Joe Dante’s Gremlins continues to find new fans today – making it necessary to know how to watch the Gremlins movies in order. After all, with a TV series now and a potential new movie, Gremlins is becoming a rather active franchise. Though it may not have as many entries as something like Critters, the series certainly shaping up to create an interesting chronology.
Gremlins initially hit theaters in 1984. The success of the film created a massively popular IP for Warner Bros and it’s one that continues to inspire merchandise, re-releases, and talks of new projects to this day. Not to mention plenty of other mini monsters. Things haven’t changed much, because the studio was desperate for a sequel, and director Joe Dante finally caved in to present audiences with Gremlins 2: The New Batch in 1990. Reception to the sequel was divisive, however, with audiences refusing to accept the much sillier take on the material. Now, however, things are changing – and Gremlins 2 is often cited as being a cult classic, one that’s inspired the franchise’s latest iteration.
Now, as fans can see below, we’ve organized the Gremlins movies in order along with the TV series. Interestingly, this animated series is instrumental to the franchise’s chronology, so it absolutely should be included if you’re willing to go the extra mile. For the most part, the series does a great job at balancing the same kind of lightheartedness that the movies are known for along with their dark sense of humor and even a little bit of bloodless gore. It might not push boundaries as much as the original film did to help warrant the PG-13 rating – but they definitely don’t forget their roots. Thus they’re happily included in the below list.
Gremlins Movies in Order & TV Series (Release)
- Gremlins (1984)
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
- Gremlins (2023)
It’s worth noting that the TV series was released decades beyond the movies in 2023. This changed quite a bit about how fans view the franchise. It delivered an origin for Gizmo, expanded the potential of the overall universe, and left fans with many questions that likely won’t be answered solely with the animated series. For example, other mythological creatures are introduced, new dimensions, and even Chinese religions play a role in the new iteration. Unlike some reboots or revivals, however, it firmly takes place in the same world as the original two live-action films. As such, we’ll take a look at how the franchise fits together with the series included:
Gremlins Movies in Order & TV Series (Chronological)
- Gremlins (2023)
- Gremlins (1984)
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Interestingly, the animated series has so far only lasted two seasons as of this writing. The first season of the Gremlins animated series was subtitled Secrets of the Mogwai while the second was The Wild Batch. They each revolve around young Sam Wing decades before he became the old man we meet as Gizmo’s owner in the live-action movies. Along the way he comes across other creatures and gods, many of whom want to harm Gizmo. It’s a solid way to expand the story of the movies even if fans would no doubt prefer a new live-action installment.
With that in mind, there have been rumblings of a new live-action installment. The release of one such film could revive the franchise proper and give fans what they’ve been hoping for since 1990. In the meantime, the animated series is one way for the studio to hold fans over, though it also remains to be seen if it’ll be renewed for a third season. Fans can stay tuned to Brain Mutant for more news on that front as we have it. In the meantime, fans can check out other similar franchises, such as the Ghoulies series.
