Watch Child's Play in release order: Child's Play (1988), 2, 3, Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, Cult of Chucky, then the Chucky series (2021 to 2024), which continues the same story. Child's Play (2019) is a remake with its own continuity.
- Titles
- 9
- Films
- 8
- Series
- 1
- Watch time
- 30 hours
- Box office
- $227 million
- Avg IMDb
- 5.8
Chucky movies in release order
Here is every Chucky title in the order it came out, 1988 to 2021: 8 films and 1 series.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Child's Play | 1988 | Film | 1h 27m | 6.7 |
| 2 | Child's Play 2 | 1990 | Film | 1h 24m | 6 |
| 3 | Child's Play 3 | 1991 | Film | 1h 30m | 5.2 |
| 4 | Bride of Chucky | 1998 | Film | 1h 29m | 5.7 |
| 5 | Seed of Chucky | 2004 | Film | 1h 26m | 4.9 |
| 6 | Curse of Chucky | 2013 | Film | 1h 37m | 5.6 |
| 7 | Cult of Chucky | 2017 | Film | 1h 31m | 5.3 |
| 8 | Child's Play | 2019 | Film | 1h 30m | 5.7 |
| 9 | Chucky | 2021 | Series | 18h 33m | 7.2 |
Chucky timeline: movies in chronological order
The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.
| # | Title | Set in | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Child's Play | Chicago | 1988 |
| 2 | Child's Play 2 | Andy's foster home | 1990 |
| 3 | Child's Play 3 | A military academy | 1991 |
| 4 | Bride of Chucky | Tiffany | 1998 |
| 5 | Seed of Chucky | Hollywood | 2004 |
| 6 | Curse of Chucky | A family house | 2013 |
| 7 | Cult of Chucky | An asylum | 2017 |
| 8 | Chucky | Hackensack, New Jersey | 2021 |
| 9 | Child's Play | A smart doll called Buddi | 2019 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
Release order and story order disagree on 2 titles here. In release order you start with Child's Play (1988); in story order you start with Child's Play, set in Chicago.
First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Child's Play into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.
Child's Play also runs a separate continuity: The 2019 remake. It has its own line on the timeline, so you can watch it on its own without breaking the main story.
Where to start
Start with Child's Play and go in release order.
The whole thing is 30 hours. At two hours a night that is about 16 evenings.
The three highest rated: Chucky (7.2), Child's Play (6.7), and Child's Play 2 (6).
Every Chucky movie, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1988 · Film · 1h 27m
Child's Play
After being shot in a toy store, a serial killer transfers his soul into a Good Guy doll. A mother then gifts it to her six-year-old son Andy, which unleashes terror upon the city.
Why it matters: A strangler's soul lands in a Good Guy doll, and six-year-old Andy Barclay gets it.
- Starring
- Alex Vincent, Catherine Hicks, and Brad Dourif
- Director
- Tom Holland
- Box office
- $44 million on a $9 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 65%
No. 02 · 1990 · Film · 1h 24m
Child's Play 2
Chucky is reconstructed by a toy factory to dispel the negative publicity surrounding the doll, and tracks young Andy Barclay to a foster home where the chase begins again.
Why it matters: The toy company rebuilds Chucky, and he finds Andy in foster care.
- Starring
- Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, and Christine Elise
- Director
- John Lafia
- Box office
- $36 million on a $13 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6 · Rotten Tomatoes 53%
No. 03 · 1991 · Film · 1h 30m
Child's Play 3
Eight years after seemingly destroying the killer doll, teen Andy Barclay is placed in a military school, and the spirit of Chucky returns to renew his quest and seek vengeance after being recreated from a mass of melted plastic.
Why it matters: Eight years on, Chucky follows a teenage Andy to military school.
- Starring
- Justin Whalin, Brad Dourif, and Perrey Reeves
- Director
- Jack Bender
- Box office
- $21 million on a $13 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 19%
No. 04 · 1998 · Film · 1h 29m
Bride of Chucky
For ten years, the tortured soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray has been imprisoned inside a child's doll. 'Chucky' is reborn when his old flame, Tiffany, rescues his battered doll parts from a police impound. But Chucky wants his new playmate cut down to size, so he transforms his blushing bride into a stunning little terror. Chucky and Tiffany can't wait to start their own homicidal honeymoon. When this demonic duo hits the road and hooks up with a pair of unsuspecting newlyweds, they leave a trail of murder and mayhem behind them. Chucky's back!
Why it matters: Chucky's old flame Tiffany revives him and ends up in a doll of her own.
- Starring
- Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, and Katherine Heigl
- Director
- Ronny Yu
- Box office
- $51 million on a $25 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 47%
No. 05 · 2004 · Film · 1h 26m
Seed of Chucky
This time around, Chucky and his homicidal honey, Tiffany, are brought back to life by their orphan offspring, Glen. Then the horror goes Hollywood as Chucky unleashes his own brand of murderous mayhem!
Why it matters: Chucky and Tiffany's doll child revives them on a Hollywood film set.
- Starring
- Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, and Billy Boyd
- Director
- Don Mancini
- Box office
- $25 million on a $12 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 4.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 36%
No. 06 · 2013 · Film · 1h 37m
Curse of Chucky
After her mother's mysterious death, Nica begins to suspect that the talking, red-haired doll her visiting niece has been playing with may be the key to the mounting bloodshed and chaos.
Why it matters: Chucky is mailed to Nica Pierce's house, and he has history with her family.
- Starring
- Fiona Dourif, Brad Dourif, and Danielle Bisutti
- Director
- Don Mancini
- Box office
- $4 million on a $5 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 78%
No. 07 · 2017 · Film · 1h 31m
Cult of Chucky
Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica is wrongly convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family... until a string of grisly deaths occur after her psychiatrist introduces a new group therapy tool -- a "Good Guy" doll.
Why it matters: Several Chucky dolls loose in the asylum holding Nica; Andy has himself committed.
- Starring
- Fiona Dourif, Brad Dourif, and Alex Vincent
- Director
- Don Mancini
- Box office
- $2 million on a $7 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 81%
No. 08 · 2019 · Film · 1h 30m · 9th in story order
Child's Play
Karen, a single mother, gifts her son Andy a Buddi doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature. A contemporary re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic.
Why it matters: A remake with a smart doll, Buddi, whose safety limits have been switched off.
- Starring
- Gabriel Bateman, Aubrey Plaza, and Mark Hamill
- Director
- Lars Klevberg
- Box office
- $45 million on a $10 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 64%
No. 09 · 2021 · Series · 18h 33m · 8th in story order
Chucky
After a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets. Meanwhile, the arrival of enemies — and allies — from Chucky’s past threatens to expose the truth behind the killings, as well as the demon doll’s untold origins.
Why it matters: Chucky terrorises Hackensack teens, then a Catholic school and the White House.
- Starring
- Zackary Arthur, Björgvin Arnarson, and Alyvia Alyn Lind
- Creator
- Don Mancini
- Scores
- IMDb 7.2
- Episodes
- 24 across 3 seasons
Chucky box office and budgets
The 8 Chucky films with reported numbers have grossed $227 million worldwide on about $94 million in combined budgets, roughly 2.4 times what they cost. The biggest is Bride of Chucky at $51 million, 22% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Child's Play ($45 million) and Child's Play ($44 million).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Child's Play, which made 4.9 times its $9 million budget. The weakest was Cult of Chucky at 36% of its $7 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.
The best and worst rated Chucky movies
Across 9 rated titles, Child's Play averages 5.8 on IMDb. The top of the list is Chucky at 7.2, then Child's Play (6.7) and Child's Play 2 (6). At the bottom: Seed of Chucky (4.9) and Child's Play 3 (5.2). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, Bride of Chucky, is only the 4th best rated.
- Chucky7.2
- Child's Play6.7 · RT 65%
- Child's Play 26 · RT 53%
- Bride of Chucky5.7 · RT 47%
- Child's Play5.7 · RT 64%
- Curse of Chucky5.6 · RT 78%
- Cult of Chucky5.3 · RT 81%
- Child's Play 35.2 · RT 19%
- Seed of Chucky4.9 · RT 36%
Who appears in the most Chucky movies
Brad Dourif leads with 8 appearances as Charles Lee Ray and Chucky, ahead of Alex Vincent (4) and Jennifer Tilly (4). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Dourif | Charles Lee Ray / Chucky | 8 | Child's Play (1988) to Chucky (2021) |
| Alex Vincent | Andy Barclay / Andy | 4 | Child's Play (1988) to Chucky (2021) |
| Jennifer Tilly | Tiffany / Tiffany (voice) | 4 | Bride of Chucky (1998) to Chucky (2021) |
| Fiona Dourif | Nica / Nica Pierce | 3 | Curse of Chucky (2013) to Chucky (2021) |
| Peter Haskell | Sullivan | 2 | Child's Play 2 (1990) to Child's Play 3 (1991) |
| Adam Hurtig | Officer Stanton / Michael | 2 | Curse of Chucky (2013) to Cult of Chucky (2017) |
| Michael Therriault | Dr. Foley / Spencer Rhodes | 2 | Cult of Chucky (2017) to Chucky (2021) |
Chucky directors and creators
6 filmmakers have directed or created Child's Play; Don Mancini has the most, with 4.
- Don ManciniSeed of Chucky (2004), Curse of Chucky (2013), Cult of Chucky (2017), and Chucky (2021)
- Tom HollandChild's Play (1988)
- John LafiaChild's Play 2 (1990)
- Jack BenderChild's Play 3 (1991)
- Ronny YuBride of Chucky (1998)
- Lars KlevbergChild's Play (2019)
How long it takes to watch every Chucky movie
All 9 titles add up to 30 hours: 12 hours of film and 19 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 16 two-hour evenings, or 4 days of ten-hour binges. The longest film is Curse of Chucky at 1h 37m.
The 4 best rated films: Child's Play, Child's Play 2, Bride of Chucky, and Child's Play.
Everything takes about 5 weeks.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Chucky movies in?
Watch Child's Play in release order: Child's Play (1988), 2, 3, Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, Cult of Chucky, then the Chucky series (2021 to 2024), which continues the same story. Child's Play (2019) is a remake with its own continuity.
How many Chucky movies and shows are there?
There are 9 titles in the Child's Play franchise: 8 films and 1 series, released from 1988 to 2021.
How long does it take to watch all the Chucky movies?
About 30 hours for all 9 titles, counting every episode.
What is the first Chucky title in chronological order?
Child's Play, set in Chicago. In release order the first is Child's Play (1988).
What is the best Chucky movie?
By IMDb score, Chucky (2021) at 7.2, followed by Child's Play at 6.7.
What is the highest-grossing Chucky movie?
Bride of Chucky (1998), with $51 million worldwide. Child's Play films have made $227 million in total.
Who has appeared in the most Chucky movies?
Brad Dourif, in 8 of them as Charles Lee Ray.
What is the longest Chucky movie?
Curse of Chucky, at 1h 37m.
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