Summary
- King Kong movies span nearly 100 years, showcasing an ever-changing cinematic landscape and the enduring popularity of lovable monsters.
- The original King Kong film in 1933 introduced the iconic imagery of Kong climbing the Empire State Building and established a storyline of humans trying to control him.
- The latest installment, Godzilla vs. Kong, was a box office hit and praised for its stunning visuals, solidifying the future of the King Kong franchise with a planned sequel in 2024.
Before Godzilla and Gamera, there was King Kong, and keeping track of his long cinematic legacy can be tricky since the King Kong movies in order span nearly 100 years. The world's favorite giant, rampaging ape hit the big screen in 1933 after being dreamed up by movie producer Merian C. Cooper. Dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World, King Kong is the inspiration for numerous films, video games, and even amusement park rides. Sometimes characterized as a misunderstood antihero and other times as a brutal beast, King Kong represents humanity's tense relationship with the natural world and its unknown marvels as the humans around King Kong try their best to control him, abuse him, and profit off him.
All the King Kong movies, in order, paint an interesting picture of an ever-changing cinematic landscape that's always welcoming to lovable monsters. With a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong shooting for a 2024 release date, it appears that King Kong movies are as in vogue as ever. With movies in 8 different decades, it looks like great ape's cinematic legacy will survive well into the 2030s and beyond, meaning that the franchise's inevitable 100th-anniversary blowout will likely not be something that film fans will want to miss.
1 King Kong (1933)
- Available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and AppleTV
It all started with the Radio Productions 1933 feature, co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. In the original King Kong, a film crew led by director Carl Denham travels to Skull Island, a remote locale close to Indonesia, where they discover the gargantuan ape Kong. Instead of respecting their discovery's autonomy, the humans kidnap Kong and bring him back to New York, where the perplexed monkey clashes with his captors and becomes smitten with a young actor named Ann Darrow, culminating in a tragic finale. This is the movie that provides the iconic imagery of Kong climbing the Empire State Building. The King Kong movies in order feature a few remakes of this storyline in the future.
2 Son Of Kong (1933)
- Available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and AppleTV
Son of Kong quickly followed suit after the success of its predecessor. The movie picks up one month after the events of the first film, as director Carl Denham returns to Skull Island in search of treasure. Instead, he and his fellow adventurers find a giant albino gorilla believed to be Kong's son, as well as a panoply of other bizarre and oversized creatures.
Though other giant apes have been featured in other King Kong movies, the modern remakes of King Kong haven't produced a Son of Kong remake yet. There was some speculation that the Godzilla vs Kong movies could feature a Son of Kong story among the King Kong movies in order, but that has yet to happen.
3 King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)
- Unavailable to stream
Nearly three decades after the first two King Kong movies, the Japanese studio Toho revived the big ape in order to see him battle against another goliath: Godzilla. Both Godzilla and Kong are made animate by actors in full-body costumes, and their dispute reaches its pinnacle on top of Japan's Mount Fuji. An overwhelming success at the box office, King Kong Vs. Godzilla almost led to an immediate sequel entitled Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla. Instead, however, the next King Kong movie in order is actually King Kong Escapes. Kong and Godzilla would meet again.
4 King Kong Escapes (1967)
- Unavailable to stream
It would be a few more years until Toho brought Kong back, casting him in King Kong Escapes. Both this and King Kong Vs. Godzilla were helmed by legendary director Ishirō Honda. In King Kong Escapes, Kong duels a robot designed by the evil Dr. Who. The robot is named Mechani-Kong and looks just like the ape. The idea of large mechas is present in a lot of Japanese media, so it's no surprise that one would appear in the King Kong franchise. Mechanical Titans have also been present in some of the Godzilla movies.
5 King Kong (1976)
- Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+
The first of the remakes of the King Kong movies in order comes in 1976. This remake of the 1933 King Kong movie updates the story for 1970s audiences. Instead of a film crew, it's an oil company that disturbs Kong's peaceful existence and brings him to New York City. The idea of people disturbing Kong's natural habitat is one that remains throughout the franchise. Jeff Bridges plays primate paleontologist Jack Prescott, and Jessica Lange co-stars as this edition's damsel in distress, the blonde and beautiful Dawn. Despite mixed reviews, it was a big hit on release, ensuring that there would be more King Kong in the future.
6 King Kong Lives (1986)
- Available to stream on Roku
A decade later, King Kong director John Guillermin released the sequel King Kong Lives. Instead of dying at the end of the film, falling from the Twin Towers in New York City causes Kong to spend 10 years in a coma. When a female ape is brought in to give him a blood transfusion, Kong stirs from his slumber and rampages through Manhattan with his new mate. Linda Hamilton stars as the doctor trying to save Kong's life with a blood transfusion and a heart transplant.
While Kong eventually dies during the events of the movie, the female ape and his offspring survive. They also make it back to the jungle in Borneo, implying that there will be more adventures with other giant apes despite Kong's demise.
7 The Mighty Kong (1998)
- Available to stream on Tubi, PLEX, and Vudu
The first animated movie among the King Kong movies in release order, Lana Productions released this direct-to-video musical adaptation of King Kong's story, a feature-length cartoon designed for children. The Mighty Kong brings back the first two films' main human characters, film director Carl Denham and aspiring actress Ann Darrow, whom Denham uses to lure Kong out of his hiding place. The Mighty Kong's music comes from Disney's the Sherman Brothers, and the voices of actors Jodi Benson and Dudley Moore are used for Darrow and Denham, respectively.
8 King Kong (2005)
- Available to stream on Hulu
Kong gets the contemporary, big-budget treatment in Peter Jackson's epic King Kong. Considered a second remake of the 1933 movie, it stars Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow and Jack Black as Carl Denham. Set during the 1930s, King Kong employs dazzling special effects and dramatic action sequences to keep audiences engrossed, and it's earned its place among the most beloved of the King Kong movies.
Development for the movie actually began in 1995, so it could have appeared even earlier among the King Kong movies in order if it hadn't been delayed. The movie garnered a lot of critical praise during its year of release, even landing among Roger Ebert's best films of 2005 and landing among the top five grossing movies worldwide that year. It was also named among Empire's top 500 movies of all time in 2011.
9 Kong: King Of Atlantis (2005)
- Available to stream on Pluto TV, Freevee, and Tubi
Based on the serialized cartoon Kong: The Animated Series, Kong: King Of Atlantis is a feature-length film that aired after the show ended. Rarely among the King Kong movies in order do the movies follow the continuity of a television series. Geared toward younger audiences, the series and the film recast the soaring primate as a hero named Gigantic Kong. In this movie, Kong saves the mythical kingdom Atlantis from a sorceress. It's a turn for the character to be portrayed as a hero, and something that would be revisited in future movies.
10 Kong: Return To The Jungle (2007)
- Available to stream on Freevee, Pluto TV, and Tubi
The animated film Kong: Return To The Jungle is the second of the King Kong movies based on Kong: The Animated Series, Gigantic Kong is captured by hunters who transport him to a special zoo in New York. This computer-animated film also includes an elongated battle between Kong and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. One of the more bizarre aspects of this Kong iteration is that he's a cloned descendent of the original Kong — whose DNA was mixed with the DNA of a teenage boy. That's certainly not a common element among the rest of the King Kong movies in order.
11 Kong: Skull Island (2017)
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- Available to rent on AppleTV, Vudu, and Google Play
The MonsterVerse franchise, which has produced some of the most recent Godzilla films and the most recent King Kong movies, released its first installment with 2014's Godzilla. Though set before all the other movies in the franchise so far, Kong: Skull Island is the second movie in the MonsterVerse, and it centers around a group of scientists who travel to Skull Island during the Vietnam War in 1973. A big money-maker, Kong: Skull Island stars Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, and John Goodman.
The rest of the King Kong movies in order to follow Skull Island are set in the same continuity.
12 Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)
- Available to stream on Max and Tubi
Director Adam Wingard's much-anticipated contribution to the MonsterVerse definitely delivers. Boasting some of the most stunning visuals yet in the franchise, Godzilla vs. Kong cares much less about human character development than it does about giving audiences a good old-fashioned monster movie that employs cutting-edge CGI technology. The film wowed audiences and critics alike, topping box office rankings around the world while receiving very favorable reviews. It's been partially credited for bringing audiences back to movie theaters in 2021 after 2020 theater closures.
13 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Scheduled For 2024)
Director Adam Wingard's sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong is slated to be released April 12, 2024, and will see Wingard re-team with the star of his 2017 movie The Guest, actor Dan Stevens. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire promises to pit the two titular icons against an enemy worthy of their collective might and to further explore the secrets of King Kong's new home in the MonsterVerse, the mysterious Hollow Earth.
The sequel movie is set to feature some returning Godzilla vs Kong cast members like Rebecca Hall and keep to the same established continuity of the modern King Kong movies. It will also take place in the same continuity of the TV series Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters, keeping Godzilla and Kong tied together in the future of the King Kong movies.