Halle Berry‘s 2004 box office bomb Catwoman is either a masterpiece or a disaster depending on who you listen to. Maybe it’s a disasterpiece?
DC Comics heroine Catwoman has been played countless times in live action since her creation in 1940, with Michelle Pfeiffer, Anne Hathaway and Zoë Kravitz being just a few of those who have donned Selina Kyle’s leather catsuit. However, Berry’s portrayal of Catwoman holds a unique place in cinematic history, both for how reviled it was at the time of release and for the way subsequent generations have completely re-evaluated her performance. Berry embraced the divisive response to Catwoman, even showing up at the Razzie Awards in person on February 26, 2005, to collect her Worst Actress Award.
As we reach the 20th anniversary of Berry’s iconic Razzie Awards appearance, keep scrolling to find out the true story of Catwoman‘s dramatic failure and unexpected reappraisal:
What Went Wrong
In short, almost everything that could have gone wrong with Catwoman did go wrong. Warner Bros. understandably wanted to capitalize on Pfeiffer’s popularity as Selina Kyle / Catwoman from 1992’s Batman Returns so the studio put a spinoff into development.
Pfeiffer signed on to lead her own Catwoman film in 1993, and Batman Returns‘ Tim Burton was on board to direct at first, based on a script by Daniel Waters. A first draft of Catwoman was submitted to Warner Bros. on the same day Batman Forever was released in 1995, but the film’s dark tone and gritty action reportedly turned off studio executives.
Burton and Pfeiffer each dropped out while development on the project stalled throughout the late 1990s. Ashley Judd and Nicole Kidman were both briefly considered to replace Pfeiffer, which would have posed challenges in Kidman’s case since she’d already played Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever.
When Warner Bros. pivoted to a Batman vs. Superman project (which wouldn’t actually materialize until 2016), Berry was hired to play Catwoman in a companion project. Warner Bros almost immediately put creative handcuffs on SFX guru-turned-director Pitof by decreeing that Batman could not be mentioned or shown in Catwoman.
“Catwoman came on my radar while I made [Die Another Day in 2002], which is when I was first asked. I was wildly excited,” Berry told Entertainment Weekly in 2024. “The pitch wasn’t really a story; it was just the idea of reinventing Catwoman. The studio was a big part of that; the idea was to not do what’s been done over and over but to bring something different.”
Pitof and screenwriters John Brancato, Michael Ferris and John Rogers rolled with Warner Bros.’ challenging creative directives by choosing not to use the Selina Kyle version of Catwoman at all. Instead, Berry would play Patience Phillips — the latest in a line of ancient Catwomen empowered by an Egyptian Mau cat called Midnight.
By the time cameras rolled, Pitoff’s Catwoman centered around wallflower Patience unleashing her inner-feline when she discovered the cosmetics company she worked for was harboring a dark secret. Sharon Stone delivered a highly theatrical performance, not unlike the 1960s Batman TV series, as evil cosmetics magnate Laurel Hedare while Benjamin Bratt costarred as the cop investigating Catwoman’s sudden reappearance.
Since Catwoman couldn’t link itself to the Batman’s lore, Pitof included a subtle acknowledgement that the film existed in the same universe as Batman Returns by briefly showing a photo of Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle as one of many Catwomen throughout history.
“I checked out some to see how Catwoman is treated in the comics, to make sure that our Catwoman was in the same vein,” Pitoff told Superhero Hype in 2023. “But I didn’t want to be too influenced by the comic book, because the whole point of the movie is to be first a movie, and to be different. Different from Batman, different from Spider-Man — this movie has its own identity. I tried to find my sources more in the character of Catwoman herself. To me, the Catwoman we’re filming now with Halle Berry is in the continuity of the others. She’s different than Michelle Pfeiffer’s character, different from anybody who’s played Catwoman in the past. But she is Catwoman. When you look at the differences between the comic book Catwoman and the TV or movie Catwoman, they’re all different-but there’s a feeling that they are all Catwoman. Halle brings her own personality, through her attitude and through the outfit.”
The Backlash
It would be an understatement to suggest that Catwoman faced harsh critical reviews. The film was infamously ripped to shreds by both reviewers and DC Comics die-hards for its quirky tone, PG-13 rating, bizarre mythology and campy performances.
The critical drubbing was especially harsh since Catwoman was one of the first major Hollywood projects for Berry since she made history as the first African American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar in 2002, for Monster’s Ball.
Legendary film critic Roger Ebert hated Catwoman so much that he suggested in his 2004 review: “The director, whose name is Pitof, was probably issued with two names at birth and would be wise to use the other one on his next project.”
When Catwoman was reviewed on Ebert’s TV show, his cohost Richard Roeper made a questionable joke about Berry’s star-power being diminished.
“I can tell you this much, though, Halle Berry is probably the first Oscar winner who has put on a S&M leather outfit and purred like a kitty cat,” Roeper complained.
Bill Muller, of the Arizona Republic, argued in his assessment that Berry had committed such grave a cinematic sin that she should have given back her Academy Award.
Catwoman failed spectacularly at the box office, failing to recoup the $100 million that Warner Bros. spent to produce and market the Batman spinoff. Twenty years later, Catwoman‘s Rotten Tomatoes critical score still sits at just 8 percent.
As if to add insult to injury, Catwoman received seven nominations and four wins at the 25th Golden Raspberry Awards in 2005. The annual awards show celebrates — or, perhaps, denigrates — Hollywood’s biggest critical and financial failures.
Halle Berry’s Response
Berry took Catwoman‘s failure in stride, memorably bringing her Academy Award along to personally accept the Worst Actress Award at the Razzies in February 2005.
“I never, in my life, thought I’d be up here winning a Razzie,” Berry joked in her acceptance speech. “It’s not like I ever aspired to be here … You don’t win a Razzie without a lot of help from a lot of people!”
The actress went on: “I want to thank Warner Bros. Thank you for putting me in a piece of s—, God-awful movie. It was just what my career needed, you know? I was at the top, and Catwoman just plummeted me to the bottom. Love it.”
In July 2024, Berry insisted she had no regrets about facing Catwoman‘s failure head-on with her appearance at the Razzie Awards.
“I’d written [my speech] within an inch of my life. I put a lot of thought into how I could do it in a fun way and let everyone know that I didn’t take it that seriously,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “You can never take away my Oscar, no matter how bad you bash me! If you say I earned this, all right, I’ll take this, too. You accept the wonderful things people say, and accept when they don’t say wonderful things.”
Catwoman’s Legacy
Over the past 20 years, Catwoman has become something of a cult classic. While the film was reviled for its campy tone at the time of release, many younger fans have championed its goofy plot and over-the-top dialogue.
“People weren’t ready for that kind of movie,” Pitof told IndieWire in 2024. “Now, after some key movements, we have more diversity and inclusiveness. Younger audiences see things differently and are much more open. Back then, comic book fans hated the movie because the film didn’t involve Batman; with a new generation, it’s not a problem. They take it as it is.”
Berry has seemingly made peace with Catwoman, too. She posed topless for a 2024 Instagram post celebrating the 20th anniversary of the superhero movie’s release.
“And STILL … meow! It’s been 20 years today since I had the honor of bringing this iconic character to life,” Berry wrote via Instagram. “She will always be close to my heart and I will forever be Patience Phillips aka CATWOMAN!”
The Oscar-winning actress even told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in August 2024 that she’d be willing to play Catwoman again on one condition.
“Maybe if I could direct it,” she told host Jimmy Fallon.
Catwoman is available to stream now on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
