Stars of Worst ‘Batman’ Movie Reflect on Its Renewed Legacy: “People Told Me It’s Their Favorite Movie”

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Despite being considered the worst major movie adaptation of the DC superhero Batman, also known as The Dark Knight, *Batman & Robin* has gained a dedicated cult following. The film currently has very low ratings on Rotten Tomatoes – 11% from critics and 16% from audiences. Even so, stars Chris O’Donnell and Alicia Silverstone, who played Robin and Batgirl, have expressed optimism about the film’s eventual appreciation, with O’Donnell noting they enjoyed being part of it.

The Batman & Robin stars talked to Entertainment Weekly about the film directed by Joel Schumacher, in which they co-starred alongside George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Uma Thurman. “It is what it is. Some work out and some don’t,” O’Donnell says about the 1997 movie widely considered one of the worst ever made. He continues:

Suddenly, the reviews started coming in, and it became clear the film wasn’t being well-received. There was a lot of negativity and strong dislike towards it. We still wanted to try and promote the movie, but it was difficult. I remember director Joel Schumacher eventually giving up, completely disheartened and upset by the reaction.

Silverstone recalls that the film wasn’t initially well-received, but many people grew to love it – particularly within the LGBTQ+ community, who appreciated its campy style. While O’Donnell was already an established actor with films like *Batman Forever* under his belt, Silverstone was primarily known for *Clueless* at the time. However, her role as Batgirl was a significant departure from her popular Beverly Hills character and unfortunately earned her a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress. The actress elaborates:

Looking back, things often felt chaotic. We were usually filming in huge warehouses filled with people and equipment, and it was a lot to take in. George was amazing during those times – he really stepped up as an older brother figure. He was just so calm and collected, and always had my back, especially when things got tough or didn’t make sense. He was a really reasonable person to have around.

Getting into the costume was a real struggle – it took a lot of effort and time. Once it was on, it was incredibly uncomfortable and difficult to move around, even going to the bathroom. These weren’t simple outfits; you had to cover yourself in baby powder just to get them on. It was a whole ordeal, a complete production.

‘Batman & Robin’ Was So Badly Received, It Temporarily Halted an Entire Franchise


Warner Bros.

Initially, predictions for *Batman & Robin* were positive enough that Warner Bros. decided to start planning another *Batman* film even before the first one was finished. They rehired director Joel Schumacher and anticipated most of the original actors would return for the sequel, which was temporarily called *Batman Unchained*. However, everything changed after *Batman & Robin* actually came out in theaters.

The film didn’t perform well at the box office, earning $238 million despite costing $160 million to make. Critics heavily disliked it, and any ideas for a fifth *Batman* movie were scrapped right away. Director Joel Schumacher couldn’t get the project back on track, so the superhero series paused until 2005, when Christopher Nolan took the helm. Nolan’s *Batman* trilogy completely restarted the story, ignoring everything that came before.

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2025-10-14 20:03