In the early 2000s, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean introduced moviegoers to one of the decade’s most iconic film characters: Johhny Depp’s quick-witted pirate lord, Captain Jack Sparrow. On the back of Depp’s performances, the quintet of swashbuckling adventures earned $4.5 billion USD at the worldwide box office — good for a spot among the most-lucrative film franchises of all time.
Ahead of the planned Pirates of the Caribbean 6, we’ve created a guide to help you navigate the series’ story for all of the movies. Scroll down to find out how to watch the Pirates of the Caribbean films in order, by narrative chronologically or release date.
Jump to:
- How to watch in chronological order
- How to watch by release order
How Many Pirates of the Caribbean Movies Are There?
There are five feature-length Pirates of the Caribbean movies and one short film. Two future Pirates movies are currently planned: the franchise’s sixth mainline film and a female-led movie starring Margot Robbie. Though Margot Robbie has said that it her film might not be happening.
Several other Pirates stories have been told through novels, comics, and video games. However, this list exclusively covers the film series.
Pirates of the Caribbean in Chronological Order
These blurbs contain mild spoilers, including characters, settings, and broad plot points.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code – Wedlocked (2011)
Released between the fourth and fifth movies as part of a Pirates Blu-ray/DVD box set, Tales of the Code – Wedlocked is a short film set before The Curse of the Black Pearl. Vanessa Branch and Lauren Maher reprise their roles as Giselle and Scarlett for the short, which centers around the two women both believing themselves to be betrothed to Jack Sparrow. Alas, they were fooled, and the duo becomes the object of a rowdy auction.
It's not essential to the wider chronology, though if you're looking for the complete Pirates experience, it's an easy watch with a 10-minute runtime.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
From this point on, the release date and narrative chronologies of the Pirates movies align. The Curse of the Black Pearl, the series’ first movie, takes viewers back to the early 18th century during the Golden Age of Piracy. The debut film introduces us to the series' main characters: Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush).
A young Will Turner is rescued from a shipwreck with a gold medallion around his neck. The medallion is linked to a curse that afflicts the pirate crew of Jack Sparrow's former ship, the Black Pearl, with tortured immortality. The crew is now led by the mutinous Captain Barbossa.
Will and Jack set aside their differences to rescue Elizabeth Swann, who was taken by Barbossa along with the medallion. Jack’s allegiance flip-flops and then flips again. The trio survives the encounter and ultimately lifts the curse, though the movie ends with Jack wanted for piracy.
Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl review.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
Jack, Will, and Elizabeth return for another seafaring adventure in Dead Man’s Chest. The series’ second movie introduces Naomie Harris’s priestess Tia Dalma, Stellan Skarsgard’s Bill Turner (Will’s father), Tom Hollander’s Cutler Beckett, and Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman ghost ship.
Jack, Will, Elizabeth, and James Norrington (Jack Davenport) all, with different motivations, set out to find the Dead Man’s Chest and Davy Jones’s heart within: Will seeks freedom from the law and for his father; Elizabeth seeks freedom for herself and Will; Jack seeks to escape his debt to Davy Jones; and James seeks to have his status as a navy officer restored.
Swashbuckling and backstabbing once again ensue, and only one escapes with Davy Jones’s heart, granting them control of Jones and therefore the seas. As for Captain Jack, he ends Dead Man’s Chest dragged to the depths of the sea by the Kraken. Tia Dalma, meanwhile, resurrects a familiar foe from Black Pearl to lead the rescue mission for Jack.
Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest review.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
The third Pirates movie is an action-packed adventure that pits the franchise’s heroes against Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman, now controlled by Cutler Beckett. The heroes first team up to rescue Jack from Davy Jones’s Locker and recover the Black Pearl. After doing so, the crew’s varying motivations lead to the usual plotting and backstabbing. Along the way, we discover Tia’s true identity and meet Jack’s father, the pirate captain Edward Teague (Keith Richards).
By the end, Elizabeth comes into power, Will and Jack defeat Davy Jones, and a new captain takes control of the Flying Dutchman. A pregnant Elizabeth and Will part ways, while Jack and the revived Hector Barbossa set out separately to discover the Fountain of Youth.
Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End review.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
On Stranger Tides is the first Pirates film without Will/Orlando Bloom and Elizabeth/Keira Knightley. Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz stepped into the vacant supporting roles as the father-daughter duo Angelica and Blackbeard — the former being an ex-lover of Jack Sparrow.
The film’s overarching plot is a race to discover the Fountain of Youth between the English, Spanish, and multiple pirate crews. A treasure hunt involving secret maps, Mermaid tears, and the ship of renowned Spanish explorer Ponce de León ultimately leads each party to the Fountain. Barbossa settles an old score with Blackbeard and Jack uses the last of the Fountain’s power to save an ally.
Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides review.
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
The most recent Pirates film sees the return of Jack and Barbossa alongside Henry Turner (the now-grown son of Elizabeth and Will, played by Brenton Thwaites) and a new antagonist in Javier Bardem’s undead pirate-hunter Armando Salazar. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley reprise their respective roles as Will and Elizabeth for cameo appearances.
Dead Men Tell No Tales features another treasure hunt, the object of which is the Trident of Poseidon. Henry seeks the Trident to free his father from a curse and teams up with Jack and newcomer Carina (Kaya Scodelario) to do so. The trio, eventually with the help of Barbossa, must overcome Salazar’s opposition. One of these four heroes dies along the way. Jack takes his rightful place back aboard the Black Pearl and the other surviving heroes enjoy a family reunion.
A post-credits scene then sets up the return of Davy Jones.
Read IGN’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales review.
How to Watch the Pirates of the Caribbean Movies By Release Date
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code – Wedlocked (2011 – short film)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Future Pirates of the Caribbean Movies
There are two future Pirates of the Caribbean movies in the works. Up next will be the franchise’s sixth mainline movie. The film will be a proper reboot as well, rather than a continuation of Dead Men Tell No Tales. Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production president Sean Bailey explained that they have "a really good, exciting story that honors the films that have come before but also has something new to say." And in regards to Johnny Depp's return to the franchise, Bailey also mentioned that he's "noncommittal at this point" about getting Depp back into the role of Captain Jack Sparrow.
Following that film, Disney had lined up a female-led feature starring Margot Robbie that might have been cancelled. Little else is known about the project; here’s the latest from franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer: “I think that that script will come forward at a certain point. We developed two different stories for Pirates and [Pirates 6 is] going forward first, so that’s what we’re working on, to try to get that one made.”
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
