# Why 'Batman,' Not 'Star Wars,' Was The Box Office Blockbuster That Ruined Hollywood



## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

From Forbes:

*Why 'Batman,' Not 'Star Wars,' Was The Box Office Blockbuster That Ruined Hollywood*


> Today is June 23, 2019, making it the 30th anniversary of Tim Burton's _Batman_. It's no secret that the 1989 blockbuster was my favorite movie growing up and remains among my favorites to this day. Whether the Nolan movies (especially the first two) or Burton's own _Batman Returns_ remains the superior live-action _Batman _movie, the Michael Keaton/Jack Nicholson gothic action fantasy still holds up as a one-of-a-kind blockbuster spectacular. But it's also the movie that, as I've noted here and there over the years, is responsible for many of the trends that led the theatrical industry to its current impasse. Looking back at its success, I maintain that _Batman_, not _Star Wars_ (and certainly not _Jaws_), is the movie most responsible for the current Hollywood blockbuster.


FULL ARTICLE HERE


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

I find your lack of faith disturbing.


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## dreadlk (Sep 18, 2007)

Hollywood has been run by accountants for the last thirty years. It’s a much safer investment to take known characters and plots from TV or Print material that is already proven rather than to take a shot in the dark with an unknown story. Just like the stock market their safe bet system can sometimes be blown out of the water by companies willing to take a chance on something new and original. I would use Stranger Things as a good example of that.


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