John Wick Movies in Order: Release and Chronological

The John Wick movies in order of release are four main films and one spinoff, running from John Wick (2014) to Ballerina (2025). Release order is the way audiences first met the story, and it is the easiest list to follow because only one film, Ballerina, arrived out of story sequence.

1. John Wick (2014), directed by Chad Stahelski
2. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), directed by Chad Stahelski
3. John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019), directed by Chad Stahelski
4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), directed by Chad Stahelski
5. Ballerina (2025), directed by Len Wiseman, a spinoff

The four main films grow with each outing, and the runtimes show it: 101 minutes for the first film, 122 for Chapter 2, 131 for Chapter 3 and 170 for Chapter 4. Ballerina runs 125 minutes and, according to TheWrap, is the first feature length spinoff in the series. If you want the full list with cast and box office for each entry, the John Wick movies hub and the how many John Wick movies page lay it out.

The Continental: From the World of John Wick is not a film, so it has no number here. It is a three part prequel miniseries that streamed on Peacock in the US, premiering on September 22, 2023, which puts it between Chapter 4 and Ballerina in release terms. Each part ran at feature length, and the story is set in New York City in 1975.

There is one more entry to come. Lionsgate announced at CinemaCon on April 1, 2025 that John Wick: Chapter 5 is in development with Keanu Reeves, Chad Stahelski and Thunder Road, and no release date has been given. The latest status is on the John Wick 5 page, and the film will join the end of this list when it arrives.

In my opinion, you should start with John Wick (2014) and watch in release order, because the two lists only disagree about Ballerina and The Continental. The first film is also the best introduction to the rules of this world: John is a retired hitman grieving his wife Helen, a puppy she arranged for him is killed by Iosef Tarasov, and that single act of cruelty sets the whole machine moving.

So, which list should you follow? It could be argued that release order wins for a first watch, since each main film builds on the one before it and the ending of one sets up the next. Chronological order is the better choice on a rewatch, when you already know Winston and Charon and want to see Ballerina land in the middle of Chapter 3 instead of after the full run.

Perhaps the trickier question is when to fit in the spinoff and the series. My pick is to leave Ballerina until after Chapter 4, the way it was released. It features the last appearance of Lance Reddick as Charon, according to TheWrap, and that farewell lands harder once you have spent four films with him. The Continental is the piece I would treat as optional: it is built around Winston and Charon, so it pays off most for viewers who already care about them.

If you are short on time, the four main films tell a complete story on their own, in my view, and Ballerina is the single extra worth adding. To see where each one is streaming in the US, UK and Australia, check where to watch John Wick, then press play on the first film tonight. If you would rather see how the films stack up before you commit, John Wick movies ranked gives my full ordering.