Every King Kong Movie (In Chronological Order)

Summary

• King Kong’s cinematic legacy spans almost a century, with iconic movies depicting his misunderstood antihero persona.
• The Monsterverse showcases the continued popularity of King Kong, ensuring his cinematic legacy lasts well beyond 100 years.
• Each King Kong film offers a unique take on the giant ape, from classic blockbusters to animated musicals, demonstrating his enduring appeal.

With the character’s long legacy lasting almost 100 years, keeping track of the King Kong movies can be tricky. The giant, rampaging ape hit the big screen in 1933 after being dreamed up by movie producer Merian C. Cooper and King Kong has become a staple of pop culture ever since. 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.

Taking a look at all the King Kong movies throughout the years paints an interesting picture of an ever-changing cinematic landscape that’s always welcoming to impressive monsters. The Monsterverse movies continue to show the popularity of the character after all these years. With movies in eight different decades, it looks like the great ape’s cinematic legacy will survive well into the 2030s and beyond, thus reaching an epic 100 years on the big screen. However, the movies that Kong has appeared in so far show a surprising variety, from huge blockbusters to animated musicals.

13 King Kong (1933)

The Ground-Breaking Cinematic Introduction Of Kong

It all started with the RKO 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, which has become one of the most recognizable moments in the history of cinema. The movie was also a ground-breaking piece of filmmaking in terms of its special effects, with Kong and the other creatures of Skull Island brought to life with amazing stop-motion animation.

Kong takes his time appearing on screen for the first time but he quickly cements himself as one of the most captivating movie monsters of all time. Even close to a century later and with all the advancements in technology, it is still thrilling to see him on screen.

12 Son Of Kong (1933)

Carl Denham Meets A Younger Giant Ape

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. However, the younger ape makes for an endearing successor to the original beast. Much like how the original King Kong found humanity to mix with Kong’s animal brutality, Son of Kong makes the younger ape more innocent while also being able to take on some formidable foes.

There is also some redemption for the greedy character of Denham, who forms an unexpected bond with Kong. Like the first movie, stop-motion animation is used to bring the titular character in Son of Kong to life.

Despite not appearing in the movie, Fay Wray’s iconic screams from
King Kong
(1933) are reused in this movie.

11 King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)

The Monster Icons Face Off For The First Time

Nearly three decades after the first two King Kong movies, the Japanese studio Toho revived the big ape to see him battle against another iconic movie monster: Godzilla. The story follows a pharmaceutical company that captures Kong to use as a mascot for their business. However, when Godzilla returns after being thawed out of a glacier, Kong is recruited to save the day.

Both Godzilla and Kong are brought to life with actors in suits, and though it is not as charming as the stop-motion approach, it does allow for the beasts to battle more effectively. It is interesting that, despite Toho being the studio behind Godzilla, Kong is made the hero of the story and even wins the battle in the end. Much like the other Godzilla movies, the film also features commentary on the folly of humanity, with the focus being on the pharmaceutical companies this time around.

10 King Kong Escapes (1967)

Kong Takes On Mechani-Kong

It would be a few more years until Kong was brought back, casting him in King Kong Escapes which was a collaboration between Toho and Rankin/Bass, the rights owners of Kong at the time. 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.

Once again, Kong was painted as the hero of the story as he was deemed the only one who could stop the failed robotic version of himself. The humans of the story, including Kong’s latest infatuation, Susan Watson (Linda Jo Miller), put their trust in him. It is another version of the monster that utilizes actors in suits to pull it off.

9 King Kong (1976)

A Modern-Set Remake Of The 1933 Classic

The first of the remakes of King Kong came 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. Similar to the original movie, the titular giant ape takes a while to appear on screen but he makes for a more vicious and deadly beast when he does. As another sign of technology evolving with Kong himself, legendary creature design artist Rick Baker helped to bring Kong to life using an animatronic gorilla.

8 King Kong Lives (1986)

Kong Finds Love With A Fellow Giant Ape

While the critical reception to the 1976 remake wasn’t positive, the movie was a big enough hit to earn a sequel a decade later with King Kong director John Guillermin returning for 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.

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. The movie was seen as a surprisingly dull Kong adventure despite the intriguing premise of him and his partner going up against the military. Despite its failure, it is worth noting that King Kong Lives would be the last time practical effects were used to bring Kong to life in movies.

7 The Mighty Kong (1998)

An Animated Musical Take On Kong’s Story

The first animated project among the King Kong movies, Lana Productions released this direct-to-video musical adaptation of the original film’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.

The animated approach makes sense for a natural next step in Kong’s cinematic journey as practical effects were getting too expensive to use. However, the movie makes the mistake of focusing on the humans of the story too much with the central romance between Ann and Jack taking up an odd amount of screen time.

6 King Kong (2005)

Peter Jackson’s Blockbuster Epic Remake

Kong got 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 if it hadn’t been delayed. Luckily, the delay allowed the technology to catch up and provide the next evolutionary step in depicting Kong on the big screen. Following Andy Serkis’ work as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies, the actor provided a motion-capture performance for Kong, giving the giant ape more personality than ever and making him a creature the audience could truly sympathize with.

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.

Andy Serkis also appears in
King Kong
as the human character Lumpy.

5 Kong: King Of Atlantis (2005)

An Animated Adventure Spun-Off From Kong: The Animated Series

Based on the serialized cartoon Kong: The Animated Series, Kong: King Of Atlantis is a feature-length film that aired after the show ended. 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. The Kong in this story is actually a clone of the giant ape from the original.

The more recent King Kong movies had begun to depict Kong as a misunderstood and tragic figure. However, Kong: King of Atlantis gets back to the Toho era of the character’s legacy in depicting him as a hero who is called upon to save the world from bigger threats. The movie came out the same year as Peter Jackson’s big-budget live-action blockbuster with the hopes of capitalizing on its success.

4 Kong: Return To The Jungle (2007)

The Third Animated Kong Movie And Another Continuation Of The Series

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. It is then up to Kong’s friends to save him, which includes a teenage boy named Jason who shares DNA with the giant ape to further confuse the plot.

Despite the fact that this is connected to the animated series, it is a much different look with the movie using a unique CGI animation style. This is used to bring to life some epic fight sequences between Kong and various monsters. Fans of the series might get more out of the movie, but there was a sense among fans of the genre that the lackluster animation did not do justice to the legendary character.

3 Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Kong’s Introduction To The Monsterverse

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.

While Monsterverse fans are used to seeing the older Kong in more recent movies, this younger take on Kong as the protector of Skull Island is a lot of fun. He is taking on the many monsters of the island while also fighting off the invasive military presence. Once again, Kong is made to be a more sympathetic character than other Titans, which plays into his larger role in the Monsterverse. Kong: Skull Island also plants seeds for things that will happen later in the cinematic universe.

Kong: Skull Island
also explores the history of Monsterverse’s Monarch.

2 Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)

Kong Brawls With Another Monster Icon

While the two iconic monsters had already faced off on the big screen before, Godzilla vs. Kong brought the brawl into true blockbuster territory. The movie is set in the aftermath of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, as Godzilla has defeated many of Earth’s Titans and now only finds Kong standing in his way. However, as the two beasts prepare to fight, a new threat emerges with the creation of Mechagodzilla.

The movie is a CGI-filled adventure movie with the epic design of the two titular monsters, further showing the evolution of special effects from the early days of 1933. Just as with the original Godzilla vs. Kong film, Kong is made to be the hero of the story, and while Godzilla isn’t exactly a villain, Kong gets a lot more screentime, proving how relatable the giant ape is compared to his other movie monsters.

1 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Kong Teams With His Former Foe

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the next step in the Monsterverse and brings its two biggest characters back on screen together again. However, this time around, the monsters have other threats to contend with. The movie further explores the mysteries of Hollow Earth with Kong discovering a population of giant apes he did not know existed. However, they are ruled by a sadistic ape king, Scar, who has a secret weapon that Kong will need more help with if he is going to defeat it.

Once again, though billed as a team-up movie, Kong is the star of the show and the story is focused completely around him. Godzilla briefly appears in a handful of scenes as a reminder that he is there before he really gets to join in on the action in the climax. This leads to Kong and Godzilla teaming up to take on their enemies, both embracing their heroic portrayals.