Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (also known as Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker) is a 2000 American animated superhero mystery film featuring the DC Comics' superheroes Bruce Wayne / Batman and Terry McGinnis / Batman as well as the former's archenemy, the Joker. It is set in the continuity of the animated series Batman Beyond, in which Bruce Wayne has retired from crime fighting, passing the mantle of Batman to high-school student Terry McGinnis, and serves as a sequel to both Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. As in the TV series, Will Friedle and Kevin Conroy star as Terry McGinnis and Bruce Wayne, respectively, and Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker opposite Conroy in Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, reprises his role. Animation services were done at the Japanese animation studio, TMS Entertainment. The story follows McGinnis, the new Batman and his mentor and predecessor Bruce Wayne as they face the latter's archenemy the Joker, who has returned after having been presumed dead for decades, leading Terry to discover the truth about Bruce's final battle with the Joker as Batman. With Gotham City is at risk from the Joker's attacks, Terry must confront an enemy who is unlike anyone he has faced before.

Before its release, the film was heavily edited to remove scenes of intense violence, and some dialogue was altered. The original uncut version was subsequently released on DVD following an online petition to have it released. It received a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for violence, the first animated Batman film to do so. The film was a critical and commercial success, receiving acclaim for its animation, voice cast (particularly Hamill's performance), story, action, and characters, and grossed $95 million on a budget of $8 million.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, The Little Vampire, and Lucky Numbers, and was projected to gross $3-5 million in its opening weekend. Analysts blamed the low projections on the poor theatrical performance of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which did not do well during its run in theaters. However, after grossing $8 million on its first day, including $600,000 from Thursday night previews, projections were raised to $20-25 million. The film debuted with $19 million, knocking off holdover Meet the Parents from the top spot. At the time, Variety called the film's performance "a surprise" and that "Warner Bros. may consider doing more theatrical DC films in the future, given that the film has already made twice its budget on its opening weekend." In its second weekend, the film grossed $13 million and was knocked down to second place by newcomer Charlie's Angels, which grossed $40 million in its opening weekend. Forbes said that Batman Beyond "stood no chance against a higher-budgeted Hollywood blockbuster", but that "the film is already a booming success and will likely spawn a sequel, if Warner Bros. opts to do one". In its third weekend, the film grossed $9 million, finishing fifth, and in its fourth weekend grossed $6.5 million, falling down to eighth. The film closed out its theatrical run in the U.S. and Canada with $60 million, which The Hollywood Reporter called "spectacular", saying that the film "could change the future of animated superhero films".

Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 122 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's consensus reads, "This feature length entry in the Batman Beyond mythos sends off the Mark Hamill-voiced Joker in thrilling fashion, hitting the same caped crusading peaks of the original series." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on a scale of A+ to F. Several publications have listed it as one of the best animated films of the 2000s and one of the best animated superhero films of all time, with some people even listing it among the best superhero films of all time.