The X-Men saga has 7 released films, 14 hrs 23 in total, spread from 2000 to 2019.
That comes to 8 evenings of two hours — the median film runs 130 minutes, so an evening swallows one, rarely two.
In release order
- 2000 — X-Men — 1 hr 45
- 2003 — X2 — 2 hrs 15
- 2006 — X-Men: The Last Stand — 1 hr 45
- 2011 — X-Men: First Class — 2 hrs 10
- 2014 — X-Men: Days of Future Past — 2 hrs 11
- 2016 — X-Men: Apocalypse — 2 hrs 24
- 2019 — Dark Phoenix — 1 hr 53
In chronological order
- 2011 — X-Men: First Class — 2 hrs 10
- 2016 — X-Men: Apocalypse — 2 hrs 24
- 2019 — Dark Phoenix — 1 hr 53
- 2000 — X-Men — 1 hr 45
- 2003 — X2 — 2 hrs 15
- 2006 — X-Men: The Last Stand — 1 hr 45
- 2014 — X-Men: Days of Future Past — 2 hrs 11
Which order should you pick?
Chronological, this time — and it is the opposite of Star Wars. 'First Class' is set in 1962 and tells how it all began; watching it after the original trilogy means watching a prequel already knowing everything. In chronological order the saga reads as one continuous forty-year story. Only one film resists, 'Days of Future Past', set in both eras at once: it goes at its release slot, because there is no better place for it.
Is X-Men worth the marathon?
Fourteen hours for seven films, eight evenings. The saga has the rare distinction of having been rebooted without being erased: both casts coexist, cross paths and eventually answer each other. That is what makes the order worth choosing rather than enduring. Nineteen years of production, and a quality that rises, dips and rises again — the first two films of each era are the best, the thirds are the most argued over.
Who it is for
For anyone who likes sagas that fold back on themselves, and accepts that one film in seven fits no order. For anyone who wants eight evenings rather than the MCU's thirty-eight. If you want seamless continuity, this one contradicts itself from film to film and knows it: 'Days of Future Past' exists precisely to erase what was in the way.
FAQ
What order should I watch X-Men in? Chronological holds up better: First Class, Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix, then the original trilogy.
How many hours does it ask for? 14 hrs 23 for seven films, eight evenings of two hours.
Do Deadpool and Logan count? Same universe, outside this collection: this total does not include them.
Last updated: September 22, 2026 — TMDB data verified.