All 5 Pirates of the Caribbean Movies in Order: Chronological and Release Date

Whether you are a teenager or a middle-aged working person, you must be aware of Captain Jack Sparrow’s exploits. Released in the early 2000s, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean enthralled moviegoers with a genre of fiction no one was even aware of and managed to turn it into one of the most successful franchises to have ever been made, earning a revenue of more than over $4.5 billion. Now that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is confirmed, you might want to catch up on the story so far and here, I bring you a list of all Pirates of the Caribbean movies in order.

How Many Pirates of the Caribbean Movies Are There?

There are 5 Pirates of the Caribbean movies in total. The first movie was released in 2003 and the most recent addition to the franchise came in 2017 with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. It has been 8 years since we had the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie and the upcoming movie has no official release date as of now. Now, let’s look at the correct order of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Pirates of the Caribbean Movies in Chronological Order 

Pirates of the Caribbean has an interesting storyline across its five different movies. If you want to follow the storyline of Jack Sparrow, here is how you should watch Pirates of the Caribbean movies in order.

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

• Release Date– July 9, 2003
• IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes- 8.1/ 79%

The legendary run of Pirates of the Caribbean began with The Curse of the Black Pearl. This movie introduced us to the charismatic Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) with a questionable morality. We are also introduced to other recurring characters in the franchise like Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).

We see Sparrow’s crew rescue Will with a golden medallion around his neck related to the curse put on Jack Sparrow’s original ship, The Black Pearl, which makes the crew immortal. However, the ship is under the command of a villainous pirate, Captain Barbossa. When Barbossa abducts Elizabeth along with the golden medallion, Will and Sparrow form an uneasy alliance to rescue Elizabeth and lift Black Pearl’s curse. Thus, restoring Jack Sparrow’s command in exchange for his soul turning Jack Sparrow into the Pirate Lord of The Caribbean.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

• Release Date– June 24, 2006
• IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes– 7.4/ 53%

The second movie in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest takes us once again to the spoils of Captain Jack Sparrow and introduces a couple of new characters as well. We are introduced to the priestess Tia Dalma played by Naomie Harris, Will’s father Bill Turner played by Stellan Skarsgard, and Cutler Beckett played by Tom Hollander. We also encounter a new villain in the face of Davey Jones played by Bill Nighy.

In this movie, we see that Will and Elizabeth are getting married to each other. However, before they can tie the knot, they are captured by Lord Cutler Beckett, a twisted government official under the allegations of assisting Captain Jack Sparrow. Cutler makes a deal and sends Will to retrieve Jack’s compass in exchange for Elizabeth’s life. Meanwhile, Jack Sparrow is being hunted by Davey Jones to settle a debt he owes Jones with his soul. This movie is also the one that introduces the Flying Dutchman in the franchise.

All of the characters in the movie are looking for a chest that contains Davey Jones’s heart for their agendas. So obviously, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest features a lot of back-stabbing and plotting which also makes this movie one of the most entertaining in the franchise.

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)

• Release Date– May 25, 2007
• IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes– 7.1/ 43%

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End shows us that after Jack Sparrow gets locked in Davey Jones’ locker, a new threat emerges as the British East India Trading Company sets out on a mission to eliminate all pirates once and for all. This forces Elizabeth, Will, and Captain Barbossa to form an uneasy alliance and free Jack Sparrow to fight back. On the other hand, since Lord Cutler Beckett has Davey Jones’ heart in his possession, he is working for the Company as well.

Once they free Jack, they have to convince all the pirate lords at the Brethren Court so that all of them can end Beckett’s tyranny once and for all. This movie features some of the most enthralling naval battles so you should not miss out on this one if you are watching Pirates of the Caribbean movies in order.

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

• Release Date– May 7, 2011
• IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes– 6.6/ 32%

On Stranger Tides once again takes us on a treasure hunt but this time around, Captain Jack Sparrow has been abducted by his former lover Angelica played by Penélope Cruz. She has taken Jack to assist her in finding the “Fountain of Youth” so she could lift a curse put on her father, Captain Blackbeard (Ian McShane). On the other hand, Captain Hector Barbossa is hired by King George to lead an armada of British ships to find the same Fountain of Youth.

So now, Jack Sparrow, The Brits under Barbossa, and also the Spanish are looking for the same treasure leading to an intriguing race against time with the usual bloodshed and Sparrow’s uncanny humor. Also, this is the only movie in the franchise that does not feature Will and Elizabeth.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

• Release Date– May 26, 2017
• IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes– 6.5/ 30%

The last movie in the franchise so far, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales increases the stakes for Captain Jack Sparrow. This time around, an age-old nemesis of Sparrow, undead Captain Armando Salazar escapes the Devil’s Triangle with his crew and is hell-bent on wiping out all the pirates with Jack Sparrow at the top of his hit list. On the other hand, Henry (Brenton Thwaites), the son of Will and Elizabeth approaches Jack to help him find Poseidon’s Trident so he can lift his father’s curse.

Anyone who wields the trident can control all of the sea which allows Jack to fight back and win against Salazar. The duo then teams up with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) an astronomer and “horologist” (IFYKYK) to help them find the trident. The three heroes then once again ally with Captain Barbossa who turns out to be the father of Carina to fight against Salazar. Redeeming himself, Barbossa sacrifices his life to save Carina from Armando Salazar.

Pirates of the Caribbean Movies in Release Date Order 

Below you can find a list of Pirates of the Caribbean Movies in their release date order.

• 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: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

As of now, it is unclear if Johnny Depp will reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow or not in Pirates of the Caribbean 6. He was dropped by Disney after his ex-wife Amber Heard pressed Domestic Violence charges but now that the case has been disposed of, there are chances that he might reappear. Whatever the case may be, let’s wait and see what happens, and stay tuned with us for further updates!