How Corporate Greed Killed Batman Forever | Toys, Angry Parents, and McDonalds | 10th Anniversary Episode!

About this episode

The episode discusses how corporate decisions influenced the making of Batman Forever and offers alternate sequel ideas.

McDonald's killed Batman. Then Warner Brothers buried him in neon. After Batman Returns traumatized parents and Christian groups, McDonald's panicked and pulled their Happy Meal deal. Warner Brothers, terrified of losing fast food merchandising money, forced a course correction that gave us Batman Forever—a neon-soaked, toyetic mess that abandoned Tim Burton's gothic vision for Joel Schumacher's campy, pun-filled nightmare. In this 10th anniversary episode of the Cinema Psychos Show, hosts Cottington and John Wooliscroft do a full Batman Forever fix and Batman Forever review—ranting about everything from the nipple suit to Jim Carrey's Riddler (Ace Ventura in green spandex) and Tommy Lee Jones sleepwalking as Two-Face. But they don't just roast it. They pitch alternate Batman 3 sequels: one that continues the Burton-verse with Catwoman and Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent, and one that keeps Robin but replaces the camp with Scarecrow as the real psychological threat. They also debate the legendary Schumacher cut, expose the Batman Returns McDonald's controversy, and explain why Batman Forever—not Batman & Robin—started the franchise's death spiral. If you're a Batman fan, a 90s…

People in this episode

Hosts: Brian Cottington, John Wooliscroft

Topics covered

• corporate greed
• Batman Forever
• 90s nostalgia
• film analysis
• merchandising
• alternate sequels

Keywords

• Batman Forever
• McDonald's
• Warner Brothers
• 90s films
• film reviews
• corporate greed
• nostalgia
• Jim Carrey
• Tommy Lee Jones

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: McDonald's, Warner Brothers, Schumacher

Books & works: Batman Forever, Batman Returns, Batman & Robin

More episodes of Cinema Psychos Movie Reviews

• Kazaam (1996) Was Even Worse Than You Remember | Shaq's Genie Movie Reviewed · April 26, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Is Waterworld Really That Awful? | Kevin Costner is a MERMAN Who Drinks HIs Own Pee · April 14, 2026 · 1h 18m
• Is Panic Room (2002) Just "Home Alone" With Competent Criminals ? ft. Anastasia Elfman · March 29, 2026 · 1h 18m
• Ready or Not (2019): The Horror Comedy That Gets Better Every Time You Watch It | feat. KT Baldassaro · March 20, 2026 · 1h 28m
• Send Help (2026) Is Sam Raimi's Triumphant, BLOOD-SOAKED Return to HORROR with Anastasia Elfman! · March 10, 2026 · 1h 51m
• Is War of the Worlds (2025) The WORST Movie EVER? (Kinda...) | Ice Cube, Amazon · March 3, 2026 · 1h 16m