Where did that 28 years go? That was the question I asked myself when I realized that on this day in 1989, Batman was released. Tim Burton‘s blockbuster that ushered in a new era of comic book cinema that continues to this day. The film’s lead performances from Michael Keaton (as Bruce Wayne/Batman), Jack Nicholson (as The Joker), and Kim Basinger (as photojournalist Vicki Vale), along with a gripping soundtrack and eye-popping visuals resulted in a stunning new vision for the Dark Knight that was unlike anything audiences had seen before.
Naturally, the country collectively lost its minds.
You see, in the summer of 1989, Batmania was EVERYWHERE. Comic stores used the opportunity to sell all the Bat books they could, movie theaters prepared for brisk business, and even barber shops across the country got in on the act, shaving Bat symbols in the back of fanboys heads. It was a wild time. This weird and wonderful period in pop culture history lives on in the video featured above which has a selection of news reports showcasing the Batman hype of the time. These sorts of videos are so much fun because, as silly as it all may seem now that Batman films are old hat, they show you just how seriously everyone was looking forward to seeing Batman on the big screen.