Originally imagined as a theme park attraction at Disneyland in California in the late 1960s, “Pirates of the Caribbean” has evolved significantly from its animatronic beginnings. It later expanded internationally with versions at other Disney parks, becoming one of the first Disney rides to be transformed into high-budget films.

On the surface, investing over $100 million into a movie based on a theme park ride might have seemed risky, especially following the failures of “The Haunted Mansion,” “Tower of Terror,” and “Mission to Mars.” However, this bet was successful when 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” quadrupled its budget through ticket sales, and its sequels achieved even greater box office success.

The debut film in the series revitalized Johnny Depp’s career, giving him arguably his most famous role, while launching Keira Knightley into movie stardom. Despite the franchise’s tremendous popularity, the journey hasn’t been entirely smooth. Beyond real-life controversies and complications, the film quality is inconsistent, leading to divided opinions. We’ve searched for fan opinions, reviewed critics’ assessments, and crafted our own ranking. Prepare for adventure as we rank every “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie (all streaming on Disney+) from worst to best.

Following the chaotic installment “At World’s End,” the franchise took a misstep with the fourth movie in the series. Drawn from an unrelated novel of the same title, “On Stranger Tides” follows Jack Sparrow in pursuit of the mythical Fountain of Youth to gain immortality. Meanwhile, the sinister pirate Captain Blackbeard (Ian McShane) is also after the life-giving treasure, while Jack gets involved with his former love interest and Blackbeard’s daughter, Angelica (Penélope Cruz).

Despite being among the most costly films ever produced, with a budget nearing $400 million, “On Stranger Tides” ranks at the bottom of our list for several reasons. The withdrawal of longtime director Gore Verbinski in 2011 marked a change in style that disappointed many fans. Additionally, the film’s focus (or the lack thereof) on our heroes was a significant drawback.

Although “Pirates of the Caribbean” prominently features Johnny Depp as the quirky Captain Jack Sparrow, “On Stranger Tides” offers an excess of him, neglecting Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), who are not only sidelined but entirely missing. This absence renders the film unbalanced and somewhat dull without their shared chemistry.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane

Director: Rob Marshall

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 137 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 32%

While “On Stranger Tides” was more or less a standalone story, 2017’s “Dead Men Tell No Tales” returned to form by continuing the overarching story that reached a crescendo with “At World’s End.” It all gets started with the ghostly scourge of Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), a famed pirate hunter thought to be dead. He sets off on a quest for revenge against Jack Sparrow, who years earlier doomed him and his crew to their cursed fate. In response, Jack enlists the help of Will Turner’s son Henry (Brenton Thwaites) and astronomer Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) to try and break Salazar’s curse before he makes good on his promise of vengeance.

The final cinematic “Pirates” adventure (at least for now), “Dead Men Tell No Tales” is part of the complicated answer to why the franchise has been dead in the water since its release. Though managing to remedy some of the issues seen in its predecessor — such as addressing the lack of truly solid lead characters with the inclusion of newcomers Henry and Carina — there’s still plenty to pick apart here. 

While “On Stranger Tides” got the formula wrong, “Dead Men Tell No Tales” somehow overcorrects, providing little in the way of anything new for a franchise approaching 15 years of age. That alone isn’t enough to sink the film, but an off-putting performance from Depp — that plenty of critics and fans felt was sorely lacking — was the finishing blow to a disappointing sendoff for the series.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem

Director: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 129 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 30%

After the smash hit that was “The Curse of the Black Pearl,” director Gore Verbinski set himself up for a tough act to follow. And though his second swashbuckler doesn’t quite stand toe to toe with the first, it’s still a darn good pirate tale. Ramping up the action from where the series kicked off, 2006’s “Dead Man’s Chest” sees Jack Sparrow in a race against time as an unpaid debt finally catches up with him. Facing an eternity of servitude to the tentacled captain from hell, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) — arguably the greatest of the many villains Sparrow and the gang have faced — his only way out is to find the titular Dead Man’s Chest, before its owner catches up with him.

Adding to the wider lore of the “Pirates” universe, “Dead Man’s Chest” further introduces us to the series’ unique blending of real-life figures and the stuff of myth and legends that would become a staple of the franchise going forward. Crafted as a setup for a larger story, the second “Pirates” outing admittedly does feel a bit off at times as a result. But while it might not be a perfect film, it does a good job bridging the gap between the franchise’s humble beginnings and what would follow, and is more than made up for by the title it was setting up.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley

Director: Gore Verbinski

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 151 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53%

Casual fans of the “Pirates” franchise would be likely bewildered by the leaps and bounds the series made in just three films. Far from the relatively straightforward tale of kidnapping and magical amulets we started with, “At World’s End” finds Jack as the prisoner of a giant octopus monster with a Scottish accent, while the future of pirates everywhere hangs in the balance. And that’s not even the tip of the proverbial iceberg, as all that is set against the backdrop of an epic naval war against the East India Trading Company that finally comes to a head.

Though received poorly by critics, we’re here to tell you why 2007’s “At World’s End” is the most underrated entry in the “Pirates” series. The last of the franchise to be captained by director Gore Verbinski, the film feels like the ultimate finale to a trilogy. In fact, it feels like multiple finales crammed into one, as the amount of seafaring action, absurd moments, and over-the-top stakes on display would be enough to pad out a separate trilogy of films all by itself. It might be a bit of a self-indulgent adventure that tests just how far the series could go, and there are times when it nearly goes too far. UItimately, it’s a movie that shouldn’t work but somehow does, all while keeping the same heart and charm longtime fans love.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley

Director: Gore Verbinski

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 168 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 43%

The one that started it all, 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl” remains the best entry in the series all these years later, and it’s hard not to see why. With its fresh take on the pirate adventure and a straightforward swashbuckling story, its blend of gritty action, light-hearted humor, and a dash of the supernatural made it unlike anything audiences had seen before. 

This first seafaring adventure kicks off after Elizabeth Swann is kidnapped by the crew of the Black Pearl, a mysterious vessel thought to be the stuff of legend, under the command of Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). But it isn’t in the hopes of securing a hefty ransom that they’ve kidnapped Swann; they’re instead planning to trade her life to free their own eternal souls from a nearly unbreakable curse. With the Black Pearl slipping away, Swann’s only hope for survival is squarely in the hands of former rivals Will Turner and the ever-aloof pirate captain Jack Sparrow — who must put aside their differences to save the damsel in distress.

The most tightly written, funniest film in the series, and with the strongest work from its star cast, there are plenty of reasons to love the series’ inaugural installment. Though the franchise would have much crazier twists and turns than we’d see in its debut outing, there’s no doubt that “The Curse of the Black Pearl” is head and shoulders above the rest.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom

Director: Gore Verbinski

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 143 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%