HBO's The Batman spinoff series The Penguin claims a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than its big-screen predecessor, raising expectations for future installments in its DCElseworlds franchise. HBO's The Penguin series starring Colin Farrell is the first follow-up to Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is set to complete a movie trilogy with 2025's The Batman - Part II and The Batman - Part III. Reeves' The Batman originally led to three spinoff shows, with a Gotham PD and an Arkham Asylum series accompanying The Penguin. However, the former two spinoffs were canceled in July 2024.
On X, Rotten Tomatoes reveals The Penguin's debut Critics Score: a "Certified Fresh at 91% on the Tomatometer, with 32 reviews" on September 12th, 2024, one week ahead of its wide release. When The Batman released debuted in 2022, it received an 89% Critics Score on its first day. Check out Rotten Tomatoes' post below:
What The Penguin's Rotten Tomatoes Score Means For The Batman Franchise
The Future Looks Bright For The Batman's Spinoffs And Sequels
Only two installments in, The Batman franchise is gearing up to be a top-rated superhero franchise. While Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy remains the most consistently praised comic book adaptation, Batman Begins holds an 85% Critics Score — six points lower than The Penguin and four below The Batman. Following this trend, The Batman - Part II and The Batman - Part III have the chance to surpass The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises to become the highest-rated superhero movie and TV franchise of all time.
If The Penguin's Critics Score remains around 91% and its Audience Score lands a similar number, then it could be possible for The Batman franchise to bring the Gotham PD and Arkham Asylum spinoff series back to active development. Although the DCU's Batman is expected to star in more installments than Robert Pattinson's more self-contained Dark Knight, there's a chance Pattinson's Batman could have some extra appearances, if not in solo movies after the trilogy's conclusion, perhaps in other shows.
The Batman franchise could also spawn new spinoffs starring other Gotham characters without having to include Robert Pattinson's Batman. Villains such as Paul Dano's Riddler, Barry Keoghan's Joker, Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman, and The Batman - Part II's main villain could star in their own series similarly to Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobblepot in The Penguin. But even if The Batman franchise doesn't greenlight another project, The Penguin's success is clear proof of its quality.
