There are two Ring series. The Japanese films start with Ring (1998) and Ring 2 (1999); the American remakes are The Ring (2002), The Ring Two (2005) and Rings (2017). Watch either set in release order; they don't connect.
- Titles
- 5
- Films
- 5
- Watch time
- 9 hours
- Box office
- $545 million
- Avg IMDb
- 6.2
Ring movies in release order
Here is every Ring title in the order it came out, 1998 to 2017: 5 films.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ring | 1998 | Film | 1h 36m | 8.1 |
| 2 | Ring 2 | 1999 | Film | 1h 35m | 5.8 |
| 3 | The Ring | 2002 | Film | 1h 55m | 7.1 |
| 4 | The Ring Two | 2005 | Film | 1h 49m | 5.4 |
| 5 | Rings | 2017 | Film | 1h 42m | 4.5 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
For The Ring, release order and story order are the same thing: every film picks up after the one before it. There is no prequel to slot in early and no flashback to reshuffle, so the list above is the only order you need.
Where to start
Start with Ring and go in release order.
The whole thing is 9 hours. At two hours a night that is about 5 evenings.
Every Ring 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 · 1998 · Film · 1h 36m
Ring
A mysterious video has been linked to a number of deaths, and when an inquisitive journalist finds the tape and views it herself, she sets in motion a chain of events that puts her own life in danger.
Why it matters: A journalist has seven days to break the curse of a deadly videotape.
- Starring
- Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rikiya Ôtaka
- Director
- Hideo Nakata
- Box office
- $19 million on a $1 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 8.1
No. 02 · 1999 · Film · 1h 35m
Ring 2
While investigating the horrifying death of her boyfriend, Mai Takano learns about a videotape haunted by the spirit of a disturbing girl named Sadako, which kills anyone who watches it exactly one week later. When her boyfriend’s son, Yoichi, starts to develop the same psychic abilities as Sadako, Takano must find a way to keep the boy and herself from becoming the next victims.
Why it matters: Mai Takano searches for Reiko and her son as Sadako's curse spreads.
- Starring
- Miki Nakatani, Hitomi Sato, and Kyoko Fukada
- Director
- Hideo Nakata
- Box office
- $31 million on a $6 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 7%
No. 03 · 2002 · Film · 1h 55m
The Ring
Journalist Rachel Keller investigates a strange videotape that may be behind the untimely deaths of four teenagers. There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. Rachel tracks down the video... and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery of the Ring in order to save herself and her son.
Why it matters: Naomi Watts in the American remake: watch the tape, die in seven days.
- Starring
- Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, and David Dorfman
- Director
- Gore Verbinski
- Box office
- $249 million on a $48 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 72%
No. 04 · 2005 · Film · 1h 49m
The Ring Two
After the ordeal with Samara, Rachel and Aiden move to a rural town. But soon Rachel learns about the death of a girl in a similar fashion. To save Aiden, she must dig into Samara's past even further.
Why it matters: Rachel and Aidan move to Oregon, but Samara follows and wants the boy.
- Starring
- Naomi Watts, Simon Baker, and David Dorfman
- Director
- Hideo Nakata
- Box office
- $161 million on a $50 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 21%
No. 05 · 2017 · Film · 1h 42m
Rings
Julia becomes worried about her boyfriend Holt when he explores the dark urban legend of a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after viewing. She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a "movie within the movie" that no one has ever seen before.
Why it matters: A college student watches the tape to save her boyfriend and finds hidden images.
- Starring
- Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, and Johnny Galecki
- Director
- F. Javier Gutiérrez
- Box office
- $83 million on a $25 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 4.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 7%
Ring box office and budgets
The 5 Ring films with reported numbers have grossed $545 million worldwide on about $130 million in combined budgets, roughly 4.2 times what they cost. The biggest is The Ring at $249 million, 46% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by The Ring Two ($161 million) and Rings ($83 million).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Ring, which made 16 times its $1 million budget. The weakest was The Ring Two at 3.2 times its $50 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 Ring movies
Across 5 rated titles, The Ring averages 6.2 on IMDb. The top of the list is Ring at 8.1, then The Ring (7.1) and Ring 2 (5.8). At the bottom: Rings (4.5) and The Ring Two (5.4).
- Ring8.1
- The Ring7.1 · RT 72%
- Ring 25.8 · RT 7%
- The Ring Two5.4 · RT 21%
- Rings4.5 · RT 7%
Who appears in the most Ring movies
Rikiya Ôtaka leads with 2 appearances as Yoichi Asakawa and Yôichi Asakawa, ahead of Miki Nakatani (2) and Hitomi Sato (2). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rikiya Ôtaka | Yoichi Asakawa / Yôichi Asakawa | 2 | Ring (1998) to Ring 2 (1999) |
| Miki Nakatani | Mai Takano | 2 | Ring (1998) to Ring 2 (1999) |
| Hitomi Sato | Masami Kurahashi | 2 | Ring (1998) to Ring 2 (1999) |
| Yōichi Numata | Takashi Yamamura | 2 | Ring (1998) to Ring 2 (1999) |
| Katsumi Muramatsu | Koichi Asakawa / Kôichi Asakawa | 2 | Ring (1998) to Ring 2 (1999) |
| Masako | Shizuko Yamamura | 2 | Ring (1998) to Ring 2 (1999) |
| Daisuke Ban | Dr. Heihachiro Ikuma / Heihachirô Ikuma | 2 | Ring (1998) to Ring 2 (1999) |
| Naomi Watts | Rachel Keller | 2 | The Ring (2002) to The Ring Two (2005) |
| David Dorfman | Aidan Keller | 2 | The Ring (2002) to The Ring Two (2005) |
| Daveigh Chase | Samara Morgan / Samara | 2 | The Ring (2002) to The Ring Two (2005) |
Ring directors and creators
3 filmmakers have directed or created The Ring; Hideo Nakata has the most, with 3.
- Hideo NakataRing (1998), Ring 2 (1999), and The Ring Two (2005)
- Gore VerbinskiThe Ring (2002)
- F. Javier GutiérrezRings (2017)
How long it takes to watch every Ring movie
All 5 titles add up to 9 hours. That is about 5 two-hour evenings, or 1 days of ten-hour binges. The longest film is The Ring at 1h 55m.
The 4 best rated films: Ring, The Ring, Ring 2, and The Ring Two.
Everything takes about 9 days.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Ring movies in?
There are two Ring series. The Japanese films start with Ring (1998) and Ring 2 (1999); the American remakes are The Ring (2002), The Ring Two (2005) and Rings (2017). Watch either set in release order; they don't connect.
How many Ring movies and shows are there?
There are 5 titles in the The Ring franchise: 5 films and 0 series, released from 1998 to 2017.
How long does it take to watch all the Ring movies?
About 9 hours for all 5 titles, counting every episode.
What is the first Ring title in chronological order?
Ring, set in Sadako's cursed tape. In release order the first is Ring (1998).
What is the best Ring movie?
By IMDb score, Ring (1998) at 8.1, followed by The Ring at 7.1.
What is the highest-grossing Ring movie?
The Ring (2002), with $249 million worldwide. The Ring films have made $545 million in total.
Who has appeared in the most Ring movies?
Rikiya Ôtaka, in 2 of them as Yoichi Asakawa.
What is the longest Ring movie?
The Ring, at 1h 55m.
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