How To Watch The After Movies In Order

The "After" films have become a phenomenon among certain audiences since the first one was released in 2019. Based on the popular books of the same name, which started as One Direction fan fiction on the popular website Wattpad, the adaptations built a dedicated fan base that wanted to see each novel brought to life on screen. Though it was critically panned, the first movie, "After," did well on Netflix, and the franchise continues to grow its fanbase as new films come out.

The series follows Tessa (Josephine Langford), a college student who is a bit naïve about life, but quickly learns more about the world as she interacts with new people. Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), a young British man going to school in the United States, is the classic bad boy, from his attitude to the tattoos that cover his arms and torso. The two meet through mutual friends, and that's when everything changes for them, both for better and for worse. Over the course of five movies, Tessa and Hardin fall in love, break up (often), and support each other through difficult family revelations and situations.

For those who want to start watching the franchise for the first time, you're in luck. The release order of the movies is the chronological order for the narrative, making it easy to watch Tessa and Hardin's story from start to finish, including all the bumps along the way. Star Fiennes Tiffin didn't read the books, and you won't be missing much either if you choose to watch the movies instead of reading the novels. Here's the order to watch the movies to make sure you don't miss a second of Tessa and Hardin's on-again, off-again relationship.

The first movie in the franchise, "After" introduces audiences to the two main characters: Tessa Young and Hardin Scott. Tessa is a college freshman starting a new chapter in life when she meets Hardin at a party she's dragged to by her roommate, Steph (Khadijha Red Thunder). Unknown to Tessa, Hardin makes a bet with other members of the friend group that he can get her to fall for him and sleep with him. During Hardin's pursuit of Tessa, she cheats on her high school boyfriend, Noah (Dylan Arnold), only to find out about the bet and break things off with Hardin.

"After" sets the stage for what will become a continuing cycle for Tessa and Hardin: being together and breaking up when one of them does something that hurts the other. While it isn't as obvious in the first movie, Tessa is seen going back to Hardin by way of the lake he shows her after reading an essay he submitted for their shared English class. It speaks to how his feelings for her are genuine, even though they weren't when he made his bet.

Far from one of the greatest college movies of all time, "After" didn't impress critics, racking up a miserable 18% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it performed significantly better with audiences who have given it a 64% on the Popcornmeter. This is also reflected in the box office revenue, with the film grossing nearly $70 million against a $14 million budget. Audiences continued to show their approval of "After" by voting for it to win a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Drama. It was also named the drama movie of 2019 at the People's Choice Awards, beating out "Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood," "Us," and "Five Feet Apart," among others. "After" is currently available to stream on Netflix and for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.

• Starring: Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Selma Blair
• Director: Jenny Gage
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 1h 46m
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 18%

"After We Collided" picks up directly from where "After" left off. Tessa is about to begin the publishing internship she secured in the first movie, and Hardin is sleeping in his car. The two continue a push and pull as Tessa goes to a work event in Seattle and Hardin shows up after receiving a drunken phone call from her. This causes a new rift to appear: Hardin's jealousy over Tessa's co-worker Trevor (Dylan Sprouse).

The couple goes back and forth throughout the movie, pretending to still be together for Hardin's visiting mother, Trish (Louise Lombard). Their romance appears to be rekindling as Tessa learns more about Hardin and his nightmares, but they break up again over shared miscommunications at a New Year's Eve party. Eventually, Trish's visit helps Tessa better understand Hardin's nightmares and the traumatic event they're rooted in. The movie is a continuous emotional rollercoaster for the characters and audience alike, especially when the identity of Tessa's absent father is revealed and she ends up in a car accident at the end of the film while her relationship with Hardin is once again in limbo.

The sequel was released in September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, though the initial intent was for the film to receive a spring release that year. "After We Collided" did premiere in theaters but also had a simultaneous home release via video on demand services. While critics were more negative toward the sequel, audiences gave it a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 31% increase over the first film. "After We Collided" is currently available to stream on Netflix and for purchase on the Google Play Store.

• Starring: Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Dylan Sprouse
• Director: Roger Kumble
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 1h 47m
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 13%

"After We Fell" moves the franchise in a more serious direction as Tessa and Hardin deal with problems surrounding their parents and futures. Tessa wants to help her father, who suffers from an alcohol addiction, but Hardin disagrees with how she plans to do so. She wants to move her father into their apartment as a way to help him because he is homeless, but Hardin feels that's a mistake. When he tries to make him leave by offering him money, Tessa's father refuses.

The couple also fights about Tessa's upcoming move to Seattle, which is happening due to the publishing company she works at moving offices. After leaving a vacation early because Hardin is upset due to his belief that Tessa may have had feelings for Trevor, the two don't speak for a bit as she settles into life in the new city. Though they reconcile, and Hardin starts boxing as a way to channel his anger, the couple hits another bump in the road at Trish's wedding in England. While there, Hardin finds out who his biological father is and doesn't handle it well. Meanwhile, during her time away from Hardin in Seattle, Tessa finds out she may never be able to get pregnant, a revelation that causes the young woman to experience a variety of emotions.

The third "After" movie continued the trend of decreasing critics scores, with the 2021 film receiving an 8% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Unlike "After" and "After We Collided," "After We Fell" is the first movie in the franchise to receive a rotten score from audiences with 38%. It also had a more limited theatrical release, releasing as a part of Fathom Events on select nights and times. Despite the limited release, the film saw a box office return of $21 million worldwide. "After We Fell" is currently available to stream on Netflix and for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.

• Starring: Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Louise Lombard, Rob Estes
• Director: Castille Landon
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 1h 39m
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 8%

"After Ever Happy" continues the heavier storylines introduced in the previous film. After Hardin discovers that Vance is his biological father, he turns to partying, causing Tessa to leave him in England as she heads back to the United States. When she arrives home, she finds that her father has died from an overdose in their apartment. Hardin rushes back, but it's too late to provide the comfort she needs.

Throughout the movie, Hardin tries to convince Tessa that they belong together, but she wants to spend some time apart. She decides to move to New York with Landon, played by the late Chance Perdomo, in order to get a fresh start and asks Hardin not to follow if he really does care about her. After a few months, Hardin arrives in town and the two reconnect. However, when she finds out he's selling their story as a book for the world to see, she breaks things off again. The book does well after it's published, and Tessa pops into an event Hardin has in town, but the two don't speak.

"After Ever Happy" released in 2022, continuing the yearly additions to the franchise. It received a 0% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences awarded it a 92%, marking a return to the typically high scores the franchise receives from the public. Like "After We Fell," the fourth installment had a limited theatrical release through Fathom Events that garnered $19 million worldwide. "After Ever Happy" is currently available to stream on Netflix and for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.

• Starring: Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Louise Lombard, Rob Estes
• Director: Castille Landon
• Year: 2022
• Runtime: 1h 35m
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 0%

"After Everything" takes a different approach than the previous four "After" installments. While Tessa and Hardin's story is still at the core of the narrative, audiences watch as Hardin works through his past to better understand his possible future with Tessa and to break through his writer's block. It's been a year since the couple's last breakup, but Hardin is still determined to be the man Tessa deserves and is holding on to hope that they will be together one day.

His publisher wants another book, and as Hardin embarks on a journey of making amends with his past actions, a new story emerges. He reconnects with and apologizes to Nathalie (Mimi Keene), a woman he wronged when they were both teenagers. With her blessing, he submits his new book before heading to Landon's wedding, where he sees Tessa for the first time in two years. The pair rekindle their relationship, and the movie ends with a look into their life several years later, with one child and another on the way.

The fifth "After" film was released in September 2023, again with a limited theatrical release of two nights only through Fathom Events. There is no critics score for "After Everything" on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences give the movie an 80% on the Popcornmeter. Despite the positive score, fans were disgruntled over the lack of Tessa and, by extension, actor Josephine Langford in the movie. While it marks the end of the current story arc, a prequel following a young Hardin and a sequel following Tessa and Hardin's children are in the works.

• Starring: Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Mimi Keene
• Director: Castille Landon
• Year: 2023
• Runtime: 1h 35m
• Rating: R