The Bat catalogue

Audiences over the decades clearly haven't been able to get enough of the Caped Crusader. Since (and including) the first Batman film screened in 1966, there have been no less than eight films featuring the crime fighter, culminating in The Dark Knight Rises.

Originating from a 1939 comic, the story has been told in vastly different ways in the movies over the years, although the key elements remain: Batman is the alter ego of wealthy industrialist Bruce Wayne, who, after seeing his parents murdered as a child, swears to fight crime in his beloved city of Gotham.

Here's how the films have fared over the years...

Batman: The Movie was the first full-length adaptation of the popular television series, also starring Adam West as the superhero and Burt Ward as his trusty sidekick, Robin. It was made for about US$1.4 million and received an 83 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In 1989 came Tim Burton's vision of Batman, starring Michael Keaton in the lead role and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. It made more than US$411 million worldwide, and scored 70 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Keaton reprised his role in 1992 with Batman Returns, this time going up against Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny DeVito as the Penguin. The production earned US$266 million at the global box offices, although still scoring an impressive 78 per cent among critics.