Ready for a ‘Batman’ Blitz? : More Than 120 Product Tie-Ins Hit the Market

“Batman Returns” doesn’t open until Friday, but you can catch Batmania now playing in a store, hotel or fast-food restaurant near you.

Both are sequels to Warner Bros.’ enormously successful 1989 “Batman,” which generated $1.5 billion from the theatrical box office, videocassette sales and rentals, and retail sales of Batman-themed products.

The huge success, fueled by the familiarity of the characters created by Bob Kane and published over the years by DC Comics, practically rewrote the book on movie marketing and product licensing. It was all but inevitable that “Batman,” the movie, and Batmania, the sales phenomenon, would return.

“ ‘Batman’ is just the sort of pop culture and commercial marriage that Hollywood knows how to arrange with consummate skill,” said one marketing veteran.

In this summer’s “Batmania” merchandising adventure, we again join our defender of Gotham City. And we meet his sinister adversaries the Penguin and Catwoman. But top billing in the commercial extravaganza goes to McDonald’s, Diet Coke and Choice Hotels, plus about 120 licensed products. The bat blitz features talking toothbrushes, roller skates, and, naturally, T-shirts. You’ll also see the “Batman” logo and characters on boxer shorts, sunglasses and throw pillows. Their mugs are on beach towels, beanbag chairs, weightlifting gloves and, yes, mugs.

There’s a hand-held “Batman Returns” game from Tiger Electronics, in which players help the caped crusader fight the forces of evil.

Hungry? There are tortilla chips shaped like the “Batman” logo made by the Los Angeles-based Street Kids, a Ralston Purina breakfast cereal in the shape of the movie’s characters, or cookie cutters to make your own bats and penguins.

For adults and kids, there’s a 20-inch-long jet-black Batmobile, modeled faithfully to the one Batman himself drives. This radio-controlled model, manufactured by RichMan’s Toys in North Hollywood, is a limited edition, reaches speeds of 25 m.p.h. and has a suggested retail price of $190.

At somewhat lower prices, there are Batman-themed commemorative coins, books, playing cards, video games and costume jewelry.

TV viewers have already seen an avalanche of Batman-related commercials. Tonight, CBS airs a special called “The Bat, The Cat, The Penguin . . . Batman Returns.”

The sheer size of the affiliated “Batman Returns” campaigns and licensing program dwarfs all others for recent movies. The last effort of unusual size was for TriStar Pictures’ release of Steven Spielberg’s “Hook.” But more often such campaigns are on the scale of this summer’s teaming of Baskin-Robbins, Lipton Tea, the VH1 cable network and Nordstrom department stores with Columbia Pictures’ “A League of Their Own,” or the Burger King, Mattel and Kid Cuisine tie-in with Walt Disney’s re-release of the animation classic “Pinocchio.”

There are fewer individual companies involved in Batmania this time, but the number of products is roughly the same as for “Batman.” One difference is that Warner Bros. didn’t allow the products to begin appearing until last week, and has taken stronger measures to protect against piracy.

“We didn’t want to overhype the movie,” said Dan Romanelli, Warner Bros. consumer products and licensing president. “As a result, it wasn’t until a week ago that any of the product hit the stores.”

Romanelli estimated that McDonald’s, Diet Coke and the Choice Hotel chain will spend$60 million on TV advertising. The companies’ ads show scenes and characters from the film, which gives them a link to the movie, and hands Warner Bros. much beneficial publicity, Romanelli noted. In addition, Warner Bros.’ own advertising campaign will end up costing about $20 million for the run of the film, according to sources.

For Coke, the ad campaign is the second dance with “Batman.” The soft-drink giant participated in 1989, but this time it is specifically targeting its Diet Coke brand. It plans to offer a “Batman Returns” popcorn tub with the purchase of a large soft drink and popcorn at theaters where Coca-Cola products are sold.

McDonald’s is turning its more than 9,000 restaurants in the United States and Canada into the “official” restaurants of Gotham City, and offering customers newly designed Batman-themed french fry bags and cups with a Batdisc lid that doubles as a flying disc.

“We’ve never before given over our packaging like we have with this promotion,” said McDonald’s Corp. public relations manager Susan Bergen. The company has had a long history of movie tie-ins, most recently with “Hook” and “The Little Mermaid.”

“The idea is pleasing to the customers because they feel a part of all the excitement about the movie itself,” Bergen said.

Meanwhile, Choice Hotels, which also operates Quality Inns, is offering a sweepstakes contest.

“Batman Returns” is a $55-million production directed by Tim Burton who is repeating his assignment from the first. The movie, which will open in more than 2,500 theaters, stars Michael Keaton in the title role, Danny DeVito as the Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.

“Batman” sold $251 million worth of theater tickets in the United States and Canada, and an additional $155 million in international markets.

All told, by the time “Batman” wound down, the companies licensed by Warner Bros. to sell Batman products had grossed well over $500 million in North American markets and double that internationally, said Romanelli, “and that’s being conservative.” Although Romanelli would not discuss Warners’ share of the 1989 licensing program, as a rule of thumb in the industry a studio might receive 10% of the sales gross.

“This time we had very early acceptance, compared to the first ‘Batman,’ which was considered dark and sinister,” Romanelli said. “There were a lot of cynics. But the success turned that around.”

But there are differences this time, Romanelli said, noting that an animated daily “Batman” series from Warners will debut on the Fox network in September. The effect will be to keep the characters in front of a young audience, he said. “Retailers will be able to feel comfortable that they will get support.”

Another difference is support from a sister company of Time Warner Inc., the Six Flags chain of seven theme parks. There will be a “Batman” ride at the Gurnee, Ill., park north of Chicago, and a “Batman Stunt Show” at three of the parks, including Magic Mountain north of Los Angeles.

And to keep piracy at a minimum, Romanelli said Warner and DC Comics are using hologram hand tags and stickers made by American Bank Note Holographics Inc. to designate official products.