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Still from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Watch order · by Marcus Reyes

Indiana Jones Movies in Order: Release Order and Chronological Order

Indiana Jones movies in order of release run from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) through Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989) and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) to Dial of Destiny (2023). In story order, Temple of Doom moves to the front because it is set in 1935, a year before Raiders in 1936, while the other four films hold their places.

Image: TMDB

Indiana Jones Movies in Order of Release

  1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) theatrical posterRaiders of the Lost Ark (1981)Directed by Steven Spielberg
  2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) theatrical posterIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)Directed by Steven Spielberg
  3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) theatrical posterIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)Directed by Steven Spielberg
  4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) theatrical posterIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)Directed by Steven Spielberg
  5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) theatrical posterIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)Directed by James Mangold

Indiana Jones Movies in Chronological Order

  1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) theatrical posterIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)Released as film 2
  2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) theatrical posterRaiders of the Lost Ark (1981)Released as film 1
  3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) theatrical posterIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)Directed by Steven Spielberg
  4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) theatrical posterIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)Directed by Steven Spielberg
  5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) theatrical posterIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)Directed by James Mangold

About the Release Order

The five Indiana Jones movies in order of release are Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023. That is the order the studio put them in front of audiences, and it is the order most people use for a first watch. Each film below lists its US release date, director and runtime:

  1. Raiders of the Lost Ark, June 12, 1981, directed by Steven Spielberg, 115 minutes
  2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, May 23, 1984, directed by Steven Spielberg, 118 minutes
  3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, May 24, 1989, directed by Steven Spielberg, 127 minutes
  4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, May 22, 2008, directed by Steven Spielberg, 122 minutes
  5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, June 30, 2023, directed by James Mangold, 155 minutes

Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones in all five, and Spielberg directed the first four before Mangold took over for Dial of Destiny. The gaps are long enough to matter when you watch back to back: three years separate the first two films, five years separate the second and third, then 19 years pass before Crystal Skull and another 15 before Dial of Destiny. For the full cast across all five, see the Indiana Jones cast page.

Is there a fifth Indiana Jones movie? Yes, and Dial of Destiny is it. Lucasfilm and Disney have not announced, dated or put into production a sixth film. For news on one, see Indiana Jones 6. For the whole franchise, start with the Indiana Jones movies hub, or see how many Indiana Jones movies are there.

About the Chronological Order

Indiana Jones movies in chronological order start with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which is set in 1935, a year before Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1936. The other four keep their release positions, so the story order runs like this:

  1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1935)
  2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1936)
  3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1938, with a prologue in 1912)
  4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (1957)
  5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (opens in 1944, then moves to 1969)

Temple of Doom is a prequel to Raiders, and Lucasfilm notes the film was originally titled Temple of Death. It opens in a Shanghai nightclub, where Indy makes a deal with the crime boss Lao Che that turns into a poisoning attempt and a wild chase. He escapes with the singer Willie Scott and his young sidekick Short Round, but the plane they board secretly belongs to Lao Che. The pilots bail out, and the trio rides a rubber raft down a mountain and into a river in India. Raiders then picks up in 1936 with the booby trapped temple in Peru, the golden idol and the rivalry with René Belloq, before the Nazi hunt for the Ark of the Covenant.

The Last Crusade splits its time. A 1912 prologue shows a young Indy, played by River Phoenix, taking a valuable cross from treasure hunters and earning his fedora. The main story in 1938 sends the adult Indy after his missing father, Henry Jones Sr., with Marcus Brody and Dr. Elsa Schneider in Venice. Crystal Skull jumps to 1957, when Soviet agents led by Colonel Irina Spalko kidnap Indy in the Nevada desert, and Mutt Williams later asks for his help. Dial of Destiny opens in 1944 on a Nazi train, then lands in 1969, where an aging Indy teaches at Hunter College and his goddaughter Helena Shaw arrives looking for the dial.

Does story order change who you meet and when? Slightly. Marion Ravenwood appears in Raiders, Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny but not in Temple of Doom, and Sallah appears in Raiders, The Last Crusade and Dial of Destiny. Willie Scott and Short Round appear only in Temple of Doom, so putting that film first means the first companions you meet are the ones who never return. For a year by year account, read the Indiana Jones timeline. For each character's appearances, see Indiana Jones characters.

Where to Start: Do You Need to Watch Indiana Jones in Order?

No, you do not need to watch Indiana Jones in order, because each film is a self contained adventure with its own artifact and its own villains, but my pick for a first watch is release order, starting with Raiders of the Lost Ark. In my opinion, that order gives you the cast in the sequence the filmmakers introduced them: Marion Ravenwood, Sallah, Marcus Brody and the rival René Belloq all arrive in the first film. Temple of Doom then plays as a deliberate change of tone, with new companions in Willie Scott and Short Round, and The Last Crusade brings back supporting players from Raiders alongside Sean Connery as Henry Jones.

That being said, the later films reward earlier viewing. Crystal Skull brings back Marion, and Dial of Destiny brings back both Marion and Sallah, so the more character history you carry in, the better those returns land. Perhaps the best use of chronological order is as a second pass, since the two lists differ only in the first two slots.

Why was Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a flop? Whether it deserves the word is a judgment, and the numbers are the evidence. The Numbers lists a production budget of $300 million, and Box Office Mojo reports $384 million worldwide, against $185 million in budget and $787 million worldwide for Crystal Skull. By that measure, Dial of Destiny returned the least against its cost of the five films, and in my opinion the size of the budget is the main reason it is discussed as a disappointment. Reasons beyond those numbers are a matter of opinion. For budgets and grosses across all five films side by side, see Indiana Jones box office.

A full run of the five films takes 637 minutes, about 10 hours and 37 minutes. All five films are on Disney Plus in the US as of November 3, 2026, according to JustWatch listings on TMDB. For the UK and Australia, see where to watch Indiana Jones. If you want opinions after the marathon, see Indiana Jones movies ranked. Start with Raiders, keep the release order beside you, and save the story order for a rewatch.

Facts

FAQs

What is the correct order to watch Indiana Jones movies?

Release order is Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). Chronological order puts Temple of Doom first, because it is set in 1935, a year before Raiders in 1936, and keeps the other four in the same positions.

Do I need to watch Indiana Jones in order?

No. Each of the five films is a self contained adventure with its own artifact and villains. The later films do bring back earlier characters, with Marion Ravenwood returning in Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny and Sallah returning in Dial of Destiny, so watching in order adds context.

What Indiana Jones movie comes first?

Raiders of the Lost Ark comes first in release order, opening in the US on June 12, 1981. In story order, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom comes first, set in 1935, one year before Raiders.

Is there a fifth Indiana Jones movie?

Yes. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), directed by James Mangold, is the fifth film. Lucasfilm and Disney have not announced, dated or put into production a sixth.

Why was Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a flop?

It earned $384 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, against a $300 million production budget listed by The Numbers, the weakest return against cost of the five films. Crystal Skull, by comparison, earned $787 million worldwide on a $185 million budget.

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