Knives Out movies in order
Three murder mysteries, one detective, and no continuing story at all.
Updated 6 August 2026 · 3 titles tracked
Release order is Knives Out (2019), Glass Onion (2022), Wake Up Dead Man (2025). Watch them that way if you want.
But the honest answer is that you can watch these in any order. This is an anthology in the Agatha Christie sense — every film has a new cast, a new setting and a new crime, and the only recurring element is Benoit Blanc, who arrives in the first film fully formed and does not change.
The three Knives Out films, in order
Release order — which is also chronological order, for what little that matters here.
- 1Knives Out2019 · The Original · Essential
- 2Glass Onion2022 · The Netflix Films · Essential
- 3Wake Up Dead Man2025 · The Netflix Films · Essential
What actually carries over
Daniel Craig's detective, an accent, and a fondness for a particular kind of wealthy suspect. That is it. There is no arc, no backstory being paid off, and nothing in a later film that spoils an earlier one.
Glass Onion has one small character detail about Blanc's personal life that Knives Out does not mention. It is not a plot point and it will not confuse anyone.
Knives Out is still the best starting point
Not because of continuity but because of what it does structurally. It tells you who did it about a third of the way through and then keeps you tense for another eighty minutes anyway. That trick is the clearest statement of what the series is for, and the two sequels are both variations on it.
It is also the only one of the three that got a proper theatrical run. Netflix bought the sequels — reportedly for around 450 million dollars — and released both with only a brief cinema window.
Wake Up Dead Man is a different tone
A locked-room killing in a small-town church, and considerably darker than the first two. Where Knives Out and Glass Onion are comedies about awful rich people, this one is closer to a straight mystery with a religious argument running underneath it.
If the comedy is what you liked, that is worth knowing before you start.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Knives Out movies in?
Knives Out (2019), Glass Onion (2022), Wake Up Dead Man (2025) — but any order works. They share only the detective, with no continuing story.
Do I need to watch Knives Out before Glass Onion?
No. Glass Onion has an entirely new cast, setting and mystery. Only Benoit Blanc returns, and nothing about him needs explaining.
How many Knives Out movies are there?
Three so far. Rian Johnson has said he intends to keep making them as long as there is appetite.
Are the Knives Out sequels on Netflix?
Yes. Netflix bought Glass Onion and Wake Up Dead Man as a pair, and both had only a short cinema run before streaming.