Let’s be real for a second. If you walked into a theater in 2023 to see Honor Among Thieves, you probably had a blast. It was funny, the CGI didn't look like a wet paper bag, and Chris Pine was... well, Chris Pine. But for those of us who have been around the table a few times, that movie wasn't the beginning. Not even close. There is a weird, sometimes painful, and occasionally hilarious trail of dungeons and dragons movies in order that most people completely ignore.
Honestly, the history of D&D on the big screen is a bit of a disaster. It’s a series of critical fumbles followed by a desperate "natural 20" right at the end. You can't just talk about the new stuff without acknowledging the 2000-era chaos that paved the way.
The Cinematic Timeline: Every D&D Movie in Release Order
If you want to watch these in the order they actually hit the world, here is the breakdown. Don't say I didn't warn you about the early 2000s special effects.
- Dungeons & Dragons (2000) – The theatrical one that started it all.
- Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005) – A made-for-TV sequel.
- Dungeons & Dragons 3: The Book of Vile Darkness (2012) – Direct-to-video grit.
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) – The big-budget reboot.
The 2000 Trainwreck: Jeremy Irons Needs a Castle
Back in 2000, New Line Cinema released Dungeons & Dragons. It had a $35 million budget, which sounds like a lot until you realize Lord of the Rings came out a year later and made this look like a high school play.
The most famous thing about this movie isn't the plot. It’s Jeremy Irons. He plays the villain, Profion, and he is acting like his life depends on how much scenery he can chew. Rumor has it—and he’s basically confirmed this—that he only took the role because he had just bought a castle and needed to pay for the renovations. You can see it in his eyes. Every time he screams about "the rod," he’s mentally picking out floor tiles for his dungeon.
The movie was a massive flop. It made about $33 million worldwide, barely covering its production costs. Fans hated it because it felt generic. It didn't capture the "vibe" of a real game session. Plus, Marlon Wayans was in it as a thief named Snails, and let’s just say his performance was... polarizing.
2005: The Sequel Nobody Saw
Most people think the 2000 movie was a one-and-done situation. It wasn't. Five years later, we got Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God. This one skipped the theaters and went straight to the Sci-Fi Channel (back when it was still spelled like that).
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Here’s the kicker: it’s actually better than the first movie.
Sure, the budget was smaller ($12 million), but the people making it actually seemed to like D&D. They used real spells from the 3.5 edition rules. They had a party that actually felt like a party—a fighter, a cleric, a wizard, and a rogue. Bruce Payne returned as Damodar (the guy with the blue lips from the first movie), now an undead servant. It’s clunky and the acting is "TV-grade," but it felt like a love letter to the game rather than a cash grab.
2012: Getting Edgy with The Book of Vile Darkness
By 2012, the franchise was basically a ghost. Dungeons & Dragons 3: The Book of Vile Darkness came out direct-to-DVD and tried to go "dark and gritty." It leaned into the "Evil" alignment.
It’s a weird one. It’s got a Lawful Good paladin-type hero who has to join a party of murderous villains to save his father. There’s more gore, some brief nudity, and a much more adult tone. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a fascinating experiment in trying to make D&D feel "mature" before Game of Thrones really took over the world.
Why Honor Among Thieves Changed Everything
Fast forward to 2023. Paramount drops Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. This wasn't a sequel to the old trilogy; it was a total ground-up reboot. They spent $150 million on it.
What They Finally Got Right
Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (the guy from Freaks and Geeks!) understood something the previous filmmakers didn't: D&D is funny because things go wrong.
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In a real D&D game, the plan never works. The bard fails a persuasion check. The barbarian gets stuck in a hole. Honor Among Thieves captured that chaotic energy. Instead of a "Chosen One" story, we got a heist movie where the characters were just trying to fix their own mistakes.
The Hidden History: The Animated Series Cameo
If you’re a real nerd, the highlight of the 2023 movie was the High Sun Games sequence. In the background, you can see a rival party of adventurers in a cage. Those aren't just random extras. They are the kids from the 1983 Dungeons & Dragons animated series—Hank, Eric, Sheila, Presto, Diana, and Bobby.
It’s a tiny detail, but it shows the level of care put into the reboot. It acknowledges the entire history of the brand without being weighed down by it.
The Financial Mystery of the Reboot
Here is the weird part. Critics loved Honor Among Thieves (91% on Rotten Tomatoes). Audiences loved it. But it only made about $208 million at the box office.
With a $150 million budget, that’s technically a "disappointment." Hugh Grant recently talked about this, calling it a "mystery" why more people didn't go see it in theaters. Some blame the release date—it came out right before The Super Mario Bros. Movie—and others blame the "D&D" brand itself, which some people still think is too niche.
However, its performance on streaming has been massive. People are finally discovering it on Paramount+, which is why rumors of a lower-budget sequel or a spin-off TV show are still floating around.
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How to Watch Them (If You Dare)
If you're planning a marathon, don't try to link the plots together too hard. The first three are loosely connected by lore and a couple of characters (mostly Damodar), but the 2023 movie exists in its own bubble.
The "Pain and Gain" Order:
- Watch the 2000 movie to see Jeremy Irons have a meltdown.
- Watch Wrath of the Dragon God to see what a "faithful" low-budget adaptation looks like.
- Skip Book of Vile Darkness unless you really like 2010-era "edgy" fantasy.
- Cleanse your palate with Honor Among Thieves.
The "Lore Purist" Order:
If you only care about the Forgotten Realms (the setting used in the actual game books), you can actually skip the first three entirely. They take place in a generic kingdom called Izmer. Honor Among Thieves is the only one that uses actual locations like Neverwinter and Revel’s End.
What’s Next for D&D on Screen?
The future is a bit up in the air, but not dead. Paramount+ has been working on a live-action series, though it has gone through several creative shifts. The goal seems to be a "multi-pronged approach"—using the TV show to build out the world and hopefully getting Chris Pine back for a sequel if they can figure out how to film it for less than $150 million.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Check the Credits: If you watch the 2000 movie, look for the cameo by Dave Arneson (the co-creator of D&D). He was actually cut from the theatrical version but appears in the deleted scenes.
- Watch the Prequels: There are actually two prequel novels for the 2023 movie—The Druid’s Call and The Road to Neverwinter—that give way more backstory on Doric and Edgin than the movie had time for.
- Don't Sleep on the 2005 Sequel: Seriously, if you can find a copy of Wrath of the Dragon God, it’s a fun "beer and pizza" movie that respects the game's mechanics more than any other film on this list.
The journey of dungeons and dragons movies in order is basically a story of a franchise trying to find its identity. It started as a campy mess, tried to be a serious TV drama, went through a dark phase, and finally found its heart by embracing the humor of the tabletop experience.
To get the full experience of the newest film's world, you can explore the official "Wayfarer's Guide to the Forgotten Realms" or check out the tie-in graphic novel The Feast of the Moon, which bridges the gap between the characters' backstories and the start of the 2023 heist.