If you want to watch the Twilight movies in order, from Kristen Stewart’s iconic performance as Bella Swan in 2008’s original movie all the way through to Edward Cullen (Pattinson) and Jacob Black’s (Lautner) swoon-worthy battles in Breaking Dawn Parts 1 & 2, then follow our guide below.

The Twilight Saga movies were based on Stephanie Meyer’s hit book series of the same name and led to her newfound popularity, along with that of stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It has been 10 years since we last saw a Twilight movie in theaters; the first premiered in 2008 and 2012 marks the release date for the final installment.

With the Twilight movies back in vogue, it’s time to take a trip down memory lane and start at the beginning before Bella and Edward’s relationship. Book lovers will know that these five films do not represent the book “Midnight Sun” by Stephanie Meyer, which is told from Edward’s perspective. While there are few chances of seeing a film based on the series again, there are more options than simply walking in Edward’s shoes.

All the films in the Twilight Saga in chronological order can be found below, so keep reading to learn more.

Twilight Movies in Order of Release Date

The Twilight movies were released in the following chronological order:

  • Twilight (2008)
  • The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
  • The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011)
  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)

Twilight (2008)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Anna Kendrick, Robert Pattinson, Rachelle Lefevre, Michael Welch, Ashley Greene, Christian Serratos
Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 72% / IMDb – 5.3/10
Box Office: $408 million (worldwide)

Movie Summary:

The Twilight Saga began with the 2008 release of Twilight, which was based on Stephenie Meyer’s popular novel of the same name. The movie follows Bella Swan (Stewart), a human girl who falls in love with Edward Cullen (Pattinson), a vampire. Despite the dangers posed by their relationship, they are drawn to each other and must fight against all odds to stay together.

Twilight Movie

Movie Details:

The first movie, “Twilight,” introduces the viewer to seventeen-year-old Bella (Stewart). She has recently moved to Forks, Washington to live with her father Charlie (Billy Burke) who is the police chief there. On her first day of school, she meets Edward (Pattinson) and feels immediately drawn to him. His attitude towards her confuses and frustrates Bella as she tries hard to figure out what he really thinks about her. It’s not long before Bella discovers that he is in fact a vampire – but not just any vampire; he is over 100 years old. This creates obvious conflicts between them – one being that Bella’s blood smells incredibly tempting to Edward and his fellow sparkly vampires.

Despite their circumstances, the two fall for one another, bringing Bella into a dangerous supernatural realm where she meets the Cullen family. This includes Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) and Carlisle (Petter Facinelli) who act as “parental figures” to adoptive vampire siblings Alice (Ashley Greene), Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), Rosalie (Nikki Reed), and Emmet (Kellan Lutz).

Another more dangerous vampire family marks Bella as a target, which leads the Cullens to sacrifice another vampire’s life to protect her. However, this act of protection sets off a chain reaction of vengeance and politics among vampires that carries throughout the rest of the films.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Jamie Campbell Bower, Dakota Fanning, Anna Kendrick, Michael Sheen, Ashley Greene
Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 61% / IMDb – 4.7/10
Box Office: $711 million (worldwide)

Movie Summary:

The sequel, “New Moon,” was released in 2009 and picks up where the first movie left off. Bella is devastated by Edward’s decision to leave her, but she finds comfort in her new friend Jacob Black. However, when the Volturi threatens Bella’s life, he returns to protect her and the two must confront the dangers that come with their relationship once again.

Twilight New Moon

Movie Details:

“New Moon” picks up not long after the first film ends, and things quickly turn south. The Cullens host a birthday party for Bella, during which Jasper loses control and attempts to drink her blood after she gets a papercut.

Although the Cullens prevent Jasper from harming Bella, Edward breaks up with her and leaves town in order to keep his entire family away for her safety. She is devastated by his departure and has a tough time getting over it, resorting to dangerous, adrenaline-filled actions to fill the void.

When she befriends Jacob Black (Lautner), her depression dissipates as he joins her in thrilling adventures. Although missing Edward, she begins to relish life once more as her friendship with Jacob grows stronger, hence initiating a love triangle.

Once Jacob mysteriously falls ill and changes, Bella quickly discovers his secret – that he’s a werewolf. She also learns that other members of his Quileute tribe are werewolves too, and they have a natural enmity with vampires. However, the tribe has a peace agreement with the Cullens.

At the conclusion of the book and film, Edward and Bella are reunited after the arrival of the Volturi – a royal family of ancient vampires who create their society’s rules.

Alice Cullen sees Bella leaping off a cliff, but Edward mistakenly thinks she has committed suicide. As a result, he decides to reveal his status as a vampire in a crowded Italian square so the Volturi would end his own life for revealing their secret to humans.

Thankfully, Bella and Alice reach him in time, but it results in the Volturi discovering that Bella knows about vampires. Ultimately, the couple is then given a choice – either Bella must die or be turned into a vampire herself.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard, Xavier Samuel, Kirsten Zien, Dakota Fanning, Anna Kendrick
Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 60% / IMDb – 5.0/10
Box Office: $698 million (worldwide)

Movie Summary:

2010’s Eclipse continues the love story, with Bella torn between her love for Edward and her growing friendship with Jacob. When a vampire army threatens Bella’s life, the two men must put aside their differences to save her.

Twilight Eclipse

Movie Details:

The following third film of the Twilight series, Eclipse, features Bella and Edward as they attempt to keep their relationship going while also having to deal with the royal family’s demand that she be turned into a vampire because of her insider knowledge of vampires.

If Bella agrees to marry him, Edward says he will turn her, but she’s hesitant about saying “I do” at such a young age. But before they can discuss it further, Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) comes back with an army of newborn vampires seeking revenge on Bella and the Cullens for killing James (Cam Gigandet), Victoria’s lover, in the first Twilight movie.

After coming to an agreement, the Cullens and the Quileute tribe fight Victoria’s army together. Edward, Bella, and Jacob go into hiding during the battle and camp away from everyone else.

While they’re discussing their engagement, Jacob overhears the couple and gets extremely mad before storming off enraged. However, Bella stops him by kissing him which then led her to realize that she loves him too – just not as much as Edward.

They eventually defeat Victoria thanks to their teamwork but once it’s over, they must broach the subject of their engagement to Charlie, Bella’s father.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Anna Kendrick, Michael Sheen
Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 60% / IMDb – 4.9/10
Box Office: $712 million (worldwide)

Movie Summary:

The first half of Breaking Dawn was released in 2011 and follows Bella and Edward as they get married and start a new life together. However, when Bella becomes pregnant, the couple must face the challenges that come with Bella’s human-vampire child.

Breaking Dawn Part 1

Movie Details:

The fourth film in the franchise, Breaking Dawn – Part 1, is comprised of the first half of the fourth book, Breaking Dawn. Opening a few months after the previous installment, this Twilight movie begins with Bella and Edward’s wedding.

Jacob shocks everyone by attending the wedding, which is nice at first until he realizes that the couple is planning to consummate their marriage on their honeymoon, before Bella’s transformation into a vampire – something that could possibly kill her.

Luckily, everything turns out alright in the end. The happy couple makes their way to Isle Esme for their honeymoon and Bella even becomes pregnant with a half-vampire child whom they name Renesmee. However, due to Renesmee’s rapid growth, Bella’s health starts to decline pretty rapidly.

When he finds out that Bella is pregnant, Jacob becomes enraged once again. He fears that Bella’s child could be a danger to her and as the Quileute believes, most likely those around her. The werewolves are divided over how to deal with the danger they perceive her child could possess.

Edward is forced to turn Bella into a vampire after she nearly perishes during childbirth. Jacob then bursts in with the intention of killing the baby, but once he sees her, he “imprints” on her instead. This is what happens when a Quileute shape-shifter finds their soul mate.

Bella was the future mother of his soulmate, which explains why Jacob was so attracted to her. And since Quileute law forbids harming anyone who has been imprinted on by a member of the tribe, Renesmee is now safe from werewolves.

However, she is not necessarily safe from the Volturi, as teased in the post-credits scene.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Bryce Dallas Howard, Xavier Samuel, Jamie Campbell Bower, Lee Pace, Dakota Fanning, Anna Kendrick, Rami Malek, Michael Sheen
Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 70% / IMDb – 5.5/10
Box Office: $829 million (worldwide)

Movie Summary:

The final film in the series, Breaking Dawn Part II, was released in 2012 and brings the love story to a close. Bella and Edward must protect their newborn daughter from those who would do her harm, and they must also come to terms with the fact that Bella is now a vampire.

Breaking Dawn Part 2

Movie Details:

At the start of the last film, Bella awakens from childbirth as a vampire, having been transformed by Edward in order to save her from death during delivery. She handles the shift much better than everyone else and copes with the change better than anyone else. When she learns that Jacob is destined to be her newborn daughter’s mate, she is furious at first. However, when Charlie demands answers, Jacob aids him in accepting reality and embracing Bella’s new condition by transforming into his wolf form.

As Renesme rapidly grows, she soon comes to the attention of the Volturi who believes she is an “Immortal Child.” The Volturi mistakenly believe that Bella and Edward’s daughter was turned into a vampire instead of being born as a human-vampire, which is nothing like the Immortal Children who are forbidden by their laws. The Cullens must do everything to protect their daughter by recruiting allies to help prove that she’s not a threat.

In the end, Alice is able to stop the Volturi from attacking by showing them a vision of a battle where many of their high-ranking members die. She also introduces their final witness, Nahuel, who is another vampire-human hybrid, which proves that Renesmee can grow up in peace.

The fifth and concluding film provides Alice’s visions of a blissful future, in addition to Bella and Edward’s verbal celebration of their everlasting love for one another.

So there you have it – all the Twilight movies in order! If you want to relive the magic of the Twilight Saga, then follow our guide and watch all the movies in order. You won’t be disappointed.

FAQs about the Twilight Saga

Have any more questions about watching Twilight in order? Check out our FAQs below.

What is the correct order to watch Twilight movies?

Most fans choose to watch the Twilight movies in chronological order, which follows the love story being told.

How many Twilight movies are there?

The Twilight Saga consists of five movies:

  • Twilight (2008)
  • New Moon (2009)
  • Eclipse (2010)
  • Breaking Dawn – Part One (2011)
  • Breaking Dawn – Part Two (2012)

When did Twilight come out?

The first Twilight movie was released in theaters on November 21, 2008.

What is the last Twilight movie?

The last Twilight movie came out in 2012, and it was called Breaking Dawn – Part Two.

What is the 5th movie of Twilight called?

The 5th movie in the Twilight Saga is Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which was released in 2012.

Is there a 6th Twilight?

There has been no official announcement of a 6th Midnight Sun Twilight movie to date.

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