How to Watch & Stream All The Batman Movies in Order from The US and The UK

All The Batman Movies in Order to Watch

Batman is one of the most famous DCEU superheroes of all time. One superhero has risen above all others for their sheer frequency on the silver screen, and it’s Gotham City’s protector, Batman.

Everyone knows the story of how he lost his parents as a child on that fateful night in Crime Alley, before vowing to rid Gotham of crime years later as a caped crusader. But aside from his tragic origin, the fancy gadgets, and the coolest rogues gallery in comics (Batman villains rule, sorry), audiences love Bruce Wayne because he refuses to give up even in the face of defeat.

From campy 1960s interpretations to the turn of the blockbuster era in the 1990s on to redefining the superhero genre with gritty, realistic takes in the 21st century, Bruce Wayne’s nocturnal vigilante has proven one of the most enduring and versatile characters in film history.

There’s been a number of different movies based on the hero, each with their own unique vision of what Batman should do.

We've rounded up a comprehensive list of all the main Batman films, along with links to where to watch them.

How to Watch All the Batman Movies in Order

Here’s the guide on how (and where!) to watch all the Batman movies in order.

Batman features in numerous different cinematic universes – sometimes just in a standalone film, and sometimes as part of an anthology.

The first-ever live-action Batman film starring Adam West stands as its own film, but it's really a spin-off from the '60s TV series, also starring West. In 1989, The Batman Motion Picture Anthology kicked off. This universe is made up of four films – though Batman is played by three separate actors: Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney.

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy saw Christian Bale step into the role, starring opposite some iconic villains – the most famous being Heath Ledger’s take on The Joker.

Then there's the DCEU version of Batman, with Ben Affleck in the cape and cowl. In Batman v Superman, he’s a co-lead alongside Henry Cavill. This character is also one of the five protagonists of the superhero team-up film, Justice League.

There are two versions of Justice League – the one directed by Joss Whedon, and the one directed by Zack Snyder. Snyder was originally signed on to direct the original Justice League but had to leave filming partway through.

Whedon took over, and the film underwent some significant changes that deviated from Snyder’s original vision. After years of petitioning from both fans and even the actors, Zack Snyder teamed up with HBO Max to release a four-hour cut of the film. You can choose to watch either Justice League rather than both. The Zack Snyder one is widely considered to be the better film, but be prepared for a long sitting.

The next DCEU film is The Flash, due this November, with Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck both set to reprise their roles as Batman – officially introducing the concept of the multiverse into the DCEU.

Before that, Matt Reeves is releasing his own take on The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, in March. So far, this is not confirmed to tie into any other existing films based on DC characters.

This list also includes the Lego Batman Movie. This character features in other Lego films, but also has his own standalone flick, with Will Arnett voicing. It may not be as gritty as some other titles on this list, but it is hilarious.

The Adam West Movie

• Batman: The Movie (1966)

The Batman Motion Picture Anthology

• Batman (1989)
• Batman Returns (1992)
• Batman Forever (1995)
• Batman and Robin (1997)

The Dark Knight Trilogy

• Batman Begins (2005)
• The Dark Knight (2008)
• The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

DC Cinematic Extended Universe (DCEU)

• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
• Justice League (2019)
• Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
• The Flash (releases in cinemas on 4 November 2022)

Lego Cinematic Universe

• The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

Matt Reeves’s The Batman

• The Batman (releases in cinemas on 4 March 2022)

How to Watch and Stream all the Batman Movies

We’ve rounded up all the places that you can stream the Batman films right now in the UK and US – along with links to the places to rent and buy your own copies.

Watch & Stream The Batman in the UK

The UK streaming service with the most Batman films is Now. You can sign up for the Cinema Membership for £9.99 per month.

• Batman: The Movie - Not available to stream
• Batman - Now, Sky Go, Virgin TV Go
• Batman Returns - Now, Sky Go, Virgin TV Go
• Batman Forever - Now, Sky Go, Virgin TV Go
• Batman and Robin - Now, Sky Go, Virgin TV Go
• Batman Begins - Now, Sky Go, Virgin TV Go
• The Dark Knight - Now, Sky Go, Virgin TV Go
• The Dark Knight Rises - Now, Sky Go, Virgin TV Go
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Now, Sky Go, Virgin TV Go
• The Lego Batman Movie - Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Virgin TV Go
• Justice League - Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Virgin TV Go
• Zack Snyder’s Justice League - Now, Sky Go, Virgin TV Go

If you don't mind renting or buying the films, then the digital versions of these movies are available on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes and YouTube. You can also buy the DVDs and Blu-rays from Amazon or HMV.

Watch & Stream The Batman in the US

The best place to stream most of the Batman movies is HBO Max. You can sign up for an ad-supported account for $9.99 per month, and an ad-free account for $14.99 per month.

• Batman: The Movie - Not available to stream
• Batman - HBO Max, Fubo TV, AMC+, Direct TV, Spectrum on Demand
• Batman Returns - HBO Max, Fubo TV, AMC+, Direct TV, Spectrum on Demand
• Batman Forever - HBO Max, Fubo TV, AMC+, Direct TV, Spectrum on Demand
• Batman and Robin - HBO Max, Fubo TV, AMC+, Direct TV, Spectrum on Demand
• Batman Begins - HBO Max
• The Dark Knight - HBO Max
• The Dark Knight Rises - HBO Max, Direct TV, Spectrum on Demand
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - HBO Max
• The Lego Batman Movie - HBO Max
• Justice League - HBO Max
• Zack Snyder’s Justice League - HBO Max

Of course, you can rent or buy all these digitally on Vudu, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes and YouTube, or buy the DVD and Blu-ray editions from Amazon or Walmart.

The Batman (March 2022)

The next time we see Bruce Wayne on the big screen he’ll be played by Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The director’s noirish take on the mythology will find the hero in his second year of crime-fighting when he has to figure out what sadistic game the Riddler (Paul Dano) is playing.

The first trailer teased a grim and gritty Gotham in the vein of David Fincher’s Seven (or even Zodiac), and it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out in May 2022. After that, Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck will play their respective Batmen opposite Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen in The Flash, which will treat audiences to DC’s multiverse when it speeds into cinemas in November 2022.

It’s going to be a big year for the Bat. If you want to know more about the Justice League and their escapades, here’s how to watch the Arrowverse in order.

'Batman: The Movie' (1966)

You might have an appreciation of Adam West’s Batman even if you haven’t seen it, just from the numerous present-day cultural references to the campy ‘60s take on the character. You have to trust me when I say it’s even sillier than you think. A far cry from both the character’s origins and its present-day incarnation, West’s Batman is unabashedly goofy and kid-oriented, with toy-like devices and vehicles and simplistic, nutty plotlines. In this feature-length interpretation, West’s Batman takes on a rogue’s gallery of villains, including Cesar Romero as the Joker, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin, and Lee Meriwether as Catwoman.

'Batman' (1989)

If you’ve grown up in this golden age of superhero films, with a fresh, big-budget epic seemingly every month or two, it’s hard to appreciate quite how groundbreaking Tim Burton’s 1989 feature Batman felt. The first serious silver-screen take on the character, it elevated the superhero film in a way that had never been done before, not even by the Superman movies of the previous decade. Burton designed Gotham as a spooky Art Deco nightmare, slick and cool and full of danger, while Michael Keaton infused the role with a quiet seriousness it lacked in West’s days, and Jack Nicholson chewed the scenery as a terrifyingly comic version of the Joker. Today’s superhero epics couldn’t have come without this one paving the way.

'Batman Returns' (1992)

If the first Burton Batman movie redefined the genre, this one exploded it into its full franchise potential. Indelibly Burton, it’s comical and weird, powered by the twin villain performances of Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny Devito as The Penguin, a role he was seemingly born to play. It’s a dark and brooding story, with The Penguin rising from the sewers to avenge his childhood abandonment by kidnapping all of Gotham’s firstborn children. While it might lack the gritty realism of Christopher Nolan’s later movies, it makes up for it with a gothic sensibility and wicked charm.

'Batman Forever' (1995)

The ’90s powerhouse started to show some wear by the third film. Tim Burton departed as director, though he was credited as a producer, replaced in the chair by Joel Schumacher. Keaton was gone too, with Val Kilmer donning the cape and cowl instead. And a new pair of classic villains entered, with Tommy Lee Jones playing Harvey Dent, the Gotham District Attorney who would become the villainous Two-Face, and Jim Carrey in full Jim Carrey mode as The Riddler. Did this film have everything? Well, it had Seal singing “Kiss From A Rose” on the soundtrack, so I think that answers that.

Jones and Carrey struggled to connect on the set of the film, with the serious-minded Jones reportedly telling the affable Carrey that “I cannot sanction your buffoonery”.

'Batman and Robin' (1997)

Two years later Joel Schumacher returned with another sequel, this time with George Clooney in the Batsuit, which is complete with Bat-Nipples AND Bat-Credit Card! The camp flair that Batman Forever has gets cranked up a notch here as Arnold Schwarzennegger hurls out numerous icy puns as Mr. Freeze, while Uma Thurman manipulates everybody as the seductive Poison Ivy.

Mr. Freeze wants to turn Gotham into a frozen haven as he researches a cure for his wife’s mysterious illness. There’s heart in the script somewhere, it’s just a shame it’s buried underneath bad jokes and silliness.

'Batman Begins' (2005)

After an eight-year hiatus, it was going to take a fundamental rethinking of the story to bring the franchise back to life, and that’s exactly what Christopher Nolan did in this uncompromisingly dark and gritty origin story for the character. Pulling from several graphic novel sources, most notably Frank Miller’s 1987 comic Batman: Year One, this film stripped out the camp and excess for a dour, grounded sense of realism. Christian Bale plays a young Bruce Wayne as he becomes a costumed avenger in a bleak, horrific version of Gotham terror-stricken at the hands of Cillian Murphy’s mind-altering doctor The Scarecrow. The film would be eclipsed by its immediate successor, but it also made it possible.

'The Dark Knight' (2008)

The superhero movie to end all superhero movies. Nolan’s dark vision of Gotham takes full form in this taut psychological thriller, starring Heath Ledger in a performance that would not be released until after his untimely death. Ledger’s Joker was iconic, rendering all previous versions laughable — psychotic, menacing and cruel, in a genuinely terrifying way. It’s not just a paint-by-numbers heroes vs. villain fight: it’s a cleverly crafted epic with brilliant twists and turns throughout. The special effects are tremendous, the stakes are elevated, the performances are stunning — superhero movies simply do not get any better than this epic.

'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)

After Ledger’s passing, some speculated how a sequel in the Nolan series would even be possible, but he delivered with this impossibly bleak finale, which witnesses the entire city of Gotham held hostage under the threat of annihilation at the hands of the diabolical masked villain Bane, who plants a nuclear bomb underneath the city and destroys every route in or out of town. Many thought that it didn’t live up to the heights of its immediate predecessor, but it was a fitting coda to the Nolan trilogy, wrapping things up in a satisfactory, logical and consistent manner, a completed character circle.

'Batman vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice' (2016)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was Zack Snyder’s second foray into the DC Extended Universe. It saw Ben Affleck’s grizzled, older Bruce Wayne take aim at Superman (Henry Cavill) for all the devastation and death he caused in his fight with Zod (Michael Shannon) at the end of 2013’s Man of Steel.

But what starts as a story about holding heroes accountable for their actions quickly descends into a super-powered punch-up with a Kryptonian monster called Doomsday. Thankfully it also gave us Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and her incredible theme, scored by Hans Zimmer.

'Suicide Squad' (2016)

Batman in Suicide Squad

Batman’s cinematic history has seen a lot of major stars step into the story — from Michael Keaton to Val Kilmer, George Clooney to Christian Bale, Ben Affleck to (soon) Robert Pattinson. But rarely has such an assemblage of big-name talent been seen as in this 2016 anti-hero ensemble film in which The Caped Crusader only makes an uncredited cameo appearance.

Government intelligence, reeling in the wake of Superman’s death, assembles a rogues’ gallery of imprisoned villains for a special team known as “Task Force X”. Bartering for leniency in their sentences, this team of villains will face off against bigger threats to the world’s safety — and what a team it is. Stars Margot Robbie, Will Smith and Jared Leto lead a big-name cast, with the always-wild Leto putting his own twisted spin on the Joker role, no small task in the wake of Ledger’s iconic portrayal. Affleck reprises his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in a mid-credits scene, but the film hardly needs him.

The film didn’t find much favor from critics, but many fans loved it, and it was a box-office smash — wild, kooky and fun.

'Justice League' (2017/2021)

So Batman’s journey in Justice League is a tricky one. In the theatrical cut, he assembles a team of heroes to fight a villain from the planet Apokolips called Steppenwolf. It’s a straightforward blockbuster that clocks in at 2 hours long.

But in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the hero has more time (nearly four hours, in fact) to ponder on his place in the universe among gods and monsters. The film even delivers a post-‘apokoliptic’ version of Affleck’s Caped Crusader after Earth has fallen to Darkseid. This one’s a matter of preference and how much time you’ve got.

'The Lego Batman Movie' (2017)

It might come as a surprise, after the dark turn of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy and the DCEU films, that one of the most beloved entries in the annals of Batman cinema features the hero as a toy. A spinoff of the hugely successful Lego Movie of 2014, this sees Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) taking on, as he is wont to do, the Joker — this time memorably portrayed by Zach Galifi'Joker' (2019)

anakis. It’s a film that knows its place in history, with in-joke references made to nearly all of the other films on this list — but it’s also a genuinely high-quality episode of the Batman canon, toys or not.

'Joker' (2019)

What if you did a Batman movie without Batman, though? If you’ve got Joaquin Phoenix, you might be able to pull it off. Gotham’s always been a flexible place — sometimes it’s an Art Deco dreamscape, sometimes it’s Chicago, sometimes it’s New York City or Pittsburgh — but in Todd Phillips’ villain origin story, it’s indelibly New York City in the late ‘70s. Gotham is broke, trash-filled and edgy, and Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck — a failed comedian struggling with mental illness — becomes its avatar as he evolves into the iconic smiling villain in this mash-up of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. The movie was a critical and commercial success, earning Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director and Best Actor win for Phoenix.

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