturro, and Jeffrey Wright. You can stream The Batman now on HBO Max.
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Watch The Batman on HBO Max
The Batman’s Success May Lead To Sequels and Spin-Offs
Did you know that The Batman racked up $770 million worldwide at the box office, against a budget of up to $200 million? These numbers make it the fifth-highest grossing film of 2022.
When The Batman debuted on HBO Max on April 18, 2022, the first-week viewership in Smart TV U.S. households at more than 4 million far beyond the first-week viewership of other popular HBO Max and Warner Bros. films such as Dune, The Matrix Resurrections, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman 1984. The Batman’s first-week viewership is the second best for a theatrical movie on HBO Max after the viewership of New Line’s Mortal Kombat.
The Batman is intended to launch a Batman shared universe, with two spin-off television series in development and two film sequels planned. Where do viewers watch those future TV series and films? HBO Max is also set to be the home for the two upcoming spin-offs — one revolves around Colin Farrell’s Penguin, and the other has evolved into an Arkham-centric series. As for the films, they’ll probably eventually be available on HBO Max, too — but could initially be released only in theaters.
How Is The Batman Different From the Other Movies?
In The Batman, a killer targets Gotham City’s elite, sending the caped crusader on an investigation into the underworld. Bruce Wayne, as Batman, encounters characters such as Carmine Falcone, Selina Kyle, The Penguin, and The Riddler. In this adaptation, Batman must unmask the culprit, forge new relationships, and bring some justice to save Gotham City.
The Batman’s story also functions as a reboot of Warner Bros.’ Batman film franchise. And while some characters — Selina Kyle, The Penguin, The Riddler, and Batman himself — have appeared in past adaptations, there’s more to the 2022 film than most viewers may think, and it represents a departure from previous Batman incarnations.
“I don't think you can really help but be inspired by them,” Pattinson has said, referring to past adaptations and the original comic book material. “You just pick up so many different elements … I really liked watching the evolution of the character because it has really changed over time, back and forth across the spectrum.”
Kravitz has also talked about being inspired by the women who’ve played Catwoman before her. “They've all been so beautifully strong and sexy and free and wild and dangerous … You want to find ways to make it your own, but they're the reason we love these characters and want to play them.”
Here’s Where To Watch The Batman
The Batman premiered at Lincoln Center, New York, on March 1, 2022. The release of the 176-minute film was delayed twice — the original plan was to release it in June 2021 — due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its worldwide theatrical release was on March 4, 2022, while its worldwide online release on HBO Max was on April 18, 2022.
Watch The Batman on HBO Max