Warner Bros. and DC have made Batman Day a September staple for a decade, and for 2026, the occasion means a trip to the movies.
For Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, theatregoers can see Tim Burton’s Batman or the animated flicks Mask of the Phantasm or The Lego Batman Movie on the big screen again. The 1989 movie was back in theaters for its 35th anniversary in 2024, while Mask and Lego have only had their initial theatrical runs. Of the three, the 1989 movie is the highest-grossing ($411.6 million worldwide), followed by Lego ($312 million) and Phantasm ($5.8 million).
Beyond money, each of the Batman movies are significant in some fashion. Burton’s movie kickstarted the character’s modern dominance, while Lego’s re-release is nicely timed, given the Legacy of the Dark Knight game from earlier this year. Meanwhile, Mask of the Phantasm wasn’t just the first movie of the DCAU—which Batman: The Animated Series helped kick off—it’s also the only of those films to get a theatrical release.
If there’s anything else planned for Batman Day, like a look at The Batman Part II or something for next month’s Clayface, Warner Bros. is keeping that under wraps. Even if there’s not, three pretty good movies covering different parts of the character’s history is good on its own, especially if you were too young or weren’t alive to see these on the big screen when they first came out.
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