The Final Destination movies are five installments strong (with a sixth on the way), and audiences can watch the films in a few different ways. Though each installment of the horror series works as a stand-alone film, there are benefits to observing their respective stories together. This way, the mysterious powers of Death, from its gruesome ironies to its seemingly unavoidable structure, begin to make a little more sense. The order in which the Final Destination movies are watched changes this experience.

Final Destination started in 2000, with the first installment following a group of teens who escaped a plane explosion thanks to a premonition that warned them of their fate. Of course, they weren't actually safe. Death came for them one at a time, in the exact order that they would have died while on the plane. The subsequent Final Destination movies continued this premise, and the franchise, which will continue with the Final Destination 6, explores a horrific game of surviving the inevitable.

How To Watch Final Destination Movies In Chronological Order

The Fifth Movie Was The First Chronologically

Though it may seem a little backward, Final Destination 5 is the chronological beginning of the series. Released in 2011, the film is set in 2000 and leaves off almost precisely where the first Final Destination movie picks up. However, until the very end, it's unclear whether the fifth installment of the series is a prequel, so the film itself doesn't provide any critical context necessary or beneficial for the following movies.

The end of Final Destination 5 has the characters die on the plane from the first movie.

Still, by watching the Final Destination movies chronologically, audiences experience the story as if it is happening. Overall, this adds to the illusion and immersion of the horror franchise. After Final Destination 5, the series chronology continues in the order they were released.

Each Final Destination movie starts with its own unique premonition and catastrophic event, with its own set of characters that must avoid Death's slow design. So, each could realistically be watched on their own or in any random order and still be thoroughly enjoyed for the thrilling ride. However, there are several subtle connections from film to film, so audiences who enjoy hunting for such details will find more benefit in watching them in order.

How To Watch The Final Destination Movies In Release Date Order

The Movies Were Released From 2000 To 2011

The order of the Final Destination movies by release date is how most viewers originally saw it and this is the route for the movie completionist. Watching in this order makes it easier to observe how the nuanced rules of Death evolved from the first installment to the last. New rules surrounding Death's order are suggested, tested, confirmed, or disproved throughout the five Final Destination movies.

Then, the next film (even if not the next chronologically) tests these new rules further, sometimes revealing that things were never really as they seemed. In any other order, these details are lost.

Why The Final Destination Movies Are Not In Chronological Order

The Fifth Movie Played With Time

The Final Destination franchise plays around with the concepts of fate and destiny, leaving the door open to some interesting twists regarding time. Final Destination 5 was set up like any other sequel, but subtle connections to the original film were scattered throughout as the story continued. It's only at the very end of the franchise's fifth installment that it becomes clear that the entire film had been set just before Final Destination.

The film's two surviving characters get onto a plane, notice a disturbance as a group of teens hurries to get off the plane, and realize too late that they are on a doomed flight — the same one from the beginning of the first movie. Final Destination 5 secretly being a prequel was perfectly pulled off. It was easy to miss that the entirety of the film, which was assumed to be set around 2011, lacked any of the technology or style of the age.

Moving forward into Final Destination 6, it's impossible to tell where the film will be set chronologically.

This was a subtle hint that the characters lived in a world ten years younger. Ultimately, this twist proved that, even after several sequels, the Final Destination franchise still had surprises up its sleeves. Moving forward into Final Destination 6, it's impossible to tell where the film will be set chronologically, which makes it all the more interesting.

What Is The Best Way To Watch The Final Destination Movies?

Watching Them In Release Order Allows Surprises

Since the Final Destination movies' chronological and release-date viewing orders are so similar, whichever audiences choose comes down to personal preference. On one hand, watching the films chronologically offers a seamless story, with the deaths and survivals of one (and the lessons about the rules of Death in Final Destination that go along with them) leading fluidly into the next.

Since the actual underscored fact of Final Destination 5 is that even the survivors aren't safe, it may be interesting to watch the series with this in mind from the beginning. Still, watching the Final Destination movies in the order they were released keeps the art intact and ensures that all the reveals happen precisely at the point the creators had meant them. Additionally, with a decade spanning from the first to the fifth film, there's more to observe in the way of developing technology this way.

With each film, the brutal deaths and the ironic circumstances that caused them are taken to the next level, so starting with Final Destination 5 and jumping back to Final Destination could be a bit of a letdown instead of a steady built-in spectacle. Overall, for first-time Final Destination audiences, the best experience may be to watch the film series in the order they were released.

The fact that Final Destination 5 wasn't given a title that reveals it's a prequel indicates that this is how the creators preferred it. As for Final Destination 6, it's difficult to say where it will fall in the lineup. However, after a release-order Final Destination binge, audiences will be ready for the next installment of the exciting horror franchise where brutal fate is the ultimate antagonist.

Final Destination 5's Timeline Twist Changed The Franchise

The Timeline Has Changed

The last scene in Final Destination 5 shows that anything could happen in the Final Destination: Bloodlines. When Sam and Molly get onto the plane for Paris and realize that the plane is doomed to crash thanks to the arguing teens and the premonitions from the first movie, it shows that the franchise is going outside the timeline for the first time. It also does something unique for the series as it shows one group of survivors meeting their fate at the exact moment another group is escaping their fate.

No one escapes their fate in the end, but it is interesting to see one group closing off their stories at the exact moment the next starts theirs. This is a new concept the franchise could explore. If something happened to start this chain of events, the series could eventually go back and show the first time that people escaped death and the events that started rolling with Death having to pick off its victims one by one in what seems to have become a never-ending cycle.

The new movie is said to be a little different from the formula of the other five movies. However, Tony Todd signed on to return as William Bludworth, the one man who understands the rules of Death and possibly the Grim Reaper himself. With the new movie straying outside the formula, the twist of the fifth movie of going back in time opens up countless possibilities for the franchise, including finally showing why these deaths in the Final Destination movies have to happen.

The Future Of The Final Destination Franchise

The Franchise Is Heading In A New Direction

It has been over a decade since the last installment of the franchise, but Final Destination will be returning with a new movie in the works. Final Destination 6, officially titled Final Destination: Bloodlines, has been in the works for years with different approaches to bringing back the popular horror franchise. Now set for release in 2025, the movie will be directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky. The latest installment will be a welcome return for fans, but it also promises to be something very different.

As the Final Destination movies are only loosely connected, it is difficult to suggest Final Destinations: Bloodlines will be a reboot, but it will take a fresh approach to the story. Jeff Reddick, the creator of the series, spoke about the new take for the sixth Final Destination movie, saying:

I will say it’s not just going to be another kind of, you know, “we set up a group of people, they cheat death, and then just death gets them,” and there’s just one wrinkle that we kind of add every movie to kind of like change it up a little bit… It’s a true Final Destination movie, but it doesn’t follow that kind of formula that we’ve kind of established.

As well-received as Final Destination 5 was by fans, it does feel like it is time for the franchise to try something new and not just repeat itself again. The movie is said to follow a group of first responders which gives some hint to what the story could entail. In a franchise about paying the price for cheating death, having the main characters be a group of people who literally bring people back from the brink of it could be seen as enemies of Death.

While there are plenty of fans who tune into the Final Destination movies for the kills, there is a lot of potential in taking the series in a new direction and it could launch a new stage in the franchise's run.