List of films based on DC Comics publications
Appearance
Below is a list of films based on DC Comics characters and properties including its various imprints. It includes serials, live action and animated films, direct-to-video releases, television films, fan-made films, and documentary films.
Live-action films
Year | Title | Production studio(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1951 | Superman and the Mole Men | Lippert Pictures | Theatrically-released pilot for the 1950s Adventures of Superman television series |
1954 | Stamp Day for Superman | Government produced | 18 minutes short film Government produced. In the public domain. |
1966 | Batman | 20th Century Fox | Related to the 1960s Batman television series |
1978 | Superman | Dovemead Film Export A.G./International Film Productions | Won 1 Special Oscar, nominated for 3 more |
1980 | Superman II | ||
1982 | Swamp Thing | Embassy Pictures | |
1983 | Superman III | Cantharus Productions N.V./Dovemead Films | |
1984 | Supergirl | Artistry Ltd/Cantharus Productions/Pueblo Film Group | |
1987 | Superman IV: The Quest for Peace | Golan-Globus/Cannon Films. | |
1989 | The Return of Swamp Thing | Lightyear Entertainment | |
Batman | Warner Bros./PolyGram Filmed Entertainment | Won 1 Oscar | |
1992 | Batman Returns | Nominated for 2 Oscars | |
1995 | Batman Forever | Nominated for 3 Oscars | |
1997 | Batman & Robin | ||
Steel | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/QDe | ||
2004 | Catwoman | Warner Bros./Village Roadshow Pictures/Di Novi Pictures/Frantic Films/Maple Shade Films | Not directly based on the character of the same name |
2005 | Constantine | Warner Bros./Village Roadshow Pictures/The Donners' Company/Batfilm Productions/3 Arts Entertainment | Loosely based on the Hellblazer comic |
Batman Begins | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/Legendary Pictures/Syncopy Inc./Patalex III Productions | Reboot; nominated for an Oscar | |
2006 | V for Vendetta | Warner Bros./Virtual Studios/Silver Pictures/Anarchos Productions | Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore. |
Superman Returns | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/Legendary Pictures/Bad Hat Harry Productions | Alternate trilogy conclusion to Superman and Superman II, while ignoring the events of Superman III and IV; nominated for an Oscar. | |
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut | Warner Bros. | Re-edited director's cut film, direct-to-video release | |
2008 | The Dark Knight | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/Legendary Pictures/Syncopy Inc. | Won 2 Oscars, nominated for 6 more |
2009 | Watchmen | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/Legendary Pictures/Lawrence Gordon Productions/Cruel and Unusual Films | |
2010 | The Losers | Warner Bros./Dark Castle Entertainment | Based on the Vertigo title |
Jonah Hex | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/Legendary Pictures/Weed Road Pictures | Loosely based on the character of the same name | |
2011 | Green Lantern | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/De Line Pictures | |
2012 | The Dark Knight Rises | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/Legendary Pictures/Syncopy Inc. | |
2013 | Man of Steel | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/Legendary Pictures/Cruel and Unusual Films/Syncopy Inc. | Set in the DC Extended Universe |
2016 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/RatPac Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual Films/Atlas Entertainment | |
Suicide Squad | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/RatPac Entertainment/Atlas Entertainment | ||
Upcoming | |||
2017 | Wonder Woman | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/RatPac Entertainment/Atlas Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual Films | Post-production |
Justice League | |||
2018 | The Flash[1] | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/RatPac Entertainment | Pre-production |
Aquaman[1] | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/RatPac Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual Films | ||
2019 | Shazam[1] | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/RatPac Entertainment/New Line Cinema | In development |
Justice League Part Two[1] | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/RatPac Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual Films | ||
2020 | Cyborg[1] | Warner Bros./DC Entertainment/RatPac Entertainment | |
Green Lantern Corps[1] |
The Batman, set in the DC Extended Universe, has been announced with an unknown release date.[2][3]
Serial films
Year | Title | Production studio | Notes | Chapters |
---|---|---|---|---|
1941 | Adventures of Captain Marvel | Republic Pictures | Published at that time by Fawcett Comics | 12 |
1942 | Spy Smasher | 12 | ||
1943 | Batman | Columbia Pictures | 15 | |
1946 | Hop Harrigan | 15 | ||
1947 | The Vigilante | 15 | ||
1948 | Superman | 15 | ||
Congo Bill | 15 | |||
1949 | Batman and Robin | 15 | ||
1950 | Atom Man vs. Superman | 15 | ||
1952 | Blackhawk | Published at that time by Quality Comics | 15 |
From DC imprints
Year | Title | Production studio | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Paradox Press | |||
2002 | Road to Perdition | DreamWorks/The Zanuck Company | Based on the series by Max Allan Collins. Won 1 Oscar, nominated for 5 more. |
2005 | A History of Violence | New Line Cinema/New Line Productions/BenderSpink/München & Company | Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke. Nominated for 2 Oscars. |
WildStorm | |||
2010 | RED | Summit Entertainment/DC Entertainment/Homage Entertainment/Di Bonaventura Pictures/Cheyenne Enterprises/DMG Entertainment | Based on the miniseries by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. |
2013 | RED 2 | Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate Films/DC Entertainment/Di Bonaventura Pictures |
Television films
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1974 | Wonder Woman | Pilot episode for an unproduced TV series. |
1975 | The New Original Wonder Woman | Pilot episode for 1970's Wonder Woman television series. |
1997 | Justice League of America | Pilot episode for an unproduced TV series; never aired in the U.S. |
2003 | Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt | Comedy film based on the Batman television series. |
Episodes as films
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1990 | The Flash | Episodes of the 1990's The Flash television series released as direct to video films. |
1991 | The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster | |
The Flash III: Deadly of the Nightshade |
Animated films
All the feature films are produced by Warner Bros. Animation and are released direct-to-video, except as indicated.
Short films
Year | Title | Production studio | Collection | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1941 | Superman | Fleischer Studios | Superman | Theatrical release. In public domain. |
The Mechanical Monsters | ||||
1942 | Billion Dollar Limited | |||
The Arctic Giant | ||||
The Bulleteers | ||||
The Magnetic Telescope | ||||
Electric Earthquake | ||||
Volcano | ||||
Terror on the Midway | ||||
Japoteurs | Famous Studios | |||
Showdown | ||||
Eleventh Hour | ||||
Destruction, Inc. | ||||
1943 | The Mummy Strikes | |||
Jungle Drums | ||||
The Underground World | ||||
Secret Agent | ||||
2003 | Chase Me | Warner Bros. Animation | None | Silent film; part of the DC animated universe. |
2008 | Have I Got a Story for You | Studio 4°C | Batman: Gotham Knight | |
Crossfire | Production I.G | |||
Field Test | Bee Train | |||
In Darkness Dwells | Madhouse | |||
Working Through Pain | Studio 4°C | |||
Deadshot | Madhouse | |||
2009 | Tales of the Black Freighter | Warner Bros. Animation | None | Included in the Watchmen home video release |
2010 | Joker's Playhouse [4] | None | A one-off special short, produced as part of Fisher-Price's Imaginext product line | |
The Spectre | DC Showcase | Included in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths | ||
Jonah Hex | Included in Batman: Under the Red Hood | |||
Green Arrow | Included in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse | |||
Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam | Original of DC Showcase Shorts Collection | |||
2011 | Catwoman | Included in Batman: Year One | ||
2015 | Nightwing and Robin | None | Included in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis | |
John Con Noir | Cool Town Claymation | Constantine | Part of series' promotion |
From DC imprints
Year | Title | Production studio | Notes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WildStorm | |||||||
2000 | Gen¹³ | Buena Vista Pictures/WildStorm Productions/Aegis Entertainment | Animated film; never released in the United States and no longer owns rights. |
Television films
All movies later released on home video format.
Year | Title | Production studio | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | The Batman vs. Dracula | Warner Bros. Animation | Related to The Batman TV series. |
2006 | Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo | Related to Teen Titans TV series. | |
2016 | DC Super Hero Girls: Super Hero High | Part of DC Super Hero Girls animated shorts universe. |
Episodes as films
Television series episodes released as direct to video films.
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1996 | Superman: The Last Son of Krypton | Each one, compilation of three episodes originally aired during first and second season of Superman: The Animated Series. |
1997 | The Batman Superman Movie: World's Finest | |
1999 | Batman Beyond: The Movie | Compilation of the first two episodes of Batman Beyond. |
2001 | Justice League: Secret Origins | Compilation of three episodes of the Justice League. |
2002 | Scooby-Doo Meets Batman | It consists of two episodes from Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Dynamic Scooby Doo Affair" and "The Caped Crusader Caper". |
2004 | Justice League: Starcrossed | Compilation of three episodes of the Justice League. |
Lego versions
Year | Title | Production studio | Notes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite | TT Animation | Based on video game Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. | ||||
2014 | The Lego Movie | Animal Logic | Theatrical release; featuring Lego versions of several DC heroes. | ||||
Lego DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered | Warner Bros. Animation | Television movie | |||||
2015 | Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League | Direct to video | |||||
Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom | |||||||
2016 | Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash[5] | ||||||
Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Gotham City Breakout | |||||||
Announced | |||||||
2017 | The Lego Batman Movie[6] | Animal Logic | Spin-off of The Lego Movie. | ||||
2019 | The Lego Movie Sequel[6] |
Reception
Box office
Title | Distributor(s) | Release date (United States) |
Budget (millions) |
Box office gross[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Opening weekend (North America) |
North America | Worldwide | ||||
Superman and the Mole Men | Lippert Pictures | November 23, 1951 | $0.28 | Unknown | Unknown | $7,500,000 |
Batman: The Movie | 20th Century Fox | July 30, 1966 | $1.54 | Unknown | Unknown | $1,700,000 |
Superman | Warner Bros. | December 10, 1978 | $55 | $6,535,784 | $134,218,018 | $300,218,018 |
Superman II | December 4, 1980 | $54 | $14,100,523 | $108,185,706 | $108,185,706 | |
Swamp Thing | Embassy Pictures | February 19, 1982 | $2.5 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
Superman III | Warner Bros. | June 17, 1983 | $39 | $13,352,357 | $59,950,623 | $59,950,623 |
Supergirl | TriStar | November 21, 1984 | $35 | $5,738,249 | $14,296,438 | $14,296,438 |
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace | Warner Bros. | July 24, 1987 | $17 | $5,683,122 | $15,681,020 | $15,681,020 |
The Return of Swamp Thing | Millimeter Films | May 12, 1989 | Unknown | Unknown | $192,816 | $274,928 |
Batman | Warner Bros. | June 23, 1989 | $35 | $40,489,746 | $251,188,924 | $411,348,924 |
Batman Returns | June 19, 1992 | $80 | $45,687,711 | $162,831,698 | $266,822,354 | |
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | December 25, 1993 | $6 | $1,189,975 | $5,617,391 | $5,617,391 | |
Batman Forever | June 16, 1995 | $100 | $52,784,433 | $184,031,112 | $336,529,844 | |
Batman & Robin | June 20, 1997 | $125 | $42,872,605 | $107,325,195 | $238,207,122 | |
Steel | August 15, 1997 | $16 | $870,068 | $1,710,972 | $1,710,972 | |
Catwoman | July 23, 2004 | $100 | $16,728,411 | $40,202,379 | $82,102,379 | |
Batman Begins | June 28, 2005 | $150 | $48,745,440 | $206,852,432 | $374,218,673 | |
Superman Returns | June 20, 2006 | $204 | $52,535,096 | $200,081,192 | $391,081,192 | |
The Dark Knight | July 18, 2008 | $185 | $158,411,483 | $534,858,444 | $1,004,558,444 | |
Watchmen | March 6, 2009 | $130 | $55,214,334 | $107,509,799 | $185,258,983 | |
Jonah Hex | June 18, 2010 | $47 | $5,379,365 | $10,547,117 | $10,903,312 | |
Green Lantern | June 17, 2011 | $200 | $53,174,303 | $116,601,172 | $219,851,172 | |
The Dark Knight Rises | July 20, 2012 | $230 | $160,887,295 | $448,139,099 | $1,084,439,099 | |
Man of Steel | June 14, 2013 | $225 | $116,619,362 | $291,045,518 | $668,045,518 | |
The Lego Movie | February 7, 2014 | $60´ | $69,050,279 | $257,760,692 | $469,160,692 | |
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | March 25, 2016 | $250 | $166,007,347 | $330,360,194 | $873,260,194 | |
Batman: The Killing Joke | July 26, 2016 | $3.5 | n/a | $3,775,000 | $4,462,034 | |
Suicide Squad | August 5, 2016 | $175 | $133,682,248 | $325,100,054 | $745,600,054 | |
Total | $2.269 billion | $3,918,063,005 | $7,880,985,086 |
Critical and public reception
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
---|---|---|---|
Batman: The Movie | 80% (30 reviews)[16] | ||
Superman | 93% (61 reviews)[17] | 86 (11 reviews)[18] | |
Superman II | 89% (45 reviews)[19] | 87 (11 reviews)[20] | |
Swamp Thing | 64% (33 reviews)[21] | ||
Superman III | 26% (43 reviews)[22] | 42 (9 reviews)[23] | |
Supergirl | 7% (27 reviews)[24] | 11 (5 reviews)[25] | |
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace | 12% (41 reviews)[26] | 22 (10 reviews)[27] | C |
The Return of Swamp Thing | 33% (6 reviews)[28] | ||
Batman | 72% (68 reviews)[29] | 66 (17 reviews)[30] | A |
Batman Returns | 80% (70 reviews)[31] | 68 (23 reviews)[32] | B |
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | 81% (27 reviews)[33] | ||
Batman Forever | 41% (58 reviews)[34] | 51 (23 reviews)[35] | A- |
Batman & Robin | 11% (85 reviews)[36] | 28 (21 reviews)[37] | C+ |
Steel | 12% (25 reviews)[38] | ||
Catwoman | 9% (194 reviews)[39] | 27 (35 reviews)[40] | B |
Batman Begins | 84% (268 reviews)[41] | 70 (41 reviews)[42] | A |
Superman Returns | 76% (258 reviews)[43] | 72 (40 reviews)[44] | B+ |
The Dark Knight | 94% (317 reviews)[45] | 82 (39 reviews)[46] | A |
Watchmen | 65% (294 reviews)[47] | 56 (39 reviews)[48] | B |
Jonah Hex | 12% (145 reviews)[49] | 33 (32 reviews)[50] | C+ |
Green Lantern | 26% (226 reviews)[51] | 39 (39 reviews)[52] | B |
The Dark Knight Rises | 87% (333 reviews)[53] | 78 (45 reviews)[54] | A |
Man of Steel | 55% (300 reviews)[55] | 55 (47 reviews)[56] | A- |
The Lego Movie | 96% (226 reviews)[57] | 83 (43 reviews)[58] | A |
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | 27% (347 reviews)[59] | 44 (51 reviews)[60] | B |
Batman: The Killing Joke | 48% (25 reviews)[61] | ||
Suicide Squad | 26% (293 reviews)[62] | 40 (53 reviews)[63] | B+ |
Average | 51% | 50 | |
List indicator(s)
|
From DC imprints
Title | Distributor(s) | Release date | Rotten Tomatoes |
Metacritic | CinemaScore | Budget (million) |
Box Office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Road to Perdition | DreamWorks | July 12, 2002 | 81% | 72 | B+ | $80 | $181,001,478 |
A History of Violence | New Line Cinema | May 16, 2005 | 87% | 81 | C+ | $32 | $60,740,827 |
Constantine | Warner Bros. | February 18, 2005 | 46% | 50 | B | $100 | $230,884,728 |
V for Vendetta | March 17, 2006 | 73% | 62 | B+ | $54 | $132,511,035 | |
The Losers | April 23, 2010 | 49% | 44 | B | $25 | $29,379,723 | |
RED | Summit Entertainment | October 15, 2010 | 71% | 60 | A- | $58 | $199,006,387 |
RED 2 | July 19, 2013 | 42% | 47 | B+ | $84 | $148,075,565 | |
List indicator(s)
|
See also
- List of television series based on DC Comics
- Batman in film
- Superman in film
- List of American superhero films
- List of films based on Marvel Comics
- List of films based on Dark Horse Comics properties
- List of films based on comics
- List of R-rated films based on comics
References
- ^ a b c d e f Fischer, Russ (October 15, 2014). "DC Comics Movies Announced: 'Suicide Squad,' 'Wonder Woman,' 'Justice League,' 'The Flash,' 'Aquaman'". /Film. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ Geier, Thom; Doty, Meriah (April 12, 2016). "Ben Affleck to Direct Solo Batman Movie for Warner Bros". TheWrap. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ Coggan, Devan (October 3, 2016). "Ben Affleck reveals solo Batman movie title". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Joker's_Playhouse_(Movie)
- ^ http://nycc15.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=685
- ^ a b http://variety.com/2014/film/news/warner-bros-dc-justice-league-harry-potter-spinoff-lego-sequel-1201330734/
- ^ "Superman". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "Batman". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "Swamp Thing (1982) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "Box Office Mojo > Search". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "Steel (1997) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "Catwoman (2004) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "Watchmen (2009) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "Jonah Hex (2010) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "Green Lantern (2011) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "Batman: The Movie". July 30, 1966. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman". December 15, 1978. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman II". June 19, 1981. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman II Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Swamp Thing". January 1, 1982. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman III". June 17, 1983. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman III Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Supergirl". November 21, 1984. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "supergirl Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace". July 24, 1987. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "The Return of Swamp Thing". May 12, 1989. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Batman". June 23, 1989. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Batman Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Batman Returns". June 19, 1992. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/batman-returns
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_mask_of_the_phantasm/?search=batman%20mask%20of%20the%20phantasm
- ^ "Batman Forever". June 16, 1995. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Batman Forever Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Batman & Robin". June 20, 1997. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Batman & Robin Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Steel". August 15, 1997. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Catwoman". July 23, 2004. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Catwoman". Metacritic. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ "Batman Begins". June 15, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Batman Begins Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman Returns". June 28, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Superman Returns Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "The Dark Knight". July 18, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "The Dark Knight Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Watchmen". March 6, 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Watchmen Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Jonah Hex". June 18, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Jonah Hex Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Green Lantern". June 17, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Green Lantern Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "The Dark Knight Rises". July 20, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "The Dark Knight Rises Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Man of Steel". June 14, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ "Man of Steel Reviews - Metacritic". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lego_movie/
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-lego-movie.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_the_killing_joke
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/suicide_squad_2016/
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/suicide-squad
External links
Categories:
- Animated films based on DC Comics
- American comics adapted into films
- Comics publications
- Films based on DC Comics
- Lists of films based on comics
- Lists of films based on works
- Superhero films
- Works adapted into films
- DC Comics-related lists
- Sequential lists of films based on comics, arranged in chronological order