Stanley Kubrick made thirteen features and none of them connect, so watch them in release order: Fear and Desire (1953), Killer's Kiss, The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
- Titles
- 13
- Films
- 13
- Watch time
- 27 hours
- Box office
- $470 million
- Avg IMDb
- 7.7
Stanley Kubrick movies in release order
Here is every Stanley Kubrick title in the order it came out, 1953 to 1999: 13 films.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fear and Desire | 1953 | Film | 1h 2m | 5.3 |
| 2 | Killer's Kiss | 1955 | Film | 1h 8m | 6.5 |
| 3 | The Killing | 1956 | Film | 1h 25m | 7.9 |
| 4 | Paths of Glory | 1957 | Film | 1h 28m | 8.4 |
| 5 | Spartacus | 1960 | Film | 3h 17m | 7.9 |
| 6 | Lolita | 1962 | Film | 2h 34m | 7.5 |
| 7 | Dr. Strangelove | 1964 | Film | 1h 35m | 8.3 |
| 8 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | 1968 | Film | 2h 29m | 8.3 |
| 9 | A Clockwork Orange | 1971 | Film | 2h 17m | 8.2 |
| 10 | Barry Lyndon | 1975 | Film | 3h 8m | 8.1 |
| 11 | The Shining | 1980 | Film | 2h 24m | 8.4 |
| 12 | Full Metal Jacket | 1987 | Film | 1h 57m | 8.2 |
| 13 | Eyes Wide Shut | 1999 | Film | 2h 39m | 7.5 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
For Stanley Kubrick, 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 Fear and Desire and go in release order.
The whole thing is 27 hours. At two hours a night that is about 14 evenings.
The three highest rated: Paths of Glory (8.4), The Shining (8.4), and Dr. Strangelove (8.3).
Every Stanley Kubrick 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 · 1953 · Film · 1h 2m
Fear and Desire
After their airplane crashes behind enemy lines, four soldiers must survive and try to find a way back to their battalion. However, when they come across a local peasant girl the horrors of war quickly become apparent.
Why it matters: Kubrick's first feature: four soldiers stranded behind enemy lines in an unnamed war.
- Starring
- Frank Silvera, Kenneth Harp, and Paul Mazursky
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Scores
- IMDb 5.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 70%
No. 02 · 1955 · Film · 1h 8m
Killer's Kiss
Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.
Why it matters: A washed-up New York boxer rescues his neighbour, a dance-hall hostess, from her violent boss.
- Starring
- Frank Silvera, Jamie Smith, and Irene Kane
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Scores
- IMDb 6.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 83%
No. 03 · 1956 · Film · 1h 25m
The Killing
Career criminal Johnny Clay recruits a sharpshooter, a crooked police officer, a bartender and a betting teller named George, among others, for one last job before he goes straight and gets married. But when George tells his restless wife about the scheme to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she hatches a plot of her own.
Why it matters: Stanley Kubrick's racetrack robbery.
- Starring
- Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, and Vince Edwards
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Scores
- IMDb 7.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 96%
No. 04 · 1957 · Film · 1h 28m
Paths of Glory
A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.
Why it matters: A French colonel defends three soldiers picked to be shot after a hopeless attack in 1916.
- Starring
- Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, and Adolphe Menjou
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $1 million
- Scores
- IMDb 8.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 96%
No. 05 · 1960 · Film · 3h 17m
Spartacus
The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.
Why it matters: A gladiator leads a slave revolt against Rome, starring Kirk Douglas.
- Starring
- Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, and Jean Simmons
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $60 million on a $12 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 93%
No. 06 · 1962 · Film · 2h 34m
Lolita
Humbert Humbert is a middle-aged British novelist who is both appalled by and attracted to the vulgarity of American culture. When he comes to stay at the boarding house run by Charlotte Haze, he soon becomes obsessed with Lolita, the woman's teenaged daughter.
Why it matters: Nabokov's novel: a professor marries a widow to stay close to her teenage daughter.
- Starring
- James Mason, Shelley Winters, and Sue Lyon
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $9 million on a $2 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 89%
No. 07 · 1964 · Film · 1h 35m
Dr. Strangelove
After the insane General Jack D. Ripper initiates a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, a war room full of politicians, generals and a Russian diplomat all frantically try to stop it.
Why it matters: A rogue general launches a nuclear strike, and the War Room scrambles to call it off.
- Starring
- Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $10 million on a $2 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 98%
No. 08 · 1968 · Film · 2h 29m
2001: A Space Odyssey
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
Why it matters: Kubrick's odyssey with HAL 9000.
- Starring
- Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, and William Sylvester
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $72 million on a $12 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 90%
No. 09 · 1971 · Film · 2h 17m
A Clockwork Orange
In a near-future Britain, young Alexander DeLarge and his pals get their kicks beating and raping anyone they please. When not destroying the lives of others, Alex swoons to the music of Beethoven. The state, eager to crack down on juvenile crime, gives an incarcerated Alex the option to undergo an invasive procedure that'll rob him of all personal agency. In a time when conscience is a commodity, can Alex change his tune?
Why it matters: A violent young gang leader is jailed and conditioned by the state to be sickened by violence.
- Starring
- Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, and Carl Duering
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $27 million on a $2 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 86%
No. 10 · 1975 · Film · 3h 8m
Barry Lyndon
An Irish rogue uses his cunning and wit to work his way up the social classes of 18th century England, transforming himself from the humble Redmond Barry into the noble Barry Lyndon.
Why it matters: An 18th-century Irish adventurer cheats and marries his way into the English gentry, then falls.
- Starring
- Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, and Patrick Magee
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $32 million on a $11 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 78%
No. 11 · 1980 · Film · 2h 24m
The Shining
Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.
Why it matters: A writer wintering at the empty Overlook Hotel turns on his wife and psychic son.
- Starring
- Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $50 million on a $19 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 84%
No. 12 · 1987 · Film · 1h 57m
Full Metal Jacket
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
Why it matters: Marine recruits survive a brutal drill instructor, then fight in the Battle of Huế.
- Starring
- Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, and Vincent D'Onofrio
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $46 million on a $30 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 89%
No. 13 · 1999 · Film · 2h 39m
Eyes Wide Shut
After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.
Why it matters: A New York doctor's night-long odyssey after his wife's confession leads him to a masked orgy.
- Starring
- Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Sydney Pollack
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Box office
- $163 million on a $65 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 77%
Stanley Kubrick box office and budgets
The 10 Stanley Kubrick films with reported numbers have grossed $470 million worldwide on about $155 million in combined budgets, roughly 3.0 times what they cost. The biggest is Eyes Wide Shut at $163 million, 35% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by 2001: A Space Odyssey ($72 million) and Spartacus ($60 million).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to A Clockwork Orange, which made 12 times its $2 million budget. The weakest was Full Metal Jacket at 1.5 times its $30 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 Stanley Kubrick movies
Across 13 rated titles, Stanley Kubrick averages 7.7 on IMDb. The top of the list is Paths of Glory at 8.4, then The Shining (8.4) and Dr. Strangelove (8.3). At the bottom: Fear and Desire (5.3) and Killer's Kiss (6.5). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, Eyes Wide Shut, is only the 11th best rated.
- Paths of Glory8.4 · RT 96%
- The Shining8.4 · RT 84%
- Dr. Strangelove8.3 · RT 98%
- 2001: A Space Odyssey8.3 · RT 90%
- A Clockwork Orange8.2 · RT 86%
- Full Metal Jacket8.2 · RT 89%
- Barry Lyndon8.1 · RT 78%
- The Killing7.9 · RT 96%
- Spartacus7.9 · RT 93%
- Lolita7.5 · RT 89%
Who appears in the most Stanley Kubrick movies
Frank Silvera leads with 2 appearances as Mac and Vincent Rapallo, ahead of Sterling Hayden (2) and Kirk Douglas (2). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Silvera | Mac / Vincent Rapallo | 2 | Fear and Desire (1953) to Killer's Kiss (1955) |
| Sterling Hayden | Johnny Clay / Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper | 2 | The Killing (1956) to Dr. Strangelove (1964) |
| Kirk Douglas | Col. Dax / Spartacus | 2 | Paths of Glory (1957) to Spartacus (1960) |
| Joe Turkel | Pvt. Pierre Arnaud / Lloyd | 2 | Paths of Glory (1957) to The Shining (1980) |
| Patrick Magee | Mr. Alexander / The Chevalier | 2 | A Clockwork Orange (1971) to Barry Lyndon (1975) |
| Philip Stone | Dad / Grady | 2 | A Clockwork Orange (1971) to The Shining (1980) |
Stanley Kubrick directors and creators
1 filmmaker has directed or created Stanley Kubrick; Stanley Kubrick has the most, with 13.
- Stanley KubrickFear and Desire (1953), Killer's Kiss (1955), The Killing (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Spartacus (1960), Lolita (1962), Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), and Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
How long it takes to watch every Stanley Kubrick movie
All 13 titles add up to 27 hours. That is about 14 two-hour evenings, or 3 days of ten-hour binges. The longest film is Spartacus at 3h 17m.
The 4 best rated films: Paths of Glory, The Shining, Dr. Strangelove, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Everything takes about 4 weeks.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Stanley Kubrick movies in?
Stanley Kubrick made thirteen features and none of them connect, so watch them in release order: Fear and Desire (1953), Killer's Kiss, The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).
How many Stanley Kubrick movies and shows are there?
There are 13 titles in the Stanley Kubrick franchise: 13 films and 0 series, released from 1953 to 1999.
How long does it take to watch all the Stanley Kubrick movies?
About 27 hours for all 13 titles, counting every episode.
What is the first Stanley Kubrick title in chronological order?
Fear and Desire, set in Soldiers behind enemy lines. In release order the first is Fear and Desire (1953).
What is the best Stanley Kubrick movie?
By IMDb score, Paths of Glory (1957) at 8.4, followed by The Shining at 8.4.
What is the highest-grossing Stanley Kubrick movie?
Eyes Wide Shut (1999), with $163 million worldwide. Stanley Kubrick films have made $470 million in total.
Who has appeared in the most Stanley Kubrick movies?
Frank Silvera, in 2 of them as Mac.
What is the longest Stanley Kubrick movie?
Spartacus, at 3h 17m.
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