Christopher Nolan's films don't share a story, so watch them in release order: Following (1998), Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, Oppenheimer and The Odyssey (2026). The only connected films are his Dark Knight trilogy: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
- Titles
- 13
- Films
- 13
- Watch time
- 30 hours
- Box office
- $7.97 billion
- Avg IMDb
- 8.2
Christopher Nolan movies in release order
Here is every Christopher Nolan title in the order it came out, 1998 to 2026: 13 films.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Following | 1998 | Film | 1h 9m | 7.4 |
| 2 | Memento | 2000 | Film | 1h 53m | 8.4 |
| 3 | Insomnia | 2002 | Film | 1h 58m | 7.2 |
| 4 | Batman Begins | 2005 | Film | 2h 20m | 8.2 |
| 5 | The Prestige | 2006 | Film | 2h 10m | 8.5 |
| 6 | The Dark Knight | 2008 | Film | 2h 32m | 9.1 |
| 7 | Inception | 2010 | Film | 2h 28m | 8.8 |
| 8 | The Dark Knight Rises | 2012 | Film | 2h 45m | 8.4 |
| 9 | Interstellar | 2014 | Film | 2h 49m | 8.7 |
| 10 | Dunkirk | 2017 | Film | 1h 47m | 7.8 |
| 11 | Tenet | 2020 | Film | 2h 30m | 7.3 |
| 12 | Oppenheimer | 2023 | Film | 3h 1m | 8.2 |
| 13 | The Odyssey | 2026 | Film | 2h 53m | 8.4 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
For Christopher Nolan, release order and story order are the same thing: every film picks up after the one before it. There is no prequel to slot in early and no flashback to reshuffle, so the list above is the only order you need.
Where to start
Start with Following and go in release order.
The whole thing is 30 hours. At two hours a night that is about 16 evenings.
The three highest rated: The Dark Knight (9.1), Inception (8.8), and Interstellar (8.7).
Every Christopher Nolan movie, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1998 · Film · 1h 9m
Following
Bill, an idle, unemployed aspiring writer, walks the crowded streets of London following randomly chosen strangers, a seemingly innocent entertainment that becomes dangerous when he crosses paths with a mysterious character.
Why it matters: Nolan's black-and-white debut: a London writer tails strangers until a burglar recruits him.
- Starring
- Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, and Lucy Russell
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $0 million
- Scores
- IMDb 7.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 87%
No. 02 · 2000 · Film · 1h 53m
Memento
Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.
Why it matters: A man who cannot make new memories hunts his wife's killer, told in reverse with tattoos and Polaroids.
- Starring
- Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $40 million on a $9 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 94%
No. 03 · 2002 · Film · 1h 58m
Insomnia
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
Why it matters: An LA detective who cannot sleep under the Alaskan midnight sun is blackmailed by the killer he hunts.
- Starring
- Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $114 million on a $46 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 92%
No. 04 · 2005 · Film · 2h 20m
Batman Begins
Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.
Why it matters: Christopher Nolan's origin story; starts the Dark Knight trilogy.
- Starring
- Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Liam Neeson
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $374 million on a $150 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 85%
No. 05 · 2006 · Film · 2h 10m
The Prestige
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
Why it matters: Two Victorian stage magicians wreck each other's lives chasing the perfect vanishing act.
- Starring
- Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and Michael Caine
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $110 million on a $40 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 77%
No. 06 · 2008 · Film · 2h 32m
The Dark Knight
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.
Why it matters: Heath Ledger's Joker; the trilogy's centrepiece.
- Starring
- Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and Aaron Eckhart
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $1.01 billion on a $185 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 9.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 94%
No. 07 · 2010 · Film · 2h 28m
Inception
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
Why it matters: A heist inside dreams.
- Starring
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ken Watanabe
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $839 million on a $160 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 86%
No. 08 · 2012 · Film · 2h 45m
The Dark Knight Rises
Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crimes to protect the late attorney's reputation and is subsequently hunted by the Gotham City Police Department. Eight years later, Batman encounters the mysterious Selina Kyle and the villainous Bane, a new terrorist leader who overwhelms Gotham's finest. The Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.
Why it matters: Ends the Dark Knight trilogy, eight years later.
- Starring
- Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, and Tom Hardy
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $1.08 billion on a $250 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 87%
No. 09 · 2014 · Film · 2h 49m
Interstellar
The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
Why it matters: Through a wormhole to save humanity.
- Starring
- Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Michael Caine
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $747 million on a $165 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 73%
No. 10 · 2017 · Film · 1h 47m
Dunkirk
The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.
Why it matters: The 1940 evacuation told on land, at sea and in the air, each strand on a different clock.
- Starring
- Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, and Mark Rylance
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $549 million on a $150 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 92%
No. 11 · 2020 · Film · 2h 30m
Tenet
Armed with only one word - Tenet - and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
Why it matters: A CIA agent learns to move backwards through time to stop an oligarch from ending the world.
- Starring
- John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Elizabeth Debicki
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $365 million on a $205 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 70%
No. 12 · 2023 · Film · 3h 1m
Oppenheimer
The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
Why it matters: The physicist who led the atomic bomb project, from Los Alamos to the hearing that ruined him.
- Starring
- Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $952 million on a $100 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 93%
No. 13 · 2026 · Film · 2h 53m
The Odyssey
Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaca, embarks on a long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Throughout his voyage, he is forced to confront the whims of gods, mythological monsters, and trials that stretch both his cunning and his humanity to the breaking point.
Why it matters: Homer's epic shot on IMAX film: Odysseus fights monsters and gods to get home to Ithaca.
- Starring
- Matt Damon, Tom Holland, and Anne Hathaway
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Box office
- $1.79 billion on a $250 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 94%
Christopher Nolan box office and budgets
The 13 Christopher Nolan films with reported numbers have grossed $7.97 billion worldwide on about $1.71 billion in combined budgets, roughly 4.7 times what they cost. The biggest is The Odyssey at $1.79 billion, 22% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by The Dark Knight Rises ($1.08 billion) and The Dark Knight ($1.01 billion).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Oppenheimer, which made 9.5 times its $100 million budget. The weakest was Tenet at 1.8 times its $205 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.
The best and worst rated Christopher Nolan movies
Across 13 rated titles, Christopher Nolan averages 8.2 on IMDb. The top of the list is The Dark Knight at 9.1, then Inception (8.8) and Interstellar (8.7). At the bottom: Insomnia (7.2) and Tenet (7.3). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, The Odyssey, is only the 7th best rated.
- The Dark Knight9.1 · RT 94%
- Inception8.8 · RT 86%
- Interstellar8.7 · RT 73%
- The Prestige8.5 · RT 77%
- Memento8.4 · RT 94%
- The Dark Knight Rises8.4 · RT 87%
- The Odyssey8.4 · RT 94%
- Batman Begins8.2 · RT 85%
- Oppenheimer8.2 · RT 93%
- Dunkirk7.8 · RT 92%
Who appears in the most Christopher Nolan movies
Michael Caine leads with 7 appearances as Alfred and Cutter, ahead of Cillian Murphy (5) and Christian Bale (4). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Caine | Alfred / Cutter | 7 | Batman Begins (2005) to Tenet (2020) |
| Cillian Murphy | Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow | 5 | Batman Begins (2005) to Oppenheimer (2023) |
| Christian Bale | Bruce Wayne / Batman | 4 | Batman Begins (2005) to The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
| Gary Oldman | Jim Gordon / Gordon | 3 | Batman Begins (2005) to The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
| Morgan Freeman | Lucius Fox / Fox | 3 | Batman Begins (2005) to The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
| Tom Hardy | Eames / Bane | 3 | Inception (2010) to Dunkirk (2017) |
| Anne Hathaway | Selina / Brand | 3 | The Dark Knight Rises (2012) to The Odyssey (2026) |
| Kenneth Branagh | Commander Bolton / Sator | 3 | Dunkirk (2017) to Oppenheimer (2023) |
| Mark Boone Junior | Burt / Flass | 2 | Memento (2000) to Batman Begins (2005) |
| Martin Donovan | Hap Eckhart / Fay | 2 | Insomnia (2002) to Tenet (2020) |
| Ken Watanabe | Ra's al Ghul / Saito | 2 | Batman Begins (2005) to Inception (2010) |
| Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Arthur / Blake | 2 | Inception (2010) to The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
Christopher Nolan directors and creators
1 filmmaker has directed or created Christopher Nolan; Christopher Nolan has the most, with 13.
- Christopher NolanFollowing (1998), Memento (2000), Insomnia (2002), Batman Begins (2005), The Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017), Tenet (2020), Oppenheimer (2023), and The Odyssey (2026)
How long it takes to watch every Christopher Nolan movie
All 13 titles add up to 30 hours. That is about 16 two-hour evenings, or 4 days of ten-hour binges. The longest film is Oppenheimer at 3h 1m.
The 4 best rated films: The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, and The Prestige.
Everything takes about 5 weeks.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Christopher Nolan movies in?
Christopher Nolan's films don't share a story, so watch them in release order: Following (1998), Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, Oppenheimer and The Odyssey (2026). The only connected films are his Dark Knight trilogy: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
How many Christopher Nolan movies and shows are there?
There are 13 titles in the Christopher Nolan franchise: 13 films and 0 series, released from 1998 to 2026.
How long does it take to watch all the Christopher Nolan movies?
About 30 hours for all 13 titles, counting every episode.
What is the first Christopher Nolan title in chronological order?
Following, set in A writer who shadows strangers. In release order the first is Following (1998).
What is the best Christopher Nolan movie?
By IMDb score, The Dark Knight (2008) at 9.1, followed by Inception at 8.8.
What is the highest-grossing Christopher Nolan movie?
The Odyssey (2026), with $1.79 billion worldwide. Christopher Nolan films have made $7.97 billion in total.
Who has appeared in the most Christopher Nolan movies?
Michael Caine, in 7 of them as Alfred.
What is the longest Christopher Nolan movie?
Oppenheimer, at 3h 1m.
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