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Movie Franchise Watch Order

Where do I start? Pick a franchise for the right order to watch it, both release order and the chronological timeline where they differ.

Every franchise in order

The full release order for each franchise we cover. Use the search above to jump to one, or switch to chronological order where a timeline option exists.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Release order is how it was designed. The Infinity Saga runs from Iron Man (2008) to Avengers: Endgame (2019); everything after starts the Multiverse Saga.

  1. Iron Man (2008)
  2. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
  3. Iron Man 2 (2010)
  4. Thor (2011)
  5. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
  6. The Avengers (2012)
  7. Iron Man 3 (2013)
  8. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
  9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
  10. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
  11. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
  12. Ant-Man (2015)
  13. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
  14. Doctor Strange (2016)
  15. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
  16. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
  17. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
  18. Black Panther (2018)
  19. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
  20. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
  21. Captain Marvel (2019)
  22. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
  23. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
  24. Black Widow (2021)
  25. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
  26. Eternals (2021)
  27. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
  28. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
  29. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
  30. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
  31. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
  32. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
  33. The Marvels (2023)
  34. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
  35. Captain America: Brave New World (2025)
  36. Thunderbolts (2025)
  37. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

Star Wars

Two camps. Release order (start with A New Hope) preserves the famous twist. Chronological (episode) order runs the story front to back but spoils it early.

  1. Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
  2. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  3. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
  4. Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
  5. Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
  6. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
  7. Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
  8. Rogue One (2016)
  9. Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
  10. Solo (2018)
  11. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

DC Extended Universe

Release order works fine; the DCEU was loosely connected. It has now been rebooted as the new DC Universe.

  1. Man of Steel (2013)
  2. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
  3. Suicide Squad (2016)
  4. Wonder Woman (2017)
  5. Justice League (2017)
  6. Aquaman (2018)
  7. Shazam! (2019)
  8. Birds of Prey (2020)
  9. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
  10. The Suicide Squad (2021)
  11. Black Adam (2022)
  12. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
  13. The Flash (2023)
  14. Blue Beetle (2023)
  15. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Fast & Furious

Watch in release order, but note Tokyo Drift (2006) actually happens chronologically near the end, after Fast & Furious 6.

  1. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
  2. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
  3. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
  4. Fast & Furious (2009)
  5. Fast Five (2011)
  6. Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
  7. Furious 7 (2015)
  8. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
  9. Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
  10. F9 (2021)
  11. Fast X (2023)

Wizarding World

Watch the eight Harry Potter films first in order, then the Fantastic Beasts prequels, which are set decades earlier but were made later.

  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
  7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
  8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
  9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
  10. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
  11. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

Middle-earth

Release order starts with The Lord of the Rings. Chronologically, The Hobbit trilogy comes first as it is set 60 years earlier.

  1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
  2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
  3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
  4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
  5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
  6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

James Bond (Daniel Craig)

The 25 Eon Bond films are mostly standalone, so any order works. The Daniel Craig era (2006 to 2021) is one continuous story and is listed here in order.

  1. Casino Royale (2006)
  2. Quantum of Solace (2008)
  3. Skyfall (2012)
  4. Spectre (2015)
  5. No Time to Die (2021)

Mission: Impossible

Straight release order. The later films build on each other more, especially from Rogue Nation onward.

  1. Mission: Impossible (1996)
  2. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
  3. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
  4. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
  5. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
  6. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
  7. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
  8. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)

John Wick

Pure release order, each film picks up soon after the last. The spin-off Ballerina (2025) sits between Chapters 3 and 4.

  1. John Wick (2014)
  2. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
  3. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)
  4. Ballerina (2025)
  5. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

The Hunger Games

Release order works well. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) is a prequel set 64 years earlier if you prefer to start chronologically.

  1. The Hunger Games (2012)
  2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
  3. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)
  4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
  5. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

Jurassic Park

Straight release order tells one continuous story across three decades.

  1. Jurassic Park (1993)
  2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
  3. Jurassic Park III (2001)
  4. Jurassic World (2015)
  5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
  6. Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
  7. Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025)

Alien

Release order is the classic way. Chronologically the prequels Prometheus and Covenant come first, then the original run.

  1. Alien (1979)
  2. Aliens (1986)
  3. Alien 3 (1992)
  4. Alien Resurrection (1997)
  5. Prometheus (2012)
  6. Alien: Covenant (2017)
  7. Alien: Romulus (2024)

Predator

Release order works. Prey (2022) is a prequel set in 1719, so it is the earliest chronologically.

  1. Predator (1987)
  2. Predator 2 (1990)
  3. Predators (2010)
  4. The Predator (2018)
  5. Prey (2022)

Terminator

Timelines get tangled. Many fans treat only The Terminator and T2 as essential, with Dark Fate as the direct sequel.

  1. The Terminator (1984)
  2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
  3. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
  4. Terminator Salvation (2009)
  5. Terminator Genisys (2015)
  6. Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Rocky / Creed

One long saga in release order, following Rocky and then Adonis Creed.

  1. Rocky (1976)
  2. Rocky II (1979)
  3. Rocky III (1982)
  4. Rocky IV (1985)
  5. Rocky V (1990)
  6. Rocky Balboa (2006)
  7. Creed (2015)
  8. Creed II (2018)
  9. Creed III (2023)

Pirates of the Caribbean

Straight release order, one continuous adventure.

  1. The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
  2. Dead Man's Chest (2006)
  3. At World's End (2007)
  4. On Stranger Tides (2011)
  5. Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

Planet of the Apes (reboot)

The modern reboot series in release order; each follows on from the last.

  1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
  2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
  3. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
  4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Godzilla (MonsterVerse)

Release order works. Kong: Skull Island is set in 1973, so it is the earliest chronologically.

  1. Godzilla (2014)
  2. Kong: Skull Island (2017)
  3. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
  4. Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
  5. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

The Conjuring Universe

Release order is easiest. There is also a story timeline, but the films jump around, so watching as released avoids confusion.

  1. The Conjuring (2013)
  2. Annabelle (2014)
  3. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
  4. Annabelle: Creation (2017)
  5. The Nun (2018)
  6. The Curse of La Llorona (2019)
  7. Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
  8. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
  9. The Nun II (2023)
  10. The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)

Indiana Jones

Release order is standard. Temple of Doom (1984) is actually a prequel set in 1935, before Raiders (1936).

  1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
  3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
  4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
  5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Mad Max

Release order works; each film mostly stands alone. Furiosa (2024) is a prequel to Fury Road.

  1. Mad Max (1979)
  2. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
  3. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
  4. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
  5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

The Matrix

Straight release order, one continuous story.

  1. The Matrix (1999)
  2. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
  3. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
  4. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

Toy Story

Simple release order, each film follows the last.

  1. Toy Story (1995)
  2. Toy Story 2 (1999)
  3. Toy Story 3 (2010)
  4. Toy Story 4 (2019)

Shrek

Release order. The Puss in Boots spin-offs sit alongside the main four films.

  1. Shrek (2001)
  2. Shrek 2 (2004)
  3. Shrek the Third (2007)
  4. Shrek Forever After (2010)
  5. Puss in Boots (2011)
  6. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Despicable Me / Minions

Release order is fine. Chronologically the two Minions films are prequels set in the 1960s and 70s.

  1. Despicable Me (2010)
  2. Despicable Me 2 (2013)
  3. Minions (2015)
  4. Despicable Me 3 (2017)
  5. Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
  6. Despicable Me 4 (2024)
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