The Big Picture

  • Pirates of the Caribbean is a successful film franchise inspired by a Disneyland ride, with visually stunning effects and captivating performances.
  • The movies follow the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann as they navigate dangerous quests and battles with enemies and rival pirates.
  • The movies span an extensive storyline set primarily during the Golden Age of Piracy, but the franchise goes beyond Will and Elizabeth's story and includes short films as well.

Movies are inspired by a lot of things. But Pirates of the Caribbean is one of those rare works of art that is inspired by an amusement park ride. Based on a Disneyland ride of the same name, the first movie was released in 2003 and became an instant hit. 18 years and five movies later, Pirates of the Caribbean remains one of the greatest fantasy swashbuckler film franchises made in modern times.

The film series has five original movies and one short film, and together, they serve as a major part of the Pirates of the Caribbean media franchise, with each movie a box office hit, grossing over $650 million, and collectively over $5 billion in total. And if you are wondering about critical reception and response, almost all Pirates of the Caribbean movies had positive ratings. Fans and critics highly praise the visual effects, a memorable background score by Hans Zimmer, and most importantly, the performances by the cast. Talking about the cast, although each installment of the series is a new story with new characters, some of the main characters from the first movie reprise their roles in all the sequels.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Pirates of the Caribbean series stars Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Geoffrey Rush as Hector Barbossa, and Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs, in recurring roles. Apart from these characters, the movies also feature Orlando Bloom as William “Will” Turner, Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann, and Bill Nighy as Davy Jones, who appears in three or four of the movies. Among all these names, Jack Sparrow remains the most iconic and loveable character, with his disheveled look, a mix of a witty and salty sense of humor, undying love for rum, and the strangest way of attracting trouble. Despite the controversy surrounding the actor, Jack is undeniably the most important character of the franchise.

While it's unclear where the future of the franchise will lead, with multiple spinoffs and sequels having come and gone, it's still worth revisiting the high seas for the existing films in the franchise. We made a quick guide about the order in which you can watch them. From The Curse of the Black Pearl to Dead Men Tell No Tales, here’s how you can watch the five Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the short film, in order of chronology and their release dates.

Pirates of the Caribbean Movies in Order of Release Date

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

July 9, 2003

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

July 7, 2006

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

May 25, 2007

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

May 20, 2011

Tales of the Code: Wedlocked

2011

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

May 26, 2017

Pirates of the Caribbean Movies in Chronological Order

The stories of all Pirates of the Caribbean movies are set in the Golden Age of Piracy, in and around the Caribbean islands, but of course with a fictionalized background. The core plot follows and features Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann on dangerous but alluring adventures and treasure hunts across oceans. On their journeys, they are challenged and threatened by Jack’s enemies and rival pirates, hunted down by the Royal Navy of England, and often get in trouble with their own people.

Tales of the Code: Wedlocked (2011)

Though is not a part of the main movie series, the plot of this short film precedes the first installment of the series. This short film features Scarlett (Lauren Maher) and Giselle (Vanessa Branch), who fix a wedding for each other but soon realize that their grooms are one and the same man – Jack Sparrow. This story serves as a prequel to The Curse of the Black Pearl and explains why Jolly Mon, Jack Sparrow’s boat, is seen sinking in the first movie, why Scarlett and Giselle are mad at him, and how Cotton lost his tongue.

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

Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl Film Poster
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) arrives at Port Royal in the Caribbean without a ship or crew. His timing is inopportune, however, because later that evening the town is besieged by a pirate ship. The pirates kidnap the governor's daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who's in possession of a valuable coin that is linked to a curse that has transformed the pirates into the undead. A gallant blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) in love with Elizabeth allies with Sparrow in pursuit of the pirates.

Release Date
July 9, 2003
Director
Gore Verbinski
Runtime
143 minutes

The very first full-length feature in the franchise, The Curse of the Black Pearl introduces Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Hector Barbossa, and Elizabeth Swann. The plot follows blacksmith Will Turner, son of pirate "Bootstrap" Bill Turner, who teams up with the eccentric Jack Sparrow to rescue the love of his life, Elizabeth Swann. Elizabeth is captured by Hector Barbossa, Jack’s former first mate and now his enemy, who helms the cursed ship, Black Pearl, the crew of which becomes undead in the moonlight. Black Pearl was originally Jack’s ship which Barbossa stole along with some cursed gold coins and left him stranded on an island.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Poster
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

When ghostly pirate Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) comes to collect a blood debt, Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) must find a way to avoid his fate lest his soul be damned for all time. Nevertheless, the wily ghost manages to interrupt the wedding plans of Jack's friends Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).

Release Date
July 6, 2006
Director
Gore Verbinski
Runtime
150 minutes

The story of the second installment progresses in a linear order and takes off directly from the previous one. Will and Elizabeth have reunited at the end of the first movie and are about to get married. But the ceremony gets interrupted by Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Trading Company, who arrests Will and Elizabeth for abetting Jack Sparrow. Beckett offers Will a deal for pardon, only if Will searches Jack’s compass and finds the Dead Man’s Chest and the heart of Davy Jones, so Beckett can have complete control of the seas. Jack, on the other hand, has a debt to Jones, which involves Jack serving on Jones’ ship, the Flying Dutchman. So, he wants the chest to escape his debt and Will’s deal makes things complicated for him.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

pirates-of-the-caribbean-at-worlds-end
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) join forces with Capt. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to free Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from Davy Jones' locker. Meanwhile, the crew of the Flying Dutchman ghost ship wreaks havoc on the Seven Seas. The friends must navigate dangerous waters to confront Chinese pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) and, ultimately, they must choose sides in a battle wherein the pirate life hangs in the balance.

Release Date
May 19, 2007
Director
Gore Verbinski
Runtime
169 minutes

In this third movie of the series, Will, Elizabeth, Barbossa, and his crew return to rescue Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker. By now, Lord Beckett has complete power over Davy Jones and is in the process of eliminating piracy. Jack has to be rescued, so he can stop Beckett. But he can only do that by unleashing an ancient goddess. Directed Gore Verbinski, At World’s End, also stars Stellan Skarsgård, Chow Yun-fat, Geoffrey Rush, Jack Davenport, Kevin R. McNally, and Jonathan Pryce in major roles.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

pirates-of-the-caribbean-on-stranger-tides-movie-poster-02
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The checkered past of Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) catches up to him when he encounters Angelica (Penélope Cruz), a beautiful pirate that Jack once loved then left. Angelica forces him to accompany her to the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the notorious Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Accompanied by a zombie crew, the trio sets sail to find the legendary Fountain of Youth. However, Jack's rival, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), also seeks the fountain, as does a ship from Spain.

Release Date
May 14, 2011
Director
Rob Marshall
Runtime
137 minutes

This installment of the movie series is loosely based on the 1987 novel, On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. The plot follows Captain Jack Sparrow on yet another dangerous quest. Jack is forced to ally with the mysterious Angelica (Penélope Cruz), his former lover. Together they must search for the magical Fountain of Youth to save the soul of her father, the infamous Blackbeard (Ian McShane), while confronting Jack’s forever enemy, Barbossa, who is now in the Royal Navy and also hunting for the Fountain of Youth. On Stranger Tides does not include some characters, like Will, Elizabeth, or Davy Jones.

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

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Capt. Jack Sparrow feels the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost sailors led by his old nemesis, the evil Capt. Salazar, escape from the Devil's Triangle. Jack's only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it, he must forge an uneasy alliance with a brilliant and beautiful astronomer and a headstrong young man in the British navy.

Release Date
May 26, 2017
Runtime
129 minutes

The fifth and last installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Dead Men Tell No Tales takes off 13 years from At World’s End and focuses on Will’s son, Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites). As a child, Henry loses his father to a curse on the Flying Dutchman, and he learns that it can only be broken by the Trident of Poseidon. The mythical trident allows its owner to control the seas, its life, tides, curses et al. So, Henry tries to recruit Captain Jack Sparrow for the hunt, but Jack seems to keep eluding him. Meanwhile, Jack’s old nemesis, Captain Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem) is back from the dead to kill every pirate, especially Jack, and avenge his death. Barbossa and Jack team up to save their ships and crew along with a new shipmate, Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario). Will, Elizabeth, and Gibbs briefly reprise their roles in this movie.

Watch the Pirates of the Caribbean movies on Disney+ in the U.S.

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