What is the best order to watch the Final Destination movies?

Since 2000, the Final Destination movies have been carving out a niche in horror, by dispatching teens through a series of elaborate and gruesome ‘accidents’. The movies see a succession of youngsters killed off in supposedly chance encounters, in the ultimate game of survival.

Sounds horrid, right? Well, maybe, but audiences have lapped up the films, resulting in a successful run of movies. And with each new entry comes new ways to die, including a stadium disaster and… er… a rather unfortunate incident involving sunbeds.

But how many Final Destination movies are there and in what order do you watch them? Well, if you are a fan of the series you probably know the answer, but if you are watching them for the first time, this post should prove very useful.

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The Final Destination movies

Final Destination (2000)

In Final Destination, high school student Alex Browning and a group of his classmates board Volée Airlines Flight 180, on a field trip to Paris. Moments before takeoff, Alex has a premonition in which the plane explodes and kills everyone.

After snapping back to reality, Alex causes a scene and gets himself and a few of his fellow passengers kicked off the flight. Alex then returns to the airport lounge where he watches in horror as the plane takes off and explodes midair, proving his premonition was correct.

A short while later, the survivors of Flight 180 start dying in a series of bizarre accidents. This causes Alex to believe Death has come to claim everyone who should have died in the explosion. (98 mins)

Final Destination 2 (2003)

Final Destination was both a critical and commercial hit and regardless of who survived the events of the first movie, a sequel hit cinema screens in 2003. This time around the story centred on a traffic pile up which resulted in further dices with Death.

Picking up a year after the events of Final Destination, Final Destination 2 sees college student Kimberly Corman on her way to Daytona Beach with her friends to celebrate spring break. A short way into the journey, Kimberly has a premonition of a brutal car accident on Route 23, which kills everyone involved.

After snapping out of the premonition, Kimberly stops her car, preventing various drivers from entering the highway. The accident then plays out in a similar fashion to Kimberly’s premonition, but with various people being saved.

A few days later, the survivors begin to die under suspicious circumstances. This prompts Kimberly to team up with Clear Rivers, the only remaining survivor of Flight 180, to keep everyone else alive. (90 mins)

Final Destination 3 (2006)

In Final Destination 3, high school student Wendy Christensen is at an amusement park with her friends when she has a premonition. Her vision depicts a deadly incident on the Devil’s Flight rollercoaster, which ends in tragedy.

After leaving the ride, the accident takes place as predicted. Wendy and multiple survivors then find themselves becoming the victims of unusual accidents. (93 mins)

The Final Destination (2009)

In the fourth instalment in the series, titled The Final Destination (which actually wasn’t THE Final Destination), college student Nick O’Bannon has a premonition involving a huge tragedy at the McKinley Speedway. After escaping the incident, Nick and his friends find themselves being picked off one by one. (82 mins)

Final Destination 5 (2011)

For the fifth entry, Final Destination 5, Sam Lawton is off to a corporate retreat with his colleagues, when he has a premonition of an accident involving the North Bay Bridge. After convincing several co-workers to get off the bridge, he manages to save some lives before the events of the premonition play out for real. (92 mins)

The Final Destination movies in production order

To date, these are all of the Final Destination movies. Should you wish to watch them in production order then simply follow this list:

• Final Destination (2000)
• Final Destination 2 (2003)
• Final Destination 3 (2006)
• The Final Destination (2009)
• Final Destination 5 (2011)

But you should know that production order isn’t the only way to view the Final Destination films. You can also choose to watch them in timeline order.

Final Destination timeline order

While Final Destination 5 was titled as the fifth entry in the series, there was actually a little trickery with the film. And this trickery impacts the timeline.

Hinted at during the course of the movie, but not specifically stated until the very end of the film, Final Destination 5 was actually a surprise prequel to Final Destination. The film wasn’t advertised as a prequel, audiences simply had to discover this for themselves when they watched the movie.

So, if you want to watch the movies in order of their timeline, technically you should start with Final Destination 5, which leads up to the events of Final Destination. This order is as follows:

• Final Destination 5 (2011)
• Final Destination (2000)
• Final Destination 2 (2003)
• Final Destination 3 (2006)
• The Final Destination (2009)

So, what is the best order to watch the Final Destination films? Production order or timeline order?

In all honesty it doesn’t make that much of a difference if you watch them in production order or timeline order, just make sure you watch them! The Final Destination films are inventive horror movies that offer plenty of thrills and a large dose of kills.

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Who are the cast of the Final Destination movies and are the films the work of the same director?

Notable actors in the Final Destination movie series include Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Seann William Scott, Tony Todd, Brendan Fehr, Daniel Roebuck, Michael Landes, Jonathan Cherry, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Patrick Gallagher, Bobby Campo, Hayley Webb, Nick Zano, Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell, Courtney B. Vance, and David Koechner. 

In terms of the directors, the Final Destination movies are the work of the following:

• James Wong directed Final Destination and Final Destination 3
• David R. Ellis directed Final Destination 2 and The Final Destination 
• Steven Quale directed Final Destination 5

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What is the best Final Destination movie?

According to IMDb, the Final Destination movies are rated as follows:

• Final Destination (2000) – 6.7/10
• Final Destination 2 (2003) – 6.2/10
• Final Destination 3 (2006) – 5.8/10
• The Final Destination (2009) – 5.1/10
• Final Destination 5 (2011) – 5.9/10

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If you’re a fan of the Final Destination movies, or you want to dive into them head first, you may wish to know that all five films are currently available on DVD, digital, and as part of a Blu-ray boxset.

The Final Destination 5-Film Collection Blu-ray box set contains all of the movies from 2000’s Final Destination through to 2011’s Final Destination 5 and is available from all good entertainment retailers, including Amazon US.

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Disclaimer: I earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

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Editor/writer/Final Destination survivor

Alex Wiggan

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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about the Final Destination movie series. For more movie posts, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.