The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a fictional superhero team created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, have appeared in six feature-length films since their debut. The first film was released in 1990, at the height of the franchise's popularity. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it was a commercial success that garnered two direct sequels, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1993, both of which were modest successes.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | |
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Based on | Characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird |
Distributed by | Various See below |
Release date | 1990–present |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $1.2 billion |
During a revival of the franchise prompted by the successful 2003–2009 TV series, a separate computer-generated imagery (CGI) film titled TMNT was released in 2007. A fifth film by Paramount Pictures was released in 2014, and served as a reboot to the live-action films. A sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, was released in 2016 and was the first film in the franchise to be considered financially unsuccessful.
The six films have grossed $1.2 billion worldwide.
Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
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Original series | |||||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | March 30, 1990 (1990-03-30) | Steve Barron | Todd W. Langen and Bobby Herbeck | Bobby Herbeck | Kim Dawson, Simon Fields and David Chan |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze | March 22, 1991 (1991-03-22) | Michael Pressman | Todd W. Langen | Thomas K. Gray, Kim Dawson and David Chan | |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III | March 19, 1993 (1993-03-19) | Stuart Gillard | |||
Reboot series | |||||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | August 8, 2014 (2014-08-08) | Jonathan Liebesman | Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec and Evan Daugherty | Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Galen Walker, Scott Mednick and Ian Bryce | |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | June 3, 2016 (2016-06-03) | Dave Green | Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec | Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Galen Walker and Scott Mednick |
The first film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, closely follows the storyline from the Mirage comic books, in addition to some of the more lighthearted elements of the cartoons. The film tells the origin story of Splinter and the Turtles, their initial encounters with April O'Neil (Judith Hoag) and Casey Jones (Elias Koteas), and their first confrontation with The Shredder and his Foot Clan. Directed by Steve Barron and released by New Line Cinema, the film showcases the innovative puppetry techniques of Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
A sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, expands on the Turtles' origin story while claiming the distinction as Vanilla Ice's film debut. The film was dedicated to puppeteer Jim Henson. It also introduced the Turtles' human friend Keno (Ernie Reyes Jr.) and Shredder's mutant henchmen Tokka and Rahzar. This film was internationally released by 20th Century Fox.
A sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, features Elias Koteas reprising his role as Casey Jones. The plot revolves around the "Sacred Sands of Time", a mystical scepter which transports the Turtles and April back in time to feudal Japan, where they become embroiled in a conflict between a daimyō and a group of rebellious villagers.
A new feature film, rebooting the film franchise, was originally scheduled to be released in December 2013 as part of the acquisition of the franchise by Viacom. Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company landed the rights to the new film in May 2010. The film is a co-production between Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies.[1] The first film was directed by Jonathan Liebesman and stars Megan Fox as April O'Neil, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, and features motion capture CGI for the Turtles and Splinter, the film was released on August 8, 2014.[2] The film became a box office success.
A sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was directed by Dave Green.[3][4] The original cast (with the exception of Johnny Knoxville) returns with Stephen Amell, Brian Tee, Tyler Perry, and Gary Anthony Williams joining as Casey Jones, Shredder, Baxter Stockman, and Bebop respectively.[5][6][7] WWE wrestler Sheamus portrays Rocksteady.[8]
In June 2018, it was reported that Paramount Pictures will once again reboot the series with Bay, Fuller and Form returning to produce the film and Andrew Dodge writing the script.[9][10] Fuller and Form announced while at the 24th Critics' Choice Awards that production on the reboot is set to start in 2019,[11] but in July, TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman revealed that the film is still in development and believed that Paramount took the reactions to the 2014 and 2016 films "to heart", and that "its going to be a next-level type of stuff".[12] In August 2021, Colin Jost and Casey Jost were announced to be doing a rewrite of the script.[13]
Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
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TMNT | March 23, 2007 (2007-03-23) | Kevin Munroe | Thomas K. Gray, Galen Walker and Paul Wang | ||
Turtles Forever | November 21, 2009 | Roy Burdine and Lloyd Goldfine | Sarah C. Nesbitt | ||
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | March 31, 2019 | Jake Castorena | Marly Halpern-Graser | Ben Jones | |
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie | August 5, 2022 | Andy Suriano and Ant Ward | Tony Gama-Lobo and Rebecca May | Andy Suriano and Ant Ward | Vladimir Radev |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | August 4, 2023 (2023-08-04) | Jeff Rowe | Brendan O'Brien | Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver | |
A 2007 feature film, titled simply TMNT and written and directed by Kevin Munroe, was released March 23, 2007. Unlike the previous films, it used 100% computer-generated imagery, produced by Imagi Animation Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Weinstein Company. It was the final Ninja Turtle movie to be distributed by Warner Bros. due to the franchise being purchased by Viacom.
This film opens with the Turtles scattered as Leonardo is training in Central America, Donatello and Michelangelo have jobs, and Raphael spends his time as the vigilante crimefighter "Nightwatcher". Leo returns to New York City due to the events surrounding a series of monsters being hunted by the mysterious businessman Max Winters, but tensions begin to rise between Raph and Leo over the leadership of the team. The Foot Clan also appears with Karai leading them.[14]
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise a television film titled Turtles Forever was made. It was a crossover between the original comic, the 1987 television series, and the then-current incarnation.[15]
Batman, Batgirl and Robin forge an alliance with The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to fight against the Turtles' sworn enemy, The Shredder, who has teamed up with Ra's Al Ghul and The League Of Assassins.
A film adaptation of the 2018 TV series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Netflix was developed by Nickelodeon.[16] The film's plot follows Leonardo as he is forced to lead his brothers to save the world from the Krang.[17] The film was slated to release in 2021, but was pushed back due to production not being completed.[18] The film was released on August 5, 2022.[19]
Another reboot film separate from the upcoming Bay live-action film was reported in June 2020. It will be a CGI animated film[20] with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver as producers operating through their Point Grey Pictures production company. It will be the second theatrical animated film in the franchise following 2007's TMNT. The film will be directed by The Mitchells vs. the Machines co-director Jeff Rowe with a script by Neighbors co-screenwriter Brendan O'Brien. Nickelodeon president Brian Robbins has described the project as a "next-level reinvention of the property".[21] On August 4, 2022, a year before the film's release, its official title was revealed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.[22]
The film is set to be released on August 4, 2023.[23][24]
In February 2022, at the ViacomCBS’ Investors Event, a number of spin-off films were announced to be in development. Each film will center around a villain in the franchise, with the projects being developed by Nickelodeon Animation for streaming exclusively released on Paramount+.[25]
Film | Crew/Detail | ||||||
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Composer(s) | Cinematographer(s) | Editor | Production companies | Distributing company | Running time | ||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | John Du Prez | John Fenner | William D. Gordean, Sally Menke and James R. Symons | Golden Harvest, Limelight Entertainment, 888 Productions | New Line Cinema | 93 minutes | |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze |
Shelly Johnson | Steve Mirkovich and John Wright | Golden Harvest | 88 minutes | |||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III | David Gurfinkel | William D. Gordean and James R. Symons | 96 minutes | ||||
TMNT | Klaus Badelt | Steve Lumley | John Damien Ryan | Imagi Animation Studios | Warner Bros. Pictures | 87 minutes | |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Brian Tyler | Lula Carvalho | Joel Negron and Glen Scantlebury | Nickelodeon Movies, Platinum Dunes, Gama Entertainment, Mednick Productions, Heavy Metal | Paramount Pictures | 101 minutes | |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows |
Steve Jablonsky | Jim May, Debra Neil-Fisher and Bob Ducsay | Nickelodeon Movies, Platinum Dunes, Gama Entertainment, Mednick Productions, Smithrowe Entertainment | 122 minutes | |||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem |
TBA | — | TBA | Paramount Animation, Nickelodeon Movies, Point Grey Pictures | TBA |
Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Budget | Ref. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North America | Other territories |
Worldwide | All time North America |
All time worldwide | ||||
Original series | ||||||||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | March 30, 1990 | $135,265,915 | $66,700,000 | $201,965,915 | #331 | #568 | $13,500,000 | [26] |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze | March 12, 1991 | $78,656,813 | $12,000,000* | $90,656,813* | #804 | N/A | $25,000,000 | [27][28] |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III | March 19, 1993 | $42,273,609 | $12,214,177 | $54,487,786 | #1,665 | $21,000,000 | [29][30] | |
Animated film | ||||||||
TMNT | March 23, 2007 | $54,149,098 | $41,653,818 | $95,802,916 | #1,289 | N/A | $34,000,000 | [31] |
Reboot series | ||||||||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | August 8, 2014 | $191,204,754 | $302,128,830 | $493,333,584 | #183 | #157 | $125,000,000 | [32] |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | June 3, 2016 | $82,051,601 | $163,538,376 | $245,589,977 | #829 | #512 | $135,000,000 | [33] |
Total | $583,601,790 | $598,235,201 | $1,181,836,991 | $353,500,000 | [34] | |||
* The international gross listed above for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze is actually the theatrical rentals, which is the distributor's share of the gross. In the United States and Canada, the film earned theatrical rentals of $41.9 million.[35] If the ratio of gross to rental achieved in the United States was matched overseas, the film would have an international gross of around $22 million and a worldwide gross of around $100 million. |
Film | Critical | Public | ||
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Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[36] | ||
Original series | ||||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 40% (50 reviews)[37] | 51 (21 reviews)[38] | — | |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze | 35% (41 reviews)[39] | 45 (20 reviews)[40] | ||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III | 23% (29 reviews)[41] | 40 (12 reviews)[42] | ||
Reboot series | ||||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 21% (133 reviews)[43] | 31 (33 reviews)[44] | B | |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | 37% (139 reviews)[45] | 40 (27 reviews)[46] | A- |
Film | Critical | Public | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[36] | ||
TMNT | 35% (115 reviews)[47] | 41 (21 reviews)[48] | A- | |
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie | 83% (12 reviews)[1] | 61 (5 reviews)[2] | — |
Title | U.S. release date | Length | Composer(s) | Label |
---|---|---|---|---|
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | March 16, 1990 | 44:08 | N/A | SBK Records |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | March 26, 1991 | 41:32 | SBK Records | |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | March 9, 1993 | 45:01 | SBK Records | |
TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Music from the Motion Picture) | March 20, 2007 | 45:22 | Klaus Badelt | Atlantic Records |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Score | August 5, 2014 | 70:02 | Brian Tyler | Atlantic Records |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | June 3, 2016 | TBA | Steve Jablonsky | TBA |
Kevin Eastman was working on a fourth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film between 1995 and 1997 titled TMNT 4: The Next Mutation or TMNT 4: The Foot Walks Again. In 2012, Heritage Auctions published concept arts showing a fifth turtle named Kirby, but also featured are Fang, Shredder, Spyder, Nano Spyder, Super Shredder, Casey, Talbot, Lawson, Bugman and "Evil April". Peter Laird showed some concept art of the Turtles and Splinter on his blog.[49][50][51][52][53] The main concept behind the film would have the turtles undergo a second mutation due to the mutagen in the heroes' bloodstream beginning to change with age and giving them new abilities and new problems. Also, the film would revolve around the return of the Shredder and proceeded to rebuild the Foot empire.
![]() | This article needs to be updated. (June 2019) |
In late April 2009, a new live-action film was announced to be in the works for a 2011 release. Mirage Studios was partnering with producers Scott Mednick and Galen Walker, with Peter Laird, Gary Richardson, Frederick Fierst, Eric Crown as executive producers, and 4Kids Entertainment handling the film's merchandising with Lightbox Productions, LLC. funding the project.[54] The film would have used animatronic suits whose facial expressions would be digitally enhanced in post-production.[55] It was stated that the story would focus on the Turtles origin.[56] A few months later, an open casting call was made for extras to play as members of the Foot Clan with Ernie Reyes, Jr. as an acting judge.[57] "Ninja Turtles" co-creator Peter Laird said "there were a lot of positive feelings about a Batman Begins-style reboot,[58] while producer Galen Walker said the film would be headed in a darker direction.[59] In July the same year, John Fusco was hired to be the film's writer.[60] His version was to be inspired by the original dark and gritty black and white comics that Eastman created with Peter Laird, but Paramount wasn't on board. Kevin Eastman described the script as being "too edgy for what Paramount wanted". Laird revealed the film would have been a direct sequel to the 1990 film while ignoring its earlier sequels.[61] In October, Viacom's subsidiary network Nickelodeon had purchased all of Mirage's rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property for $9.75 million, thus terminating all deals with 4Kids and Time Warner.[62][63][64]
In 2007 Kevin Munroe stated that he would like to direct a possible sequel to TMNT, possibly involving the return of the Shredder.[65] Munroe planned a trilogy. TMNT 2 would have loosely adapted the Turtles’ 13-part comic book saga "City At War". Michelangelo would have felt rejected and joined the Foot Clan, while the Turtles would have traveled to Japan and would have crossed paths with Karai and Shredder. TMNT 3 would have featured the Triceratons as well as the Technodrome’s arrival from Dimension X. Munroe wanted Michael Clarke Duncan to voice the Triceraton's leader, Commander Mozar.[55] In an interview, Peter Laird stated he was interested in the idea of having the next film be a live-action and CGI hybrid film, with the Turtles rendered in CGI and Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chris Evans reprising their TMNT roles in live-action.[66]
In August 2014, Noel Fisher stated in an interview that he and the other Turtle actors had signed on for three films.[67] Megan Fox had also signed on for three films.[68] In May 2016, Tyler Perry said that if a third film was made, his character, Baxter Stockman, would probably mutate into his fly form during the movie.[69] Pete Ploszek also expressed his interests in reprising his role in a third film as Leonardo.[70] In October the same year, in light of the second film's financial failure, producer Andrew Form indicated that a third film was unlikely.[71]
Its likely that Paramount will announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 very shortly, especially since Megan Fox and the four main Turtle actors all have a three-picture deal in place.
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