The A Quiet Place movies can be watched in either release date order or chronological order. The franchise kicked off in 2018 with the original post-apocalyptic horror movie of the same name, which was directed by The Office alum John Krasinski, from a script he co-wrote with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, with the duo receiving story credit on the project as well. Krasinski starred in the movie as well, eventually returning to direct and play a supporting role in the movie’s immediate sequel, in addition to receiving sole screenplay credit on that installment.

The franchise, which numbers three movies including 2024’s A Quiet Place: Day One, is one of the most robust modern horror franchises. The first two movies have earned Certified Fresh scores on the review aggregator service Rotten Tomatoes with 96% and 91% scores respectively along with similarly strong 83% and 92% audiences scores. The first two movies have also both been successful at the box office, earning $638.3 million worldwide altogether from a cumulative production budget of roughly $77 million. Although the franchise is only a trilogy so far, there are multiple orders in which the movies can be watched.

A Quiet Place Movies In Release Order

There Are Three A Quiet Place Movies

The three A Quiet Place movies so far have a relatively tidy release date system, because each installment has premiered three years apart since the franchise launched in 2018. This originally was not going to be the case, as the first sequel, Part II, was set to premiere in March 2020 and was delayed amid the global theater shutdowns that accompanied the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as it stands, the release order of the movies is clearly laid out because of this even spacing. Below, see the order that the movies should be viewed when watching chronologically:

A Quiet Place Movies In Chronological Order

The New A Quiet Place Movie Is A Prequel

The A Quiet Place timeline is relatively straightforward, though it notably differs from the movies’ release order. The only thing that complicates a chronological viewing order somewhat is the fact that both of the original installments have prologues that take place a significant time before the main events of each movie. However, if the prologues are ignored when it comes to lining up the movies chronologically, the proper viewing order becomes quite clear and can be seen below:

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Day One is an A Quiet Place prequel that kicks off on the very first day of the alien invasion, in addition to transferring the action from upstate New York to the bustling New York City. It remains to be seen if the new movie features a prologue that takes place significantly before the main timeline or an epilogue that takes place significantly after. However, it seems that the movie will largely cover the span of a few days or possibly a week after day 1.

A Quiet Place (2018)

A Quiet Place features a prologue that takes place shortly after the beginning of the alien apocalypse, which would likely still place it some time after the main events of the prequel. The remainder of the movie takes place a full year after the prologue, cleanly placing the movie in chronological order between its prequel and its sequel. The A Quiet Place: Day One trailer offers even more clarity on the movie’s timeline by revealing that most of the events depicted in the first two acts of the movie take place on days 471 and 472 of the apocalypse.

A Quiet Place Part II (2021)

For the most part, A Quiet Place Part II is a direct sequel to the original 2018 movie, following the story that occurs directly in the wake of the devastating events of its third-act finale. The Day One trailer offers insight into the timeline of Part II as well, placing the beginning of the movie somewhere around day 476. However, the prologue of the sequel complicates the timeline somewhat, as it takes place on day 1, or at least the first day that the aliens reached upstate New York, which was at any rate very early in the apocalypse.

Which A Quiet Place Movies Viewing Order Is Best

A Quiet Place: Day One’s Best Placement Is Complicated

Ultimately, while the A Quiet Place movies can be watched either in release or chronological order, release order is likely the best option. Day One fleshes out the events depicted in the prologue of Part II, so while neither needs to be watched to understand the other, it offers a deeper experience to watch them in the order they premiered. Djimon Hounsou’s character in the prequel was also introduced in Part II, so release order may offer some helpful context as to his appearance in the newer movie.