Ocean's Eleven Movies Ranked: All Five Films Worst to Best
In my Ocean's Eleven movies ranked list, Ocean's Eleven (2001), directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, is the best of the five Ocean's films, ahead of Ocean's Thirteen (2007), Ocean's Twelve (2004), Ocean's 8 (2018) and Ocean's 11 (1960). I break each heist into its working parts below, so you can see why a film lands where it does and which one to watch first.
Key Takeaways
- Ocean's Eleven (2001), directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, is my pick as the best film in the series.
- Ocean's Thirteen (2007) is second because it returns to one clear target and a tight plan.
- Ocean's Eleven (2001) beats Ocean's 11 (1960) because the heist itself is the engine of the film.
- Ocean's 8 (2018) grossed about $298 million worldwide on a $70 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, which makes it a hit by those numbers.
- The untitled Ocean's Eleven prequel is dated for June 25, 2027 and is not ranked, since it has not been released.
Hot Takes
- Opinion: Ocean's Twelve (2004) beats Ocean's 8 (2018), and the gap is nerve rather than cast. Twelve lets its plans collapse on purpose, while Ocean's 8 plays its plan safer. Marcus Reyes
- Opinion: Ocean's Thirteen (2007) is the most underrated of the Soderbergh films, because it is the cleanest build in the saga. Marcus Reyes
- Opinion: The vault job in Ocean's Eleven (2001) is the best heist in the series because every crew member has a physical task that you can see. Marcus Reyes
Opinion, by Marcus Reyes.
- 1
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
This is the template for the whole series. Danny Ocean's vault job gives the pickpocket, the demolitions expert, the card dealer and the acrobat each a task you can see, and the boxing match night gives the plan a clock. It also has the best box office of the five. In my opinion, nothing later builds a heist this cleanly.
- 2
Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
One target, one motive and one grand opening to ruin make this the tightest build after the original. Willy Bank is a clear villain, and Reuben Tishkoff's collapse gives the crew a reason to move together. In my opinion, it fixes the looseness of the film before it.
- 3
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Moving the crew to Europe with Terry Benedict's two week deadline is a bold change, and the Night Fox is a fun rival. The plans failing on purpose is the series at its most daring. I rank it below Thirteen because the mechanics are the hardest to follow.
- 4
Ocean's 8
The Met Gala necklace plan hangs on one clever move, and the cast is strong. I find the crew spends more time being introduced than working. It is a financial hit at about $298 million on a $70 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.
- 5
Ocean's 11 (1960)
The five casino New Year's Eve plan is a great premise, and the Nelson Riddle score and Dean Martin song give it swing. At 127 minutes, I find the plan gets less attention than the company. It ranks last in my opinion because it is the least about the job.
Ocean's Movies Ranked Worst to Best: How I Judged Them
From worst to best, my order is Ocean's 11 (1960), Ocean's 8 (2018), Ocean's Twelve (2004), Ocean's Thirteen (2007) and Ocean's Eleven (2001), judged by how clearly each film builds and runs its heist. The question I asked of every film was simple: if I mute the dialogue, can I still follow who is doing what, and does the plan still look clever? That is the mechanic's test, and it favors films where each crew member has a visible part. Box office and budget are context for me, not the score, and all of this is opinion, so treat it as one fan's order. If you want the viewing sequence instead of a verdict, the Ocean's Eleven movies in order page lays it out, and the Ocean's Eleven movies hub covers the whole series.
5. Ocean's 11 (1960): The Rat Pack Original
Ocean's 11 (1960), directed by Lewis Milestone, ranks fifth because its five-casino New Year's Eve robbery gets less screen time than the Rat Pack company. Frank Sinatra plays Danny Ocean, and he and Jimmy Foster gather nine Second World War comrades to rob the Sahara, Riviera, Desert Inn, Sands and Flamingo at the same moment. The crew prepares like a military operation, with one man driving a garbage truck and another working a hotel lounge. That is a lovely engine on paper. The Nelson Riddle score and a song sung by Dean Martin give it real swing, but at 127 minutes, the longest of the five according to Box Office Mojo, I find the plan gets less attention than the company does. For the full story, see Ocean's 11 (1960).
4. Ocean's 8 (2018): A New Crew at the Met
Ocean's 8 (2018), directed by Gary Ross, ranks fourth because its Met Gala necklace plan hangs on one clever move while the crew spends more time being introduced than working. Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) and Lou (Cate Blanchett) plan to put a priceless Cartier necklace around the neck of actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway). Everything else rests on that one move. At 111 minutes, according to Box Office Mojo, it is the shortest film in the series. The production shot overnight inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, according to Screen Global Production, and Daniel Pemberton's score includes tracks titled "Hacking the Met" and "The Actual Heist". See Ocean's 8 (2018).
3. Ocean's Twelve (2004): The Loosest Plan in the Series
Ocean's Twelve (2004), directed by Steven Soderbergh, ranks third because it is the boldest swing, even when it misses. Terry Benedict tracks down all eleven members of Danny's crew and demands his money back with interest in two weeks. The team scatters across Europe, their first plans fall apart, and Europol detective Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones) closes in while a rival thief called the Night Fox (Vincent Cassel) stays a step ahead. It had a $110 million budget and earned about $363 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo. I admire how it lets plans fail on screen, which no other film in the series dares, but it is also the one where I lose the thread of the mechanics most often. See Ocean's Twelve (2004).
2. Ocean's Thirteen (2007): Revenge With a Clear Target
Ocean's Thirteen (2007), directed by Steven Soderbergh, is the tightest build after the original. Hotel developer Willy Bank (Al Pacino) cuts Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) out of a Las Vegas casino deal, and Reuben ends up gravely ill. Danny Ocean gathers the crew to wreck Bank's grand opening and the new casino's chances. A single target and a personal motive make every step easy to follow, and it runs 122 minutes. It earned about $311 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo, on an $85 million budget listed by The Numbers), and it was presented Out of Competition at Cannes. For my money, it does what Twelve tried to do, only with a cleaner plan. See Ocean's Thirteen (2007).
1. Ocean's Eleven (2001): The Vault Job That Set the Template
Ocean's Eleven (2001), directed by Steven Soderbergh, is my number one, and it is also the biggest earner of the five, with more than $450 million worldwide on an $85 million budget according to Box Office Mojo. Danny Ocean (George Clooney) leaves a New Jersey prison and targets a vault shared by three casinos owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who is now dating Danny's ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts). With Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), he assembles a pickpocket, a demolitions expert, a card dealer and an acrobat, and times the job for a big boxing match night. Each specialist has a job you can see. David Holmes composed the score, and the soundtrack uses "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley. Start with Ocean's Eleven (2001).
Where the Untitled Prequel Will Land
The untitled Ocean's Eleven prequel is not ranked because it has not been released; Warner Bros. has dated it for June 25, 2027, according to Variety Australia, which describes it as led by Margot Robbie. Bradley Cooper writes, directs and co-stars alongside Robbie. The story is set at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix and concerns Danny Ocean's parents, and Motorsport.com reports Cooper filming the 1962 Grand Prix scenes in Monaco. Status and cast updates live on the Ocean's Eleven prequel page. For the money side of this order, see Ocean's Eleven box office, and for streaming options, where to watch Ocean's Eleven.
FAQs
Which Ocean's 11 movie is the best?
In my opinion, Ocean's Eleven (2001), directed by Steven Soderbergh, is the best. Its vault job gives every crew member a visible task, and the plan is easy to follow. It also earned more than $450 million worldwide, the most of the five films, according to Box Office Mojo.
Is Oceans 11 or 12 better?
Ocean's Eleven (2001) is better than Ocean's Twelve (2004) in my ranking, because it builds one clear plan while Twelve lets its plans collapse across Europe. Twelve is bolder and I rank it third, but Eleven is the cleaner heist.
Which version of Oceans 11 is better?
Ocean's Eleven (2001) is better than the 1960 original, directed by Lewis Milestone, because the heist itself drives the film. The 1960 film has the Rat Pack cast and a score by Nelson Riddle, but the 2001 remake treats the job as the story, and that is what I look for in this saga.
Is Ocean's Thirteen better than Ocean's Twelve?
Yes, in my ranking Ocean's Thirteen (2007) beats Ocean's Twelve (2004) because it has one clear target and a cleaner plan, while Twelve lets its plans fail on purpose.
Is the Ocean's trilogy good?
The Ocean's trilogy by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven in 2001, Twelve in 2004 and Thirteen in 2007) is good in my opinion; Eleven and Thirteen are the tight builds and Twelve is the most divisive. The three share a loose, stylish tone and a strong ensemble led by George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
Is Ocean's 8 a hit or flop?
Ocean's 8 (2018) is a box office hit, earning about $298 million worldwide on a $70 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. That is more than four times its cost.