Dept. V · Books & Film
Steampunk Movies: Which Are Core Steampunk and Which Only Borrow the Look
Core steampunk films, from Castle in the Sky to Steamboy, and the ones that only borrow the look, with scores, box office and where to watch as of October 2026.
The films most often rated core steampunk are animated: Castle in the Sky (1986), Steamboy (2004) and, with a caveat, Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). Live-action cinema has mostly borrowed the look: Hugo, Sherlock Holmes, The Prestige and Poor Things are classed by one reference guide as adjacent, and Wild Wild West and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen are remembered chiefly for their reviews. Mortal Engines (2018) earned about $85 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. Streaming listings below are as of October 2026 and change without notice.
- Highest rated on Rotten Tomatoes, as of October 2026: Castle in the Sky, 97%
- Rated core by the guide: Castle in the Sky and Steamboy
- Lowest rated: Wild Wild West and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 16% each
- Box-office disappointment: Mortal Engines, $84.8 million against $100 million
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A film may wear the brass and the goggles without being steampunk, and a film with neither may be closer to the genre than any of them. We therefore separate the list into the films that are built around the machinery and those that merely borrow the costume. The reader who wants the books should go to the reading list; the wider subject begins at steampunk books, films and games.
What "Core" Means Here
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction defines steampunk as set against an alternate-history nineteenth-century backdrop, usually an invention-saturated Victorian or Edwardian England. The classifications below come largely from one source, the Steampunk Field Guide of SF Crow’s Nest, which sorts works into core, adjacent, gaslamp and neo-Victorian with a written reason for each. It is one guide’s judgment and not a settled one; the question of what counts is a standing quarrel, and is it steampunk takes the disputed cases up at length. Where the guide has no entry for a film, we say so.
The Core: Where the Machinery Is the Story
| Film | Year | Rotten Tomatoes, October 2026 | Why it is classed core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle in the Sky | 1986 | 97% (29 reviews) | The guide calls it core anime steampunk: airships, industrial landscapes and ancient technology |
| Steamboy | 2004 | 61% (92 reviews) | A Victorian alternate history in which a family of inventors builds a sphere of pressurized water as a power source, and a boy goes to London; the guide places it at the Great Exhibition and calls it core |
| Howl’s Moving Castle | 2004 | 88% (185 reviews) | Gaslamp or steampunk fantasy: magic drives the engine as much as machinery does |
Castle in the Sky is, on the evidence we have, the safest first recommendation. Hayao Miyazaki directed two of the three, and Katsuhiro Otomo directed Steamboy. For the Japanese strand see steampunk anime.
Mortal Engines: Fit and Failure
Philip Reeve’s novel Mortal Engines, with its roving traction cities, is classed by the guide as post-apocalyptic steampunk and a good fit; the 2018 film, directed by Christian Rivers, did not repeat the book’s reception. Box Office Mojo shows a worldwide gross of $84,789,131 against a budget of $100 million, and Rotten Tomatoes puts it at 26% from 188 reviews. Figures differ slightly between sources, since The Numbers counts a later re-release, and we therefore say “about $85 million.” The books and the film’s departures from them are told in Mortal Engines books in order.
The Borrowers: Brass Without the Boiler
These films use the look, or a part of it, and the guide declines to call them core.
| Film | Year | Gross and score | The guide’s reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo | 2011 | $185.8M worldwide, 93% | Clockwork-adjacent; the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction nonetheless names it in its steampunk film list |
| Sherlock Holmes | 2009 | $524.0M worldwide, 69% | Victorian setting and gadgets but no alternate technology; we found no guide entry for it, so its label is a genuine debate |
| The Prestige | 2006 | 77% | Gaslamp and teslapunk-adjacent; steampunk-adjacent rather than core, being chiefly a psychological thriller |
| Poor Things | 2023 | 92% | Neo-Victorian and steampunk-adjacent; not steampunk in the goggles-and-airships sense, because its technology is medical and architectural |
| Treasure Planet | 2002 | $110.0M worldwide against $140M, 68% | Aetherpunk and steampunk-adjacent, not core, lacking boilers or an alternate empire |
| The Golden Compass | 2007 | not checked | Gaslamp and steampunk-adjacent, not core |
A word on Hugo. The critics liked it, with a score of 93%, and it took about $186 million worldwide, of which $73.9 million came from the domestic box office. That the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and the Field Guide disagree about it is the plainest illustration of why this list is contested.
The Loud Failures
Two Hollywood films shaped the public idea of steampunk and are not remembered kindly. Wild Wild West (1999), directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, grossed $222.1 million worldwide on a $170 million budget and holds 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is a remake of the CBS series of 1965 to 1969, which the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says can be seen as anticipating steampunk, and it adds a good deal of overtly steampunk technology, including a giant mechanical spider. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), from the comic by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill, grossed $179.3 million on a $78 million budget and also holds 16%. Both are best seen, if at all, as curiosities.
Where to Watch, as of October 2026
Streaming rights move every few weeks. These are the listings JustWatch showed for the US in mid-October 2026; confirm before relying on any of them.
| Film | Listing, October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Castle in the Sky | HBO Max subscription; rental about $3.99 |
| Howl’s Moving Castle | HBO Max subscription; rental $3.99 |
| Hugo | Free with a library card on Kanopy and Hoopla; also rental from $3.99 |
| Poor Things | Hulu subscription; rental $3.99 to $4.99 |
| Mortal Engines | No free streaming; rental from $3.99 |
| Sherlock Holmes (2009) | No free streaming; rental $4.99 |
None of these six listings named Netflix. We did not check Steamboy’s availability. Physical editions of most of the titles are also sold; we state no prices for them.
A Short Order of Viewing
For a first evening, Castle in the Sky; for a second, Steamboy; for the reader who wants live action, Hugo, which the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction names in its steampunk film list. The reader who wishes to know what went wrong may watch Mortal Engines or Wild Wild West and report to us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best steampunk movies?
By Rotten Tomatoes score among the films we checked, Castle in the Sky (97%), Hugo (93%) and Howl’s Moving Castle (88%) lead. Of these, only Castle in the Sky is classed core by the guide.
Is Sherlock Holmes (2009) steampunk?
It has a Victorian setting and gadgets but no alternate technology, and we found no guide classification for it, so it remains an argument.
Are there steampunk movies on Netflix?
None of the six films whose US listings we read named Netflix as of October 2026; the television series Arcane does. Check the current listings before planning an evening.
Is Howl's Moving Castle steampunk?
The guide calls it gaslamp or steampunk fantasy, since magic drives the engine as much as machinery.
Is Hugo steampunk?
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction names it in its steampunk film list, while the Field Guide calls it clockwork-adjacent.
Is there a steampunk movie that is family-friendly?
The animated Castle in the Sky is the guide’s example of core anime steampunk; ratings and suitability for young viewers we did not check.