Tim Burton's *Batman* runs 2 hours and 6 minutes — 126 minutes — according to Box Office Mojo's title page, which also records its US theatrical opening on June 23, 1989 through Warner Bros. The last several of those minutes are end credits scored to music, with the story fully resolved before they begin and no scene waiting at the end. That 126-minute figure is the one printed on Warner's own home-video releases, but it is not the only number in circulation. Some reference sites list 121 minutes instead, and the gap comes down to what was measured rather than to any second version of the film.
Table of Contents
- Why some sources say 121 minutes instead
- How long are the end credits, and is there a scene after them?
- Is there an extended or director's cut?
- Which release to buy
- The certificate that was invented for this film
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why some sources say 121 minutes instead
The disagreement is about five minutes wide and it is consistent. The Numbers lists *Batman* at 121 minutes, while Metacritic and Warner's disc listings give 126. The British Board of Film Classification record — the UK regulator that rates films for release — logs the film as classified on 22 August 1989 with an approximate running time of 121 minutes. Neither number is an error.
A theatrical print measured through a projector and a video master timed on a disc can differ by a few minutes, because of how the reels were timed, where the measurement started and stopped, and the PAL speed-up that shortened films by about four percent on UK video for decades. None of it means footage is missing from one and present in the other. For practical purposes, use 126 minutes. That is what the film occupies on every current release, and it is the figure that matches the runtime printed on the box.
How long are the end credits, and is there a scene after them?
The ending lands before a single credit rolls. As Looper's ending explainer sets out, Batman kills the Joker at Gotham's bicentennial parade, leaves Harvey Dent a letter promising he will return if the city needs him, and the police unveil the Bat-Signal on the rooftop. That is the full resolution.
No source documents a mid-credits or post-credits scene. What plays over the credits is music, in two parts: Danny Elfman's "Batman Theme Reprise" first, then an edited cut of Prince's "Scandalous." The full album version of "Scandalous!" runs 6:15 on the *Batman* soundtrack, and the film uses a shortened edit — so expect several minutes of music-only credits at the tail of the 126. The practical read for a viewer:.
- Story time is roughly two hours; the credits are not part of it.
- There is nothing to stay for, so leaving at the first credit costs you nothing but the Prince track.
- If you are scheduling around the film, budget the full 126 minutes anyway — streaming players and discs count the credits.
Is there an extended or director's cut?
No. Substantial material was cut to bring *Batman* down to roughly two hours, and IMDb's alternate versions record catalogues what went: a planned opening in which Two-Face escapes Arkham Asylum, and a longer Joker sequence in which he reads the Gotham headlines about himself. That footage exists, but only as bonus features on Warner's two-disc DVD, never reintegrated into the film.
No extended cut, director's cut or special edition has ever been released. Every version you can buy, rent or stream is the same theatrical cut, which is why the runtime is stable across releases and the only variation is in how databases report it. This matters if you are chasing a "longer" *Batman* on the strength of a listing that says 130 or 135 minutes somewhere. Those are reporting errors or credits-inclusive padding, not a different film.
Which release to buy
The current reference edition is the 30th Anniversary set. Blu-ray.com's release listing records Warner issuing a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital package on June 4, 2019, sourced from a native 4K scan, graded in HDR10, with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and the correct 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio. A native 4K scan means the image was captured from the film elements at full 4K rather than upscaled from an older 2K master — the single most useful thing to check on any catalogue 4K release.
HDR10 widens the contrast range, which suits Anton Furst's Gotham and its deep blacks better than the older standard-dynamic-range discs did. Collectors in the UK have a second option. A "Titans of Cult" 4K + Blu-ray steelbook arrived on March 22, 2021, listed at 126 minutes. The two-disc DVD remains the only place to find the deleted Two-Face and headline scenes, so it is worth keeping if you own it.
The certificate that was invented for this film
The BBFC's case study on the film records that *Batman* was the first film ever given the board's new 12 certificate, created in 1989 specifically because Jack Nicholson's Joker was judged too frightening for a PG while a 15 would have shut out the teenage audience the film was plainly made for. The classification record lists its content as "violence, threat, injury detail, sex references, language." The rating has since drifted upward at home. The 2021 Titans of Cult steelbook carries a BBFC 15, above the 12 the film opened with — so a parent checking the certificate on a modern UK disc is reading a stricter judgement than the one made in 1989.
- Batman* carries a PG-13 in the US — the rating listed on Warner Bros.' own film page and the category it held on release in 1989. The UK had no equivalent, and that became a problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 126 minutes include the end credits?
Yes. Runtimes on discs and streaming players measure the whole file, credits included, so the story itself runs closer to two hours.
Why is the UK disc rated 15 when the film was a 12 in cinemas?
Classification is per release, not per film. The 1989 cinema certificate was a 12; the 2021 Titans of Cult 4K steelbook was certified 15.
Can I watch the deleted Two-Face opening anywhere?
Only as a bonus feature on Warner's two-disc DVD. It has never been edited back into the film on any release.