Batman Day 2026: Burton’s Batman, Mask of the Phantasm, and The LEGO Batman Movie Return to Theaters

Warner Bros. Discovery is bringing three Batman films back to theaters for Batman Day 2026. Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and The LEGO Batman Movie return in a limited theatrical run starting Friday, September 18, at participating AMC, Regal, and Cinemark locations, along with select international exhibitors.

Batman Day falls on Saturday, September 19. The studio built this year’s celebration around the theme Rule the Night, with screenings, comics, toys, and gaming tied to the date.

The screening schedule varies by chain. Burton’s Batman opens the weekend on September 18. Listings reported by IGN put Mask of the Phantasm on September 19 and The LEGO Batman Movie on September 20, while Fantasy Land News reported those two films in the opposite order. AMC’s own announcement says its screenings begin September 19, and Regal is listing a 3D presentation of The LEGO Batman Movie. Check showtimes at your local theater before buying tickets for a specific night.

Two LEGO figures, Batman and Robin, are standing in a colorful, vibrant environment that resembles a superhero lair.

Burton’s Batman stars Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson as the Joker, with Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale. Mask of the Phantasm opened on December 25, 1993, as the first theatrical feature from Warner Bros. Animation. The studio originally planned it as a direct-to-video release before moving it to theaters, where it earned about $5.8 million against a $6 million budget. Kevin Conroy voices Batman and Mark Hamill voices the Joker, carrying their roles over from Batman: The Animated Series, and it remains the only DC Animated Universe film to get a theatrical release. The LEGO Batman Movie, released in 2017, stars Will Arnett as the voice of Batman.

A cartoon depiction of a superhero in a dark costume, gazing over a city skyline at night, with a spotlight shining in the background.

Earlier Batman Day celebrations put Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy on the big screen, including Showcase Cinemas screenings in 2023. This year the trilogy goes to television instead. TNT airs all three films on September 19, and TBS follows on September 20 with Batman-themed episodes of The Big Bang Theory.

Comic shops get their own Batman Day release. DC publishes Batman of Two Worlds, a $2.99 one-shot pairing a new Batman story with an Absolute Batman story, on September 19. Participating shops will also hand out paper Batman masks drawn by Ryan Sook. Cinemark is selling an LED popcorn bucket shaped like the 1966 Batmobile from the Adam West series that projects a Bat-Signal. Overseas, Berlin hosts a Batman Day event with a screening of Batman (1989) at ALICE Rooftop & Garden, and Milan’s Teatro Alcione screens Mask of the Phantasm.

Robert Pattinson’s return as Batman is still more than a year away. The Batman Part II opens February 18, 2028, after Warner Bros. moved it from October 1, 2027, in July. Matt Reeves released camera test footage of Pattinson in the suit alongside the date change, and the film is currently in production. Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, and Charles Dance are in the cast. Stan is widely reported to be playing Harvey Dent, though Warner Bros. has not officially announced his role. Plot details remain under wraps beyond a winter setting in a Gotham City still dealing with the aftermath of the flood from the first film.