Rotten Tomatoes’ September 30, 2025 guide ranks 20 feature films directed by Tim Burton, with Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands tied for the highest Tomatometer score at 92%. The list below preserves the guide’s published order; it is a critic-score ranking, not a universal verdict on Burton’s films or a ranking of every project he has worked on.
What the Tomatometer ranking measures
Rotten Tomatoes defines the Tomatometer as “the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive” for a film or television show. It is not an average review score, a viewer approval percentage, or a measure of artistic merit. Rotten Tomatoes labels films scoring 60% or more Fresh; scores below 60% are Rotten. Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer explanation describes the measure and its threshold.
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The figures and order here come from Rotten Tomatoes’ Tim Burton ranking, updated September 30, 2025. Percentages can change as reviews or the page change.
All 20 Tim Burton-directed features, in Rotten Tomatoes’ published order
- Ed Wood (1994) — 92%. Burton’s black-and-white biographical drama about filmmaker Ed Wood shares the guide’s top score.
- Edward Scissorhands (1990) — 92%. A modern fairy tale about an unfinished artificial man, tied with Ed Wood for the highest score.
- Frankenweenie (2012) — 87%. Burton’s stop-motion feature expands his earlier short into a story about a boy and his resurrected dog.
- Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) — 78%. Burton’s feature-film directing debut follows Pee-wee Herman on a search for his stolen bicycle.
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) — 86%. A macabre musical adaptation starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
- Beetlejuice (1988) — 83%. A supernatural comedy about a recently deceased couple trying to reclaim their home.
- Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005) — 85%. A stop-motion gothic romance centered on a groom, a mistaken vow, and the world of the dead.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) — 83%. Burton’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s story about a boy visiting Willy Wonka’s factory.
- Batman Returns (1992) — 81%. Burton’s darker return to Gotham City pits Batman against the Penguin and Catwoman.
- Big Fish (2003) — 76%. A fantasy drama about a son trying to understand his dying father through the extravagant stories he tells.
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) — 76%. The sequel returns to the Deetz family and the afterlife-comedy world of the original.
- Batman (1989) — 77%. Burton’s first Batman film follows the hero’s confrontation with the Joker in Gotham.
- Big Eyes (2014) — 72%. A biographical drama about painter Margaret Keane and the dispute over who received credit for her work.
- Sleepy Hollow (1999) — 71%. A gothic mystery adaptation featuring Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) — 65%. A fantasy adventure about a boy who discovers a home for children with unusual abilities.
- Mars Attacks! (1996) — 57%. A science-fiction comedy in which Earth faces an invasion by gleefully destructive Martians.
- Alice in Wonderland (2010) — 51%. Burton’s fantasy reimagining sends Alice back to Wonderland as a young adult.
- Dumbo (2019) — 46%. A live-action reworking of the story of a circus elephant who can fly.
- Planet of the Apes (2001) — 42%. Burton’s science-fiction adventure revisits the franchise’s world of intelligent apes.
- Dark Shadows (2012) — 35%. A supernatural comedy based on the gothic television series, and the lowest-ranked film in this guide.
Why the order does not descend by percentage
The list is reproduced in Rotten Tomatoes’ published order, but that sequence is not strictly descending by the percentages shown. For example, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is fourth at 78%, ahead of fifth-place Sweeney Todd at 86%; Beetlejuice is sixth at 83%, ahead of seventh-place Corpse Bride at 85%. The guide identifies Tomatometer as its basis but does not explain these ordering differences, so they should not be treated as a ranking rule or given an assumed tie-break explanation.
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How to choose a Burton film to watch
Critic scores can help narrow a choice, but these films vary widely in genre, style, and intended audience. Match the film to the kind of story you want rather than treating a few percentage points as a quality guarantee.
- For Burton’s gothic fantasy and macabre comedy: try Edward Scissorhands or Beetlejuice.
- For a biographical story: Ed Wood and Big Eyes place real people and questions of artistic recognition at the center.
- For stop-motion animation: choose Frankenweenie for a monster-movie homage or Corpse Bride for gothic romance.
- For a musical: Sweeney Todd is the macabre, adult-oriented option.
- For superhero films: compare Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns.
- For family viewing: consider the individual film’s content and tone; animation does not automatically mean a film is suitable for every child.
Why The Nightmare Before Christmas is not included
The Nightmare Before Christmas is strongly associated with Burton, who developed the original story and served as a producer, but he is not credited as its director. Rotten Tomatoes’ guide is specifically a ranking of films Burton directed, which is why it excludes the film. Rotten Tomatoes’ Burton filmography and Burton’s official film-project listings distinguish directing work from other projects and roles. The 20-film list should therefore not be read as a complete catalog of films Burton wrote, produced, or otherwise helped create.
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