How to Watch "Jurassic Park" Movies and TV Shows in Order (Chronologically and by Release Date)

09/14/2024 03:00 PM

The storyline of these genetically engineered dinosaurs spans seven films and three decades

Jurassic Park is as colossal as the dinosaurs that roam its universe.

The science-fiction franchise reimagines a world where dinosaurs are cloned via ancient mosquito DNA and leveraged as attractions for a theme park. Unsurprisingly, this attempt to control nature leads to disastrous consequences that can only be stopped by a group of intrepid, dinosaur-fearing heroes.

In 1993, director Steven Spielberg adapted author Michael Crichton's novel of the same name into a trilogy starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. Fourteen years after Spielberg's final film, director Colin Trevorrow revived the franchise with a sequel trilogy titled Jurassic World. His first film is set 22 years after the original park disaster and stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

But the final film in Trevorrow's trilogy isn't the end of this paleo-fantasy. In 2024, The Hollywood Reporterannounced that Jurassic World 4 is in the works and slated for a potential release in 2025. Goldblum will star and Scarlett Johansson is joining the cast.

Jurassic Park also has a prequel, an animated LEGO series that takes place three years before the events of Jurassic World. There is also an animated Netflix series called Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous that takes place during Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

With that in mind, here's how to watch the Jurassic Park movies and TV shows in order.

How to Watch the Jurassic Park Movies and TV Shows in Release Order

• Jurassic Park (1993)
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
• Jurassic Park III (2001)
• Jurassic World (2015)
• Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
• LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit (2018)
• LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar (2019)
• Battle at Big Rock (2019)
• ​​Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020) 
• Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
• Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024)

How to Watch the Jurassic Park Movies and TV Shows in Chronological Order

Jurassic Park (1993)

Spielberg's original trilogy starts with the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park. Paleontologists Alan Grant (Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Dern) and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Goldblum) are invited to tour an island theme park of genetically cloned dinosaurs to make sure it's safe and ready for the public. But when the main attractions break out of their cages, the group must fight for their survival.

The film was an instant hit. According to Variety, it was the highest-grossing film of all time until Titanic surpassed it in 1997. Jurassic Park won three Academy Awards (among dozens of other awards) and was added to the United States National Film Registry in 2018.

Jurassic Park is available to purchase or rent on AppleTV and Amazon Prime Video.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Like its release schedule, the timeline of The Lost World: Jurassic Park picks up four years later. John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), the mastermind behind the original theme park, reveals he has a secret second island he has been using to breed dinosaurs.

An accident draws a reluctant Malcolm back into the chaos as he and a new team of researchers — who include Julianne Moore and Vince Vaughn — attempt to document the dino-ecosystem. But when a group of hunters arrive to capture the creatures and bring them back to the mainland, chaos ensues.

While it wasn't as record-breaking as the original film, the sequel did well at the box office and was nominated for an Academy Award.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park is available to purchase or rent on AppleTV and Amazon Prime Video.

Jurassic Park III (2001)

In this film, Dr. Grant meets a wealthy couple (played by William H. Macy and Téa Leoni) who agree to fund his research if he agrees to be their tour guide on a flight over Hammond's second dinosaur-filled island. But when they crash and are stranded, Dr. Grant discovers that the couple has other motives for coming to the island.

Jurassic Park III was the first film in the franchise not based on one of Crichton's novels and not directed by Spielberg. According to Screen Rant, Spielberg promised fellow director Joe Johnston that he could take over if a third film was made.

Like the first two movies, Jurassic Park III is available to purchase or rent on AppleTV and Amazon Prime Video.

LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit (2018)

There is a big storyline jump from Jurassic Park III to Jurassic World. It's a jump that The LEGO Group addresses in the two-part animated special LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit.

According to SyFy Wire, the prequel takes place a few years before the events of Jurassic World and covers missing pieces including the origins of a new dinosaur species and how the two main characters of the film — Owen Grady and Claire Dearing — first met.

LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit originally aired on NBC and is available to stream on Paramount+ and Peacock. 

LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar (2019)

This follow-up to The Secret Exhibit also takes place before Jurassic World. Set in 2012, this 13-episode miniseries focuses on Grady and Dearing's attempts to keep the theme park operational and disaster-free. But this proves to be difficult, thanks to a mysterious saboteur on the hunt for a legendary treasure supposedly hidden on Isla Nublar.

According to Animation Magazine, the limited series first appeared on Nickelodeon in 2019. It's available for streaming on Peacock. 

Jurassic World (2015)

For 12 years, Spielberg tried to make another Jurassic Park movie but was unsuccessful. So when Trevorrow finally got the greenlight from Universal, he told Screen Crushthat he honored the director's original vision by keeping three of his plot points: a raptor trainer, an open dinosaur theme park and a dinosaur that, of course, breaks free.

Jurassic World, the start of the sequel trilogy, takes place 22 years after the original film and follows the CEO of the corporation that now owns Jurassic Park: Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan). Pratt plays Spielberg's raptor trainer, Grady, and Howard plays the park's operations manager, Dearing. The film includes appearances from Judy Greer, Jake Johnson and Jimmy Fallon.

Like the original movie, Jurassic World was also a record-breaker and is currently the eighth highest-grossing film of all time, according to Variety.

Jurassic World is available to stream on Max.

​​Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020) 

While Grady and Dearing are fighting escaped dinosaurs at Jurassic World, there is even more chaos happening on the other side of Isla Nublar. Netflix's animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is set along the same timeline as Jurassic World,but features a completely different set of characters.

The show — which premiered in 2020 and ran for five seasons — follows six teenagers who are invited to stay at a dinosaur-themed camp on the island. It's a dream come true, until the dinosaurs escape their habitats and the teens are stranded and left to fend for themselves. Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous was produced by Spielberg, and the characters are voiced by big names including Jameela Jamil, Jenna Ortega and Glen Powell.

All five seasons are available to stream on Netflix. 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

The sequel to Jurassic World takes place four years after the theme park disaster. This time, Grady and Dearing return to the island to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcanic eruption. But they soon discover they have been tricked into returning them to the mainland under false pretenses.

The movie features a reprisal of Goldblum's character — and a huge budget. According to IGN, it is the second-most expensive film ever made.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024)

Netflix's animated series was so well-received that the platform created a sequel series, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, to continue the storyline. Like Camp Cretaceous, there's not a lot of overlap between the series and the Jurassic World movies. However, the show follows the franchise's overall timeline and takes place six years after the final events of Camp Cretaceous, per Animation Magazine.

In Chaos Theory, the Nublar Six are still healing from their time on the island and attempting to find their way in a world full of dinosaurs. When a tragic event reunites them and reveals a potential conspiracy that could destroy humans and dinosaurs alike, they band together to discover the truth about what happened to one of their own.

The first season of Chaos Theory is available to stream on Netflix. Deadline reported in June 2024 that Netflix renewed the series for a second season, which is set to premiere in the fall.  

Battle at Big Rock (2019)

To set the stage for the final installment of the Jurassic World trilogy, Trevorrow released a 10-minute short film titled Battle at Big Rockin 2019. It takes place a year after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and records what is supposedly the first major confrontation between dinosaurs and humans at a fictional national park.

Battle at Big Rock is available to watch on YouTube.

Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

The third film of the Jurassic World trilogy opens with previously unthinkable circumstances: dinosaurs roaming the earth and living among humans. Needless to say, the coexistence is not peaceful.

It takes place four years after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and brings back three of the original cast members: Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler and Malcolm. Together with Gray and Dearing, they join the fight to save humanity and protect all creatures from corporations looking to exploit them.

Jurassic World Dominion is available to stream on STARZ.

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