Streaming > Streaming TV, Movies, & More How to Watch the ‘Ghostbusters’ Movies in Order Follow the careers of a team of ghost-busting scientists, and their eventual inheritors, with the full filmography By Rob Rich Rob Rich News Reporter College for Creative Studies Rob is a freelance tech reporter with experience writing for a variety of outlets, including IGN, Unwinnable, 148Apps, Gamezebo, Pocket Gamer, Fanbolt, Zam, and more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on May 16, 2024 In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Release Order Chronological Order Is the 2016 Movie Connected? Trending Videos Close this video player This list covers all of the feature films in the Ghostbusters franchise that have been released so far, with a couple of watch order suggestions with very slight differences between them. If you want to view all of the Ghostbusters films in one place, you’ll need to budget for it. Currently no one subscription-based streaming service offers every single title, but you can rent (or buy) them all digitally from singular sources. Watching 'Ghostbusters' in Release Order While a daunting amount of Ghostbusters media is available—including movies, TV shows, comics, and video games—the filmography is manageable. Despite being such a beloved franchise, you’re looking at a grand total of five movies that you’ll need to watch to catch up with the franchise. Arguably four, but we’ll get to that. While not all of the movies are available on streaming platforms, you can rent or buy them from storefronts like Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play. Entry Release Where to Watch Ghostbusters 1984 Tubi Ghostbusters II 1989 Rent or buy Ghostbusters 2016 Tubi Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2021 • Fubo • Sling TV Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 2024 Rent or buy Don’t let the number of sequels (compared to some other prolific franchises like Star Wars or Alien) fool you. If you want to sit down and watch all five films back-to-back for their full runtimes, you’re going to need to set aside nine hours and 29 minutes of your day. Or seven hours and 32 minutes if you decide to skip the standalone 2016 reboot. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc How to Watch the 'Ghostbusters' Franchise Chronologically Watching all of the Ghostbusters films in chronological order isn’t all that different from going in order of release, as the overarching story progresses linearly along with each new film. The 2016 reboot doesn’t have to end up in any particular spot, so you can watch it first, last, somewhere in the middle, or not at all. If you do include it, you should watch the original 1984 film before the 2016 version so that some of the nods and in-jokes make sense. Entry Release Where to Watch Ghostbusters 1984 Tubi Ghostbusters II 1989 Rent or buy Ghostbusters (optional) 2016 Tubi Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2021 • Fubo • Sling TV Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 2024 Rent or buy Is “Ghostbusters 2016” Connected to the Other Films? For all intents and purposes, 2016’s Ghostbusters is a wholly separate entity from the rest of the franchise. Aside from some Easter eggs and references sprinkled throughout the film, it does not tie into any of the older or newer entries story-wise. The overarching narrative is similar in that scientists are working together to “bust” ghosts, but the story is different (although many of the original actors do appear as other people). You can think of it as an alternate version of the story, like Batman Begins is to the original 1989 Batman. Likewise, 2021’s Afterlife and its sequel, Frozen Empire, are not connected to the 2016 film. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc The Best 4K and 1080p Projectors of 2024 Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies