If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a streaming menu, clutching a glass of Chardonnay and wondering if you should watch the one with the pregnancy or the one with the Thai prison first, you aren't alone. Honestly, the Bridget Jones order of movies is mostly straightforward, but the books throw a massive spanner in the works. People get confused because the third movie isn't actually based on the third book. It’s a mess. A delightful, cigarette-counting, blue-soup-making mess.
Renée Zellweger has been playing our favorite "singleton" for over two decades now. We’ve watched her go from obsessing over "v.g." calorie counts to navigating the absolute chaos of motherhood. But if you want the full emotional arc without spoiling the big twists—especially the heavy ones in the newest 2025 release—you have to stick to the release timeline.
How to Watch the Bridget Jones Movies in Order
The good news? The films were released in the same order the story actually happens. Unlike the Star Wars or Marvel universes, there are no prequels here. You just start at the beginning of her diary and keep going until she's a "cougar" on dating apps.
1. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
This is where the magic (and the massive knickers) began. It’s 32-year-old Bridget trying to reinvent herself while caught between the ultimate "cad," Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), and the human equivalent of a warm radiator, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). If you haven't seen the fight scene in the street set to "It's Raining Men," you haven't lived.
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2. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
Set about four weeks after the first film ends. Bridget is actually in a relationship with Mark, but her insecurities—and a very tanned Daniel Cleaver in Thailand—threaten everything. It’s famous for the "mushy peas" moment and the aforementioned Thai prison sequence where she teaches everyone the lyrics to Madonna songs.
3. Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016)
There was a massive twelve-year gap between the second and third films. In this one, Bridget is 43, single again, and suddenly pregnant. The catch? She doesn't know if the father is Mark Darcy or a high-tech billionaire named Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey). Hugh Grant sat this one out, which felt weird at the time, but the movie still managed to be a massive hit.
4. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)
The newest addition to the Bridget Jones order of movies just hit screens in early 2025, and it’s the most emotional one yet. Based on Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel, we find Bridget as a widow. Yes, you read that right. Mark Darcy is gone, killed on a humanitarian mission four years prior to the start of the film. Bridget is now a 51-year-old single mum of two, Billy and Mabel, trying to figure out Tinder and dating a much younger man played by Leo Woodall.
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The Book vs. Movie Confusion
This is where it gets hairy. If you’re a reader, the Bridget Jones order of movies feels like it’s gaslighting you.
In the publishing world, Mad About the Boy came out in 2013. It was the third book. In that book, Mark Darcy was already dead. Fans were absolutely devastated. Then, in 2016, the movie Bridget Jones's Baby came out, which was based on Helen Fielding's columns but not a specific novel at the time. In the movie, Mark was alive and well!
Fielding eventually wrote the book Bridget Jones's Baby: The Diaries in 2016 to bridge the gap, but chronologically, the fourth movie (Mad About the Boy) is the true finale.
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Wait, what about Daniel Cleaver?
Another big difference: In the Mad About the Boy book, Daniel is a constant presence helping with the kids. In the movies, he was "presumed dead" in a plane crash during the third film, only for a newspaper headline at the very end to reveal he was found alive. Hugh Grant’s return in the 2025 film is basically the anchor that keeps Bridget sane while she mourns Mark.
Why the Timeline Still Matters
Watching them in order isn't just about the plot; it’s about the cultural shift. The first movie is a time capsule of "ladette" culture and Y2K London. By the time we get to 2025, we're looking at a woman navigating the "judgmental mums" at the school gate and the nightmare of social media.
The fourth film, Mad About the Boy, actually won Best Movie Made for Television at the 2026 Critics' Choice Awards because it handled the grief of losing Mark Darcy so well. It’s not just a rom-com anymore; it’s a "life-com."
Quick Reference Watch List:
- The "I'm 32 and single" phase: Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
- The "Relationships are hard" phase: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
- The "Who's the daddy?" phase: Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016)
- The "Life after loss" phase: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)
Actionable Next Steps
If you're planning a marathon, start with the 2001 original—it's currently streaming on Max in most regions. Make sure you have a subscription to Peacock for the 2025 release, as that's where Mad About the Boy lives in the US. If you want the "true" experience, read the first two books, then watch all four movies, and skip the third book until the very end to avoid getting the timelines tangled in your head.