Every Count of Monte Cristo adaptation retells Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel on its own, so watch whichever you like. The 2002 film with Jim Caviezel is the most popular way in, and the 2024 French film with Pierre Niney is the big recent one, a hit with over 9 million admissions in France. For the classics, Robert Donat's 1934 film is the first sound adaptation; Gérard Depardieu's 1998 miniseries and Sam Claflin's 2025 series have room for more of the book. Gankutsuou (2004) is an anime set in the year 5053, and Revenge (2011) moves the story to the Hamptons.
- Titles
- 11
- Films
- 7
- Series
- 4
- Watch time
- 104 hours
- Box office
- $152 million
- Avg IMDb
- 7.3
Count of Monte Cristo movies in release order
Here is every Count of Monte Cristo title in the order it came out, 1934 to 2025: 7 films and 4 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Count of Monte Cristo | 1934 | Film | 1h 53m | 7.4 |
| 2 | The Son of Monte Cristo optional | 1940 | Film | 1h 42m | 6.2 |
| 3 | The Count of Monte Cristo optional | 1954 | Film | 3h 3m | 7.1 |
| 4 | The Count of Monte Cristo | 1961 | Film | 3h | 6.4 |
| 5 | The Count of Monte Cristo | 1975 | Film | 1h 59m | 6.9 |
| 6 | The Count of Monte Cristo | 1998 | Series | 6h 36m | 7.8 |
| 7 | The Count of Monte Cristo | 2002 | Film | 2h 11m | 7.7 |
| 8 | Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo | 2004 | Series | 10h | 7.8 |
| 9 | Revenge optional | 2011 | Series | 63h 47m | 7.8 |
| 10 | The Count of Monte Cristo | 2024 | Film | 2h 58m | 7.6 |
| 11 | The Count of Monte Cristo | 2025 | Series | 7h 3m | 7.9 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
For The Count of Monte Cristo, 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 The Count of Monte Cristo and go in release order, skipping the 3 optional titles on the first pass.
The essentials are 8 titles and about 36 hours, 66% less than the full run.
The three highest rated: The Count of Monte Cristo (7.9), The Count of Monte Cristo (7.8), and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (7.8).
Every Count of Monte Cristo 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 · 1934 · Film · 1h 53m
The Count of Monte Cristo
Young sailor Edmond Dantès is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes, finds treasure, and reinvents himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Why it matters: The first sound adaptation, with Robert Donat as Edmond Dantès.
- Starring
- Robert Donat, Elissa Landi, and Louis Calhern
- Director
- Rowland V. Lee
- Box office
- $2 million
- Scores
- IMDb 7.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 88%
No. 02 · 1940 · Film · 1h 42m · optional
The Son of Monte Cristo
Rightful owner of the kingdom, the Duchess of Zona, is engaged in a power struggle with the evil General Gurko. Edmond, the son of Monte Cristo, dons many disguises to come to the aid of the Duchess.
Why it matters: A swashbuckling sequel about the Count's son; not from Dumas.
- Starring
- Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, and George Sanders
- Director
- Rowland V. Lee
- Scores
- IMDb 6.2
No. 03 · 1954 · Film · 3h 3m · optional
The Count of Monte Cristo
Young sailor Edmond Dantès is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes, finds treasure, and reinvents himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Why it matters: Jean Marais in a French two-part version, in colour.
- Starring
- Jean Marais, Lia Amanda, and Daniel Ivernel
- Director
- Robert Vernay
- Scores
- IMDb 7.1
No. 04 · 1961 · Film · 3h
The Count of Monte Cristo
Young sailor Edmond Dantès is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes, finds treasure, and reinvents himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Why it matters: Louis Jourdan in Claude Autant-Lara's French film.
- Starring
- Louis Jourdan, Yvonne Furneaux, and Pierre Mondy
- Director
- Claude Autant-Lara
- Scores
- IMDb 6.4
No. 05 · 1975 · Film · 1h 59m
The Count of Monte Cristo
Young sailor Edmond Dantès is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes, finds treasure, and reinvents himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Why it matters: Richard Chamberlain's TV film; Louis Jourdan returns as Villefort.
- Starring
- Richard Chamberlain, Trevor Howard, and Louis Jourdan
- Director
- David Greene
- Scores
- IMDb 6.9
No. 06 · 1998 · Series · 6h 36m
The Count of Monte Cristo
A TV mini-series adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel. Edmond Dantes is unjustly sent to prison for 18 years. He escapes to reclaim his fiancée Mercedes and revenge against his nemesis, Mondego.
Why it matters: Gérard Depardieu in a four-part French miniseries seen by 12 million per episode.
- Starring
- Gérard Depardieu, Ornella Muti, and Jean Rochefort
- Creator
- Josée Dayan
- Scores
- IMDb 7.8
- Episodes
- 4
No. 07 · 2002 · Film · 2h 11m
The Count of Monte Cristo
Young sailor Edmond Dantès is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes, finds treasure, and reinvents himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Why it matters: Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce; the best-known version, with a new ending.
- Starring
- Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, and Richard Harris
- Director
- Kevin Reynolds
- Box office
- $75 million on a $35 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 74%
No. 08 · 2004 · Series · 10h
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
In an elegant future Paris, a Count returns to wreak havoc on those that betrayed him.
Why it matters: A 24-episode science-fiction anime told by Albert, the son of an enemy.
- Starring
- Jun Fukuyama, Jouji Nakata, and Daisuke Hirakawa
- Scores
- IMDb 7.8
- Episodes
- 24
No. 09 · 2011 · Series · 63h 47m · optional
Revenge
When Emily Thorne moves to the Hamptons, everyone wonders about the new girl, but she knows everything about them, including what they did to her family. Years ago, they took everything from her. Now, one by one, she's going to make them pay.
Why it matters: A modern retelling: Emily Thorne avenges her father in the Hamptons.
- Starring
- Emily VanCamp, Madeleine Stowe, and Nick Wechsler
- Creator
- Mike Kelley
- Scores
- IMDb 7.8
- Episodes
- 89 across 4 seasons
No. 10 · 2024 · Film · 2h 58m
The Count of Monte Cristo
Edmond Dantès becomes the target of a sinister plot and is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After 14 years in the island prison of Château d’If, he manages a daring escape. Now rich beyond his dreams, he assumes the identity of the Count of Monte-Cristo and exacts his revenge on the three men who betrayed him.
Why it matters: Pierre Niney in a French epic seen by over 9 million people in France.
- Starring
- Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, and Anaïs Demoustier
- Director
- Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte
- Box office
- $75 million on a $46 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 97%
No. 11 · 2025 · Series · 7h 3m
The Count of Monte Cristo
Young sailor Edmond Dantès is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes, finds treasure, and reinvents himself as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Why it matters: Sam Claflin in Bille August's English-language miniseries.
- Starring
- Sam Claflin, Ana Girardot, and Blake Ritson
- Creator
- Bille August
- Scores
- IMDb 7.9
- Episodes
- 8
Count of Monte Cristo box office and budgets
The 3 Count of Monte Cristo films with reported numbers have grossed $152 million worldwide on about $81 million in combined budgets, roughly 1.9 times what they cost. The biggest is The Count of Monte Cristo at $75 million, 50% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by The Count of Monte Cristo ($75 million) and The Count of Monte Cristo ($2 million).
The best and worst rated Count of Monte Cristo movies
Across 11 rated titles, The Count of Monte Cristo averages 7.3 on IMDb. The top of the list is The Count of Monte Cristo at 7.9, then The Count of Monte Cristo (7.8) and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (7.8). At the bottom: The Son of Monte Cristo (6.2) and The Count of Monte Cristo (6.4). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, The Count of Monte Cristo, is only the 5th best rated.
- The Count of Monte Cristo7.9
- The Count of Monte Cristo7.8
- Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo7.8
- Revenge7.8
- The Count of Monte Cristo7.7 · RT 74%
- The Count of Monte Cristo7.6 · RT 97%
- The Count of Monte Cristo7.4 · RT 88%
- The Count of Monte Cristo7.1
- The Count of Monte Cristo6.9
- The Count of Monte Cristo6.4
Who appears in the most Count of Monte Cristo movies
Louis Jourdan leads with 2 appearances as Edmond Dantès and Villefort. Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louis Jourdan | Edmond Dantès / Villefort | 2 | The Count of Monte Cristo (1961) to The Count of Monte Cristo (1975) |
Count of Monte Cristo directors and creators
10 filmmakers have directed or created The Count of Monte Cristo; Rowland V. Lee has the most, with 2.
- Rowland V. LeeThe Count of Monte Cristo (1934) and The Son of Monte Cristo (1940)
- Robert VernayThe Count of Monte Cristo (1954)
- Claude Autant-LaraThe Count of Monte Cristo (1961)
- David GreeneThe Count of Monte Cristo (1975)
- Josée DayanThe Count of Monte Cristo (1998)
- Kevin ReynoldsThe Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
- Mike KelleyRevenge (2011)
- Alexandre de La PatellièreThe Count of Monte Cristo (2024)
- Matthieu DelaporteThe Count of Monte Cristo (2024)
- Bille AugustThe Count of Monte Cristo (2025)
How long it takes to watch every Count of Monte Cristo movie
All 11 titles add up to 104 hours: 17 hours of film and 87 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 53 two-hour evenings, or 11 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 36 hours. The longest film is The Count of Monte Cristo at 3h 3m.
The 4 best rated films: The Count of Monte Cristo, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Count of Monte Cristo.
Everything takes about 3 months; the essentials about 6 weeks.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Which Count of Monte Cristo movies can you skip?
3 titles can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 69 hours.
- The Son of Monte Cristo1940 · Film · 1h 42m · optionalA swashbuckling sequel about the Count's son; not from Dumas.
- The Count of Monte Cristo1954 · Film · 3h 3m · optionalJean Marais in a French two-part version, in colour.
- Revenge2011 · Series · 63h 47m · optionalA modern retelling: Emily Thorne avenges her father in the Hamptons.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Count of Monte Cristo movies in?
Every Count of Monte Cristo adaptation retells Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel on its own, so watch whichever you like. The 2002 film with Jim Caviezel is the most popular way in, and the 2024 French film with Pierre Niney is the big recent one, a hit with over 9 million admissions in France. For the classics, Robert Donat's 1934 film is the first sound adaptation; Gérard Depardieu's 1998 miniseries and Sam Claflin's 2025 series have room for more of the book. Gankutsuou (2004) is an anime set in the year 5053, and Revenge (2011) moves the story to the Hamptons.
How many Count of Monte Cristo movies and shows are there?
There are 11 titles in the The Count of Monte Cristo franchise: 7 films and 4 series, released from 1934 to 2025.
How long does it take to watch all the Count of Monte Cristo movies?
About 104 hours for all 11 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (8 titles) take about 36 hours.
What is the first Count of Monte Cristo title in chronological order?
The Count of Monte Cristo, set in Robert Donat. In release order the first is The Count of Monte Cristo (1934).
Which Count of Monte Cristo titles can I skip?
The Son of Monte Cristo, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Revenge. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.
What is the best Count of Monte Cristo movie?
By IMDb score, The Count of Monte Cristo (2025) at 7.9, followed by The Count of Monte Cristo at 7.8.
What is the highest-grossing Count of Monte Cristo movie?
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), with $75 million worldwide. The Count of Monte Cristo films have made $152 million in total.
Who has appeared in the most Count of Monte Cristo movies?
Louis Jourdan, in 2 of them as Edmond Dantès.
What is the longest Count of Monte Cristo movie?
The Count of Monte Cristo, at 3h 3m.
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