How to watch the Batman movies in order: chronological and release date
Here’s how to watch the Batman movies in order chronologically and by their release dates
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If you want to watch the Batman movies in order, you’re in the right place.Batmanfirst swooped onto our screens in 1943. Since then, the Caped Crusader has saved the people of Gotham from impending doom time and time again, battling villains like Bane, the Joker, Poison Ivy, Penguin and many more.
Over the years, many actors have taken on the role of the Dark Knight, including Michael Keaton, Christian Bale and, more recently, Robert Pattinson inThe Batman.But we’re not here to discuss thebest Batman performancesand which Bats is our favorite. Instead, this guide focuses on chronology and release date. Which means those who want to be strict about it and watch the Batman movies in order know exactly where to begin.
How to watch the Batman movies in release date order
Want to know how to stream the Batman movies in order of their release dates? Read on:
Beyond the big Bat franchises, Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego have made numerous other big screen appearances – starting in the 1940s, when a serialized detective drama was made to cash in on the newfound popularity of a character who had made his comic book debut in 1939. Lewis Wilson played the title role in 1943’sBatman, with Robert Lowery taking over for 1949’sBatman and Robin.
The character’s next big-screen appearance came in 1966, when Hollywood decided to capitalize on the success of the tongue-in-cheek Adam West-led TV show. It’s a movie with plenty of villains, and also the origin of the iconicSharkRepellent Batspray – a crucial item in the bat-arsenal that would be absent from the big screen untilThe Lego Batman Moviein 2017.
Batman has also been a big player in the world of animation, headlining a pair of big-screen cartoons. The excellentBatman: Mask of the Phantasmtook the critically acclaimedBatman: The Animated Seriesto the cinema and, nearly 25 years later,The Lego Batman Moviemade life in Gotham look more fun that it had been at any time since the 1960s.
Batman was also a supporting player inThe Lego MovieandThe Lego Movie 2, and made a brief appearance in the critically acclaimedJoker– albeit as a pre-Caped Crusader Bruce Wayne, forced to endure the loss of his parents (yet again). Batman’s also referenced elsewhere in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) inShazam!,Harley Quinn,Birds of Prey, and – though he’s not seen on screen inWonder Woman– it’s Bruce Wayne who sends Diana the photo that prompts her to flashback to the events of World War I.
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How to watch the Batman movies in chronological order
When it comes to cinematic reboots, no other superhero can compete with Batman. Robert Pattinson’s 2022 debut inThe Batmankicked off the Caped Crusader’s fourth big-screen continuity, which was another reboot that left cinematic mainstaysSupermanandSpider-Manin the dust.
Before you ask, too – no, there’s zero continuity between these various Bat-franchises. With that in mind, below, we’ve broken don the iconic vigilante’s live-action movie eras for you to digest (NB:Batman’s animated film guide follows later):
The Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher era
The Dark Knight trilogy
DC Extended Universe
The Batman Epic Crime Saga
Given Bats’ enduring popularity, it’s remarkable that Hollywood didn’t give him a major movie franchise before 1989, when director Tim Burton pitted Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne against Jack Nicholson’s scenery-chewing Joker. It became the second highest-grossing film of that year, so a sequel was inevitable – and the darker, weirderBatman Returnsis one of the most wilfully, wonderfully bizarre superhero movies ever made, albeit it made considerably less at the box office than its predecessor.
Batman Foreversaw Joel Schumacher take over behind the camera, with Val Kilmer donning the cape. Despite being a commercial success, this silly, neon-drenched threequel was rather less popular with critics – though worse was to come. Two years later,Batman & Robinall-but-killed the franchise with a movie that regularly features in “worst ever” lists, and made sure George Clooney had an inauspicious start to his career as an A-lister.
An eight-year absence from the big screen followed until Gotham City’s saviour came in the unlikely form of Christopher Nolan with his gritty, realistic vision for the Caped Crusader. Starting withBatman Begins, the Christian Bale-starring Dark Knight trilogy remains one of the high points in the history of superhero movies, with action sequences to die for and genuine moral complexity. Sadly, Nolan’s story was always going to be a three-movie deal, so Batman was going to requireanotherreboot after 2012’sThe Dark Knight Rises. It ultimately came as part of DC’s efforts to take on the all-conqueringMarvelCinematic Universe – though this time, Bats wouldn’t be the only headline attraction.
A sequel to 2013’sMan of Steel,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceset out to spontaneously kickstart anMCU-style shared universe with the now defunctDCEU. However, with Ben Affleck assuming the mantle of an older, nastier Batman unafraid to break the character’s cardinal rule about killing, this incarnation was a hard one to love, so it was a mild relief when he lightened up for his appearances inSuicide Squad(essentially a glorified cameo) andJustice League. Sadly, both of those movies were dreadful.
A few years later, Matt Reeves took the helm ofThe Batman, cast Robert Pattinson as his Bruce Wayne/Batman, and pitted him against a rogues’ gallery of classic Bat-foes, including Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Riddler (Paul Dano), and The Penguin (Colin Farrell). As we said in our fullThe Batmanreview, we adored this new take on the Dark Knight.
How to watch the animated Batman movies in order
As befits a billionaire playboy with money to burn, Batman was never going to be satisfied with only conquering the big screen. Subsequently, he’s appeared in numerous animated direct-to-video/TV movies over the course of his eventful lifetime.
His earlier feature-length animated outings were spin-offs from popular TV cartoon series – as sequels toMask of the Phantasm,BatmanandMr Freeze: SubZero, andBatman: Mystery of the Batwomanwere effectively spin-offs from the acclaimedBatman: The Original Series/The New Batman Adventures. Meanwhile,Return of the Jokerwas based in the universe of the future-setBatman Beyond, and the genre mashingThe Batman vs Draculawas part of the 2000sThe BatmanTV show.
However, it’s over the last decade that Batman has become particularly active on the animated movie front. Indeed, some have been such a big deal that they’ve been given one-night-only cinematic releases to tie in with their debut on home entertainment formats.
While many of these films have been based on original stories or set in DC’s Animated Movie Universe, the line has been most notable for bringing classic standalone stories from the Batman comic books (such asBatman: Year One,The Dark Knight ReturnsandThe Killing Joke) to the screen.
Batman’s feature-length offering is rounded off with a pair of animated stories set in the universe of the ’60s TV series (these include the late Adam West’s last outing in the role, and his Batman’s first encounter with Two-Face); the Japanese-madeBatman Ninja; and unlikely team-ups with Scooby-Doo and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Here, then, is how to watch the Batman movies in order on the animation front:
Batman: The Animated Series/The New Batman Adventures
Batman Beyond
The Batman
DC Universe Animated Original Movies
Batman 66
Japanese-made movie
Cartoon spin-offs
What are the best Batman movies?
Seeing as Batman’s cinema appearances traverse a near-85 year spell, it’s no surprise there’s been a massive range of style and tone. But few franchises in history – evenJames Bond– have had such a large variation in quality.
Ourbest Batman moviesguide is worth reading to see what we made of each live-action flick, but you can also check out each one’s IMDb user rating below to see who wins out from a wider pool of reviewers.
Where to watch the Batman movies
Now you know how to watch the Batman movies in order and which are the best, it’s time to find them. Depending on your location, you’ll need to check your favorite streaming services to see which of the best Batman movies are available.
If you’re in the US, you’ll find most of the best Batman movies on Max andAppleTV Plus. This includes the most recent Batman movies,The BatmanandJoker.This is where you’ll also find Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and even earlier Batman’s, like Tim Burton’sBatman Returns. If you’re in the US and you want animated Batman, you’ll findThe Lego Batman Movieon Max and Crunchyroll.
If you’re in the UK, things aren’t as straightforward. For example,The Batmanis available onAmazon’s Prime Video. But then many other modern Batman movies are only available through Sky’s services, likeThe Dark KnightandJustice League.But if you can’t find the Batman movie you want through a streamer you’re subscribed to, many of them are available to rent or buy via Amazon’s Prime Video or Apple TV Plus, likeJoker.
If you’re in Australia, Netflix should be your first port of call for Batman movies. At the time of writing, we found Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy on Netflix, as well as several other top Batman movies, likeJokerandJustice League.Some of the best Batman movies are also on the Foxtel Now streaming service, including 2022’sThe BatmanandBatman Returns.
For more Batman coverage, see where all threeDark Knightmovies placed in ourbest Christopher Nolan movies rankedpiece or which ones made it onto ourbest superhero movieslist. Alternatively, find out how to stream them as part of ourDC movies in orderguide and learn what Batman projects are in development as part ofDCU Chapter One.
Richard is a freelance journalist specialising in movies and TV, primarily of the sci-fi and fantasy variety. An early encounter with a certain galaxy far, far away started a lifelong love affair with outer space, and these days Richard’s happiest geeking out about Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel and other long-running pop culture franchises. In a previous life he was editor of legendary sci-fi and fantasy magazine SFX, where he got to interview many of the biggest names in the business – though he’ll always have a soft spot for Jeff Goldblum who (somewhat bizarrely) thought Richard’s name was Winter.
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