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Night at the Museum Movie Watch Order in the correct order

How to watch the Night at the Museum movies in order

Last updated: April 14 2026

Written by: ChronoChris

Night at the Museum brings history to life in the most wonderfully chaotic way possible. With three live-action films and an animated sequel, here's how to watch the whole series in order.

The Night at the Museum franchise is pure family entertainment built on a magical premise: what if every exhibit in a natural history museum came to life after dark? Ben Stiller leads the series as Larry Daley, a hapless security guard who discovers the ancient Egyptian tablet that animates everyone from a Neanderthal to Teddy Roosevelt. The films are joyful, fast-moving adventures that manage to sneak in genuine history lessons between the laughs. The series grew from a single museum setting to the entire Smithsonian Institution and eventually to the British Museum in London — and then returned as an animated continuation.

🕐 Release Order

The series follows a direct narrative thread, with each film building on the characters and world established in the previous entry. Release order is the recommended approach.

  1. Night at the Museum (2006)
  2. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
  3. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
  4. Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022)

The fourth entry, Kahmunrah Rises Again, is an animated Disney+ film featuring a new voice cast and focuses on Larry's son Nick rather than Larry himself. It's a soft continuation rather than a direct sequel to Secret of the Tomb.

📖 Story Chronology

Story chronology matches release order perfectly. There are no prequels or time-jumps in the Night at the Museum series — each film picks up from where the last left off.

  1. Night at the Museum (2006)
  2. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
  3. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
  4. Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022)

Which Order Should You Choose?

Watch in release order from the start — the original film is essential viewing that introduces all the characters and the magical rules of the tablet. Battle of the Smithsonian is the biggest and most action-packed entry, while Secret of the Tomb provides a satisfying, emotional conclusion to the live-action trilogy. Kahmunrah Rises Again is a lighter, kid-friendly addition to the world that works as a bonus watch once you've finished the main films. The series is ideal for a family movie weekend from start to finish.

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