How To Watch The Ocean's Franchise In Order (2024)

The Ocean's film franchise currently contains five individual installments, three of which were directed by Steven Soderbergh. The Ocean's movies are celebrated for their star-studded ensemble casts that have brought together some of the biggest names in Hollywood together onscreen. The films always focus on an elaborate heist or financial scheme that seems impossible at first but becomes more and more realistic as the story plays out. Each of the modern Ocean's movies has turned out to be successful at the box office, which ensures that there will likely be future installments of the Ocean's franchise in the near future.

Some of the celebrated actors who have appeared in the Ocean's franchise include fan-favorites George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt along with Don Cheadle, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Bernie Mac, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina, and Rihanna. Although a direct follow-up to Ocean's 8 never happened, which was expected to be titled Ocean's 9, a prequel Ocean's movie has been announced that will reportedly star Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling with Jay Roach (Austin Powers) set to direct.

The Ocean's Movies In Release Order

The five Ocean's movies can be watched in chronological order through their release date. Although the original Ocean's 11 doesn't really connect to the popular Ocean's trilogy of the 2000s, it still was the original film that brought the classic Las Vegas casino heist narrative to the big screen. The heart of the Ocean's franchise are Soderbergh's three films starring Pitt, Damon, and Clooney, whereas Ocean's 8 was treated more as a spinoff than a direct sequel or prequel installment. Interestingly, all five Ocean's films were written by different screenwriters even during the popular trilogy run.

The numbers in the titles do not indicate the sequential order of the movie series as in the Star Wars or John Wick franchises. Rather, they indicate the number of characters involved in the main heist in each particular film. While it may seem intuitive to assume that Ocean's 8, which is the most recent installment of the heist franchise, should be watched before Ocean's 11-13, the correct approach is actually the complete opposite.

When in doubt, refer to the year that each Ocean's film was released in order to watch the series in sequential order. The original Ocean's 11 from 1960 is not essential to watch in order to follow the other films since 2001's Ocean Eleven is a direct remake of the original film starring Frank Sinatra.

The Ocean's Movies In Chronological Order Of Events

Ocean's 11 (1960)

Technically, the first movie in the Ocean's franchise is 1960's Ocean's 11, though it isn't connected to the 21st century reboot or its sequels. Frank Sinatra portrayed the original onscreen Danny Ocean in the 1960 film directed by Lewis Milestone. Another notable leading man and singer of the era Dean Martin starred alongside Sinatra, who both established themselves as actors after skyrocketing to international fame from their celebrated music careers.

The original ensemble consisted of members of the Rat Pack, who were a group of entertainers who made films and frequently appeared together at various Las Vegas casinos. While Soderbergh, Pitt, Clooney, and Damon took the original film's idea and ran with it, the 1960 classic was as much a peek into the friendship and dynamic between Sinatra, Martin, and the legendary Rat Pack as it was a heist film.

Ocean’s Eleven

Director

Lewis Milestone

Release Date

August 10, 1960

Studio(s)

Dorchester Productions

Writers

Harry Brown , Charles Lederer

Cast

Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin , Sammy Davis Jr. , Peter Lawford , Angie Dickinson , Richard Conte , Cesar Romero , Patrice Wymore , Joey Bishop , Akim Tamiroff , Henry Silva

Runtime

127 Minutes

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Often considered the best installment of the Ocean's film franchise, 2001's Ocean's Eleven may not be the very first movie in the series, but is certainly the most popular and impactful. The film helped define the now-iconic sleek and stylish aesthetic of director Steven Soderbergh, who rose to prominence after being nominated for two Best Director Academy Awards in the same year (Erin Brockovich and Traffic in 2001).

Ocean's Eleven was a huge box office success and remains one of the most profitable films of Soderbergh's career, which made the decision to extend the modern remake into a trilogy a no-brainer. While Ocean's Eleven wasn't nearly as celebrated at the Oscars, it is arguably Soderbergh's most enjoyable feature. 2001's Ocean's Eleven was the movie that introduced audiences to George Clooney's Danny Ocean, Brad Pitt's Rusty Ryan, and a host of other characters. It laid the blueprint for the sequels that followed, and is still considered one of the best in the franchise.

Ocean's Eleven

PG-13

A remake of the 1960 film and the first in a trilogy of movies by Steven Soderbergh, Ocean's Eleven is an ensemble comedy-heist film that follows Danny Ocean and his friend Rusty Ryan who enlist the help of several specialized con men, safe-crackers, and experts to pull off a colossal heist of three casinos. Seeking revenge against the new husband of ex-wife Tess, Danny begins to tip-toe dangerously between the line of the job and revenge.

Director

Steven Soderbergh

Release Date

December 7, 2001

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

Ted Griffin

Cast

Brad Pitt , Don Cheadle , Julia Roberts , George Clooney , Matt Damon , Andy Garcia

Runtime

116 minutes

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Ocean's Twelve was the highly-anticipated follow-up to 2001's Ocean's Eleven, which was the fifth highest-grossing movie in the world of that year. Ocean's Twelve was slightly less financially successful at the global box office compared to its predecessor, but the sequel was still profitable despite its franchise-high $110 million budget.

The 2004 film featured many of the original characters and picked up right after the end of Ocean's Eleven, making it crucial to watch the 2001 instant classic before checking out its direct sequel in Ocean's Twelve. Julia Roberts notably joined the group of heist members as Tess Ocean, to expand the original 11 as the wife of Clooney's Danny.

Ocean’s Twelve

PG-13

Director

Steven Soderbergh

Release Date

December 10, 2004

Studio(s)

Village Roadshow Pictures , Jerry Weintraub Productions , Section Eight Productions

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Cast

George Clooney , Brad Pitt , Matt Damon , Catherine Zeta-Jones , Andy Garcia , Don Cheadle , Bernie Mac , Julia Roberts , Casey Affleck , Scott Caan , Vincent Cassel , Eddie Jemison , Carl Reiner , Elliott Gould

Runtime

125 Minutes

Budget

$110 Million

Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

The trio of Clooney, Pitt, and Damon returned one last time in 2007's Ocean's Thirteen and introduced a new character and antagonist in Al Pacino. Ocean's Thirteen ended up being slightly more profitable than its predecessor mainly due to the budget reduction from $110 million to $85 million. Critics and audiences were split on whether the final film of the Ocean's trilogy was better than the second.

However, despite middling reviews Ocean's Thirteen did not let true fans of the franchise down. As with nearly all sequels, Ocean's Thirteen provides much of the same wit, charm, and sleek stylistic elements as the first two films while raising the stakes to new heights, which Ocean's Thirteen certainly succeeds in doing effectively.

Ocean’s Thirteen

PG-13

Director

Steven Soderbergh

Release Date

June 8, 2007

Studio(s)

Village Roadshow Pictures , Jerry Weintraub Productions , Section Eight Productions

Writers

Brian Koppelman , David Levien

Cast

George Clooney , Brad Pitt , Matt Damon , Andy Garcia , Don Cheadle , Bernie Mac , Ellen Barkin , Al Pacino , Casey Affleck , Scott Caan , Eddie Jemison , Qin Shaobo , Carl Reiner , Elliott Gould

Runtime

122 Minutes

Budget

$85 Million

Ocean's 8 (2018)

Sandra Bullock took the reins of the Ocean's franchise with 2018's Ocean's 8, which notably features an entirely female group of heist members as opposed to the original male-dominated group in the previous films. While Ocean's 8 was a box-office success, many fans of the original trilogy were disappointed by the film for not including the original characters and for not updating the franchise effectively with equally interesting and entertaining characters.

Although Ocean's 8 proved that there is still great interest in the Ocean's film franchise, it also showed that it will be a difficult task trying to update the series in exciting ways without exhausting the same old tropes or deviating too far from the elements that made Soderbergh's trilogy so enjoyable.

Ocean's Eight

PG-13

Oceans Eight is a sequel/spin-off from the Ocean's Eleven franchise that follows the equally capable sister of master thief Danny Ocean. Fresh out of jail after being framed for art fraud by her former lover, Debbie enlists the help of her best friend and several other talented women to perform a massive heist of the Toussaint necklace, all while getting revenge. Assembling a crack team isn't easy, but Debbie will pull it off in style.

Director

Gary Ross

Release Date

June 8, 2018

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

Gary Ross , Olivia Milch

Cast

Helena Bonham Carter , Denisa Juhos , Matt Damon , Mindy Kaling , Charlotte Kirk , Cate Blanchett , Rihanna , Awkwafina , Sarah Paulson , Dakota Fanning , Anne Hathaway , Sandra Bullock

Runtime

111minutes

Budget

$70 million

The Future Of The Ocean's Timeline

There Are Several Projects That Could Be The Next Ocean's Movie

While there hasn't been a new Ocean's movie since 2018's Ocean's 8, there have been several ideas and potential plans for sequels, prequels, or crossovers that look likely to carry the franchise forward. The most obvious direction is, of course, Ocean's 9, which was confirmed at one point but has been stuck in long-term development ever since.

Sandra Bullock gave an Ocean's 9 update in 2022 and revealed that, at the time, scheduling issues with Awkwafina were a key reason production hadn't yet gone ahead. Bullock also revealed that the cast were waiting on the right female director and writer to align with the project, which was another reason Ocean's 9 still hadn't arrived.

However, a sequel to Ocean's 8 isn't the only way the franchise timeline could expand. A prequel starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling has been teased as in development since 2022, and while it hasn't gone ahead just yet, it's also not been canceled either. The Ocean's prequel would be set in the 1960s and, rather than be a reboot, would link the original 1960 Ocean's 11 to the rest of the franchise. It has also been revealed that Gosling and Robbie would be playing the parents of Clooney's Danny Ocean and his sister, Sandra Bullock's Debbie Ocean.

Speaking of George Clooney, the Ocean's star revealed in December 2023 that he was involved in a sequel to Ocean's 13, which (presumably) would be Ocean's 14. Details beyond this are unknown, although Clooney confirmed that the script was complete. Matt Damon had also previously stated he'd be interested in returning to the franchise, though news about whether the rest of the cast would feature in an Ocean's 13 sequel have yet to emerge.

The final potential project is perhaps the most intriguing when it comes to the next Ocean's movie. In April 2023, Soderbergh and Clooney revealed that they'd talked about a potential crossover with Channing Tatum's male stripper franchise Magic Mike. Exactly what this would look like is entirely speculative, though it's easy to see how a movie featuring the cast of both franchises would be incredibly entertaining.

Ocean's

Based on the original 1960 film Ocean's Eleven, The Ocean's franchise reimagines and expands the classic heist film. The series centers on Danny Ocean and later his sister, Deborah Ocean, master thieves taught by their parents to pull off elaborate heists against the rich. Each film maintains the majority of the cast, as the Ocean siblings gather together teams of talented individuals who bring unique skills to each film's extraordinary heist.

Created by

Lewis Milestone , Steven Soderbergh

First Film

Ocean's Eleven

Cast

George Clooney , Brad Pitt , Matt Damon , Andy Garcia , Julia Roberts , Don Cheadle , Casey Affleck , Scott Caan , Elliott Gould , Bernie Mac , Eddie Jemison , Carl Reiner , Qin Shaobo , Sandra Bullock , Cate Blanchett , Helena Bonham Carter , Anne Hathaway , Rihanna

Character(s)

Danny Ocean , Rusty Ryan , Linus Caldwell , Terry Benedict , Tess Ocean , Basher Tarr , Virgil Malloy , Turk Malloy , Reuben Tishkoff , Livingston Dell , Saul Bloom , Yen (Ocean's) , Deborah Ocean , Lou Miller , Rose Weil , Daphne Kluger , Nine Ball