We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
31 best movie series that are perfect for your next movie marathon
Get a blanket and some wine, ’cause you’re about to live on your sofa.
Do you have a bunch of free time and a couple of streaming services to divide it between? Or maybe a bunch of those classic movies you're supposed to watch by the time you're 50 to get through? Well, you've come to the right place. Even if you haven't been miraculously gifted several days of free time to binge-watch, these movie series are the ones to start catching up as soon as possible. These are for the movie lovers who enjoy a good story told over the course of a few films — and TBH, the stories may not even be that good all the time, but the characters and set pieces are fun, k? I will defend my love of movie trilogies and franchises to the death, y'all.
Some of these movies are so tightly woven that they absolutely were made as one cohesive piece of art — think Lord of the Rings and the Before Sunrise movies. Others might have taken a bit of a...meandering path to get there, but we still love the destination — basically anything Marvel, but especially Thor, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. Some kinda figured their vibe out as they went along — lookin' at you, Fast and Furious movies! But no matter the road we took to get there, sometimes it's just fun to witness the evolution of an epic idea or character (and spend a lil time with some actors you love). So check out these 31 movie series and be prepared to waste your whole weekend.
The Ocean's Eleven Series
These films are packed with A-list actors and give us a smart, thieves-stealing-stuff mystery every single time. It's also constantly, consistently one-upping itself. (The Sandra Bullock-Rihanna movie Ocean's 8 is also very good but takes the series in a new direction, once you finish with these three.)
Spider-Man: Homecoming
I mean, you could technically list all the Marvel films on this list, but there's simply too many to consider them a "series" at this point. If you wanna isolate some films you might like (or want to dip a toe in the huge franchise), consider the hilarious but surprisingly moving Tom Holland-Zendaya Spider-Man movies. Don't worry, more Marvel recs are coming.
The Mission: Impossible Series
Watch Tom Cruise go from an up-and-coming star to the mega-mega-A-lister he is now (and these movies are basically a huge part of the reason why). The fact that he does his own stunts, still, is a big part of the draw — these movies are never not fun to watch, even though some of them are better than others.
watch mission: impossible — Ghost Protocol
watch mission: impossible—rogue nation
The Bridget Jones Series
If you're not familiar: In the early 2000s, Bridget Jones basically stood in for every miserable single person who just wanted their crush to notice them. She's incredibly flawed and funny, constantly trying to un-f*ck up her life, and that's honestly relatable 24/7.
While some parts of the film haven't aged *that* well (ahem), the franchise still holds a special place in our hearts.
The Die Hard Movies
Fair warning (and I'll prob say this a lot throughout this list): The early movies are better than the later ones. In fact, I would argue the first and third are the ones you should really prioritise, but maybe do the first three and watch 5 and 6 if you're bored. Bruce Willis as a frustrated, hilarious cop just trying to save a bunch of people is a fun time.
The Step Up Movies
The first one (aka the one where Channing Tatum met his ex Jenna Dewan and they have off-the-charts chemistry) is probably the best. But honestly, if you don't mind kinda silly, mostly mediocre plots and you love watching people dance, this is the series for you.
The Twilight Movies
Speaking of silly! If you never managed to watch this the first time round (which prob means you're younger than me, congrats), it's worth seeing why this was such a phenomenon. All the actors involve agree it's a weird, kinda creepy premise that an old vampire is stalking a teenager, but you can't deny that RPattz and KStew are doing their very best.
Watch the twilight saga: new moon
watch the twilight saga: eclipse
A Nightmare on Elm Street Films
These movies go from scary '80s slasher to OTT campy fun real fast, but if you love horror, you can't really miss the series that helped define the genre (the remake is fine, not great). Plus, Nancy is the ass-kicking final girl and curly haired queen we all need rn, so I'm only including the first three, plus the other film she appears in.
watch a nightmare on elm street
watch a nightmare on elm street 2: freddy's revenge
The Cornetto Trilogy
The films in this "trilogy" don't have a lot in common except for the people involved (Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost) and the fact that each one takes a genre (zombie, cop, sci-fi, in that order), and makes fun of it, and also becomes a really solid film within that genre. All three are worth the watch.
The Harry Potter Movies
I mean, you've probably already watched at least some of these. But if you're missing a couple of the films or just getting into the series for the first time, know that each movie is kind of its own thing. The tone, visual style, and pace vary, and it took a while to figure out the vibe you see in the last few movies, but the path to getting there is fun.
watch harry potter and the philosopher's stone
watch harry potter and the chamber of secrets
watch harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban
watch harry potter and the goblet of fire
watch harry potter and the order of the phoenix
watch harry potter and the half blood prince
The Paranormal Activity Movies
The found footage horror film got a makeover with Paranormal Activity. And it was so successful it spawned a bunch of others with similar-ish premises, but nothing beats the "couple sets up home video in their bedroom, then sh*t starts to go sideways" of the first.
watch paranormal activity: the marked ones
The Avengers Series
Ok, so fair warning that it does take some context to be able to watch these films (like, at least reading the Wikipedia summary on some of the characters). But bringing a bunch of superheroes together and letting them fight, collaborate, and save the world is just an incredible watch — especially Infinity War and Endgame.
The Matrix Movies
Keanu Reeves got his reputation as a badass thanks to this first film (which basically changed how we look at sci-fi, NBD). The Wachowski sisters have collaborated on every film except the last one, and even though the quality is up and down, you can't disagree that their vision is ~amazing~.
The Toy Story Series
Oh hey, bursting into tears, nice to see ya! Like a lot of Pixar films, this series is designed for maximum ~emotional damage~ (and the third one is the best, there is no debate). But they're also just incredibly rewatchable — even the quirky fourth film, which you probably haven't seen yet.
The Indiana Jones Movies
If you maybe missed these in your classic movie watching, take a couple hours and catch yourself up. FYI, the second one is...particularly dated, and you should stop after the third one. But a young Harrison Ford is never not welcome on my screen anytime.
watch indiana jones and the raiders of the lost ark
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
If you watched The Hobbit movies and wondered why there were three of them, this is why. These films took three huuuuuuge books and made them into interesting, action-packed, faithful-to-the-source-material hits. Plus, everyone in the series is hot and giving it 100 percent, so.
watch the lord of the rings: the fellowship of the ring
The Back to the Future Trilogy
The first movie, which you probably already saw, is an epic time travel saga. But the second and third films are fun, meta riffs on the first film, going to increasing lengths to top its original idea. Do they always succeed? No, but watching them try is really enjoyable.
The Before Trilogy
Epic romance fans, stream this immediately. Looked at as a whole, this trilogy goes through the entirety of a flawed, but strong relationship: The hot and sexy crush phase. The reconnecting and "Will this work long-term?" debate. The "We've been together for a long time but still wanna make it work" stage. It's more realistic than you think.
The Fast and the Furious Franchise
The ripoff of Point Break with the thieves stealing DVDs has morphed into maybe one of the most OTT franchises ever made. Not all of them are good, and you can probably skip 2 and 3 if you're short on time. But the evolution to "there's a car that literally goes to space" is a fun one.
watch the fast and the furious
The Thor Movies
Okay, so, the first one is fine and the second one just sucks. But your patience will be rewarded because the third one is probably the funniest in the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). And there's a fourth one coming out this summer, so get caught up now!
The James McAvoy thriller to watch for free
Stephen and Tom are a must-watch duo in this thriller
Now streaming: Jason 'at his best' in action-packed drama
Jason Statham's thriller is your next movie night in watch
