Despite a star-studded cast, the 1997 Batman & Robin superhero film fell way below fan expectations.
The cast was filled with several big-named movie stars from the '90s. George Clooney took over the Batman/Bruce Wayne role from Val Kilmer, who decided to step away from the franchise following Batman Forever (1995). Chris O'Donnell reprised his role as Batman's sidekick, Robin/Dick Grayson. Batman and Robin were accompanied by Batgirl/Barbara Wilson (Alicia Silverstone).
Arnold Schwarzenegger was cast as the film's main villain, Mr. Freeze/Dr. Victor Fries. Pulp Fiction star Uma Thurman played Poison Ivy/Dr. Pamela Isley. The late Jeep Swenson played their sidekick, Bane. This marked the first live action movie appearance for all three villains.
Over the years, Clooney hasn't been shy in admitting his displeasure and embarrassment with the film. Last month, Clooney said he was "terrible in it" and that he "sucked" as the Caped Crusader.
In a recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Clooney talked more about his disappointment with Batman & Robin. During the interview, Clooney revealed that his pay for the film was a fraction of what Schwarzenegger made.
More specifically, Clooney revealed that he was paid just $1 million for the film, compared to $25 million for Schwarzenegger. That's right. A whopping $24 million difference between the film's title character/main superhero and the main villain.
In that interview with Stern, Clooney admitted that "it actually hurts to watch" the movie.
The extremely negative reviews from fans and critics led to the cancellation of a planned sequel, Batman Unchained. The film's director, Joel Schumacher, even apologized to those who were disappointed by Batman & Robin.
Following the release of Batman & Robin, it would be another eight years until another live action Batman film (Batman Begins) hit the big screens. Christopher Nolan launched his Dark Knight Trilogy, with Christian Bale taking on the Batman role for the films that received mostly positive reviews.