Editing Batman Returns (section)

===Performance analysis and aftermath===
The U.S. and Canadian box offices underperformed in 1992, with admissions down by up to five percent and about 290{{nbsp}}million tickets sold (compared to over 300{{nbsp}}million in each of the preceding four years). Industry professionals blamed the drop on the lack of quality of the films being released, considering them too derivative or dull to attract audiences. Even films considered successful had significant box-office drops week over week from apparently-negative word of mouth. Industry executive [[Frank Price]] said that the releases were not attracting the younger audiences and children which were vital to a film's success. Rising ticket prices, competition from the Olympics, and an [[Early 1990s recession|economic recession]] were also considered contributing factors to the declining figures.<ref name="NYTimesummerRetro"/> ''Batman Returns'' and ''Lethal Weapon 3'' contributed to Warner Bros.{{'}} best first half-year in its history, and were expected to [[Film distribution|return over $200{{nbsp}}million to the studio]] from the box office. ''Batman Returns'' was considered a disappointment as a sequel to the fifth-highest-grossing film ever made, however, and fell about $114.8{{nbsp}}million short of ''Batman''{{'}}s $411.6{{nbsp}}million theatrical gross.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Escapist2020"/><ref name="EWOct1993"/><ref name="NYTimesTwoattheWheel"/><ref name="BOM1992Worldwide"/><ref name="NYTimesummerRetro"/><ref name="BOMBatman1989"/><ref name="NYTimesDisappointment"/>}} By July 1992, anonymous Warner Bros. executives reportedly said about the film, "It's too dark. It's not a lot of fun."<ref name="Escapist2020"/>

Despite its [[Motion Picture Association film rating system#Addition of the PG-13 rating|PG-13 rating]] from the [[Motion Picture Association]], warning parents that a film may contain strong content unsuitable for children, Warner Bros. received thousands of complaint letters from audiences, particularly parents, who disliked ''Batman Returns''{{'}} violent and sexualized content.<ref name="THRReturnsat25"/><ref name="EWOct1993"/><ref name="NYTimesummerRetro"/> Waters recalled the aftermath of one screening: "It's like kids crying, people acting like they've been punched in the stomach and like they've been mugged."<ref name="Escapist2020"/> He had anticipated, and enjoyed, some backlash, but acknowledged he may have made some mistakes.<ref name="DOGBatman3"/> McDonald's was criticized for its child-centered promotion and toys, and discontinued its ''Batman Returns'' campaign in September 1992.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Escapist2020"/><ref name="TheRinger2022"/><ref name="TCM"/><ref name="DOGBatman3"/><ref name="PolygonRetro"/>}} Burton said that he preferred ''Batman Returns'' to ''Batman'', and thought it was less dark than its predecessor, despite the backlash.{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=113}} Although much of Hamm's work was replaced, he defended Burton and Waters, saying that except from the merchandise, ''Batman Returns'' was never presented as child-friendly.<ref name="DOGBatman3"/>

Warner Bros. decided to continue the series without Burton (described as "too dark and odd for them"), replacing him with [[Joel Schumacher]].<ref name="EWOct1993"/> A rival studio executive said, "If you bring back Burton and Keaton, you're stuck with their vision. You can't expect ''Honey, I Shrunk the Batman''" (referring to the 1989 science-fiction comedy, ''[[Honey, I Shrunk the Kids]]'').<ref name="PolygonRetro"/> Warner Bros. was sued by executive producers [[Benjamin Melniker]] and [[Michael Uslan]], who alleged that they had originally purchased the film-adaptation rights to the Batman character but were denied their share of the profits from ''Batman'' and ''Batman Returns'' by the studio's [[Hollywood accounting]]: a method used by studios to artificially inflate a film's production costs, making it appear unprofitable and limiting royalty (or tax) payments. The court decided in the studio's favor, citing a lack of evidence.<ref name="WAPOLawsuit"/><ref name="DOGLawsuit"/>