How to watch Step Up movies in order

The more Next As the franchise evolved, the harder it became to track what order to watch them in. The original cut was the one that gave audiences a preview of the movie star Channing Tatum would evolve into, with the 2006 romantic drama featuring him as a troubled young man who discovers a talent for dancing. The film was a surprising success, and although Tatum soon moved on to bigger things, the Next the film franchise itself would prove strangely robust.

There have been six film entries so far, although the most recent installment is considered more of a spin-off than part of the main franchise. Although they received negative reviews, its impressively choreographed dance sequences and crowd-pleasing formula made the Next films a success. Based on box office numbers alone, even the lowest-grossing film was a solid hit, but it looks like the series is taking an extended break from the big screen.

Step up movies in release order

The films range from 2006 to 2019

The 2000s were a busy time for successful dance filmswith the genre generating names such as Save the last dance, Antonio Banderas Take the lead, and the Musical School films. The first Next fits perfectly into this niche, with the combination of dance and romance being enough to attract viewers to the cinemas. It probably helps that Tatum had great chemistry with co-star Jenna Dewan, with the two later marrying in real life; although they split in 2018.

Tatum returned for a cameo in Step 2and the series was soon handed over to a new batch of characters. THE Next the films resolutely target audiences under the age of 13, and although they have never gained much critical respect, their revenues have steadily increased. Although the fifth entry was announced as something of The Expendables of the entire saga – as it brought back most of the cast from previous entries – there were still many characters missing, the most notable absence being Tatum's Tyler.

In addition to films, a TV series titled Intensify: High Water premiered in 2018 and ran for three seasons.

Step up movies in chronological order of events

Next (2006)

Directed by Anne Fletcher (Hocus Pocus 2), this first installment follows Tatum's Tyler Gage, who, after vandalizing an art school, is sentenced to community service. He soon meets the talented ballerina Nora and although the two initially clash, events conspire to make them dancing partners and they fall in love. Next established the series formulaand while it doesn't have the sparkle and shine of later outings, It's a simple story, well told.

Interestingly, although the later films in the franchise are firmly about success in the dance world and finding community in the art, the first film is a love story first and a dance film second. Of course, this idea was reversed in later episodes of the series, and audiences began to be more interested in the dance sequences than the characters. Tatum also displays a talent for dancing that would really pay off when it comes to Magic Mike films.

Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)

Box office: US$ 151 million | Execution time: 1 hour and 38 minutes

Cast: Briana Evigan (Andie), Robert Hoffman (Chase), Will Kemp (Blake), Harry Shum, Jr. (Cable), Cassie Ventura (Sophie), Adam Sevani (Moose), Christopher Scott (Hair), Black Thomas (Tucker) , Telisha Shaw (Felicia), Sonja Sohn (Sarah), Channing Tatum (Tyler)

Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy rich Asians) took the reins of the first sequence, The streets (and the next entry too), which follows dance student Andie as she makes her way through an elite school. She and some of the other eccentrics later team up to participate in a dance battle, with Tatum appearing for a brief appearance to help Andie.

Step 2 has one of the strongest narratives in the series and introduced fan favorites like Moose. Needless to say, the dance sequences are the real attraction, with Chu infusing them with real energy and style. In the ranking of the best entries in the franchise, The streets tends to rank quite high among devotees of the franchise.

While the characters from the first film in the franchise don't appear much in the rest of the films, the characters from The Streets are the ones who continually return. They help provide the franchise's narrative, even as the location moves away from Maryland after this installment.

Next 3D (2010)

Released during a time when 3D the films were in fashion, the third film at least made good use of the format. Next 3D follows series returnees Moose (a supporting actor in the second film) and Camille (Tyler's adopted sister in the first film) as they head to New York to attend college. There, they join a team of dancers that includes Natalie as they face off against another team.

The story is strictly by the numbers and the central romance is sweeter than the others, not having the same sizzle factor, but once again, the scenarios impress the audience. One thing this film does well is explore more dance genres. While the first two films focused on the fusion of ballet and street styles, Step Up 3D expands on this, even giving Moose and Camille a number that saw them dancing through the streets in the style of classic musicals. Next 3D also proved to be the franchise's biggest earner.

Intensified Revolution (2012)

Revolution moved the action to Miami and follows a gang of dancers known as “The Mob.” as they try to stop developers from destroying their neighborhood. In a plot that seems straight out of a much older teen movie, the main character Emily falls in love with the leader of the Mafia, Sean, and they have to convince Emily's business tycoon father not to destroy the neighborhood through the power of dance.

The film idea is well used in Hollywood, especially in the era of cinema when studios commissioned dozens of films with the same actors and essentially owned them. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, in particular, were known for their “Mickey and Judy Put on a Show” movies as teenagers, only they usually put together a band and sang a few songs instead of dancing to save the day.

Although the film retained some of the dancers from the previous film and retained fan favorite Moose, the story and performances of Revolution leaves a lot to be desired. Leaving aside some well-choreographed sequences, it is one of the weakest sequences. The sequel's critical reception and lower revenues began to signal that it was probably time to end the series as well.

Step Up: All Inclusive (2014)

A real Avengers: Endgame moment of the series came with 2014 All inclusivewhere many – though not all – of the main characters from previous films have come together for a victory lap. If there's one thing the series knew how to do, it was to raise the stakes of the plot with each film, while always telling the same essential story.

The dance sequences in each round have also become more impressive, and All inclusive doesn't hold back when moving the story from Miami to Los Angeles, where many of the dancers from the previous films are trying to make a professional career out of their passion. The story involves the returnees coming together as a team to participate in a competition called The Vortex, which would earn them a spot in Las Vegas.

The dance sets are great and there's a real sense that the producers knew All inclusive it would be the end of the series (at least for now), but more effort into the actual story and dialogue would have been appreciated.

Step Up China (2019)

Box office: N/A | Execution time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Cast: Meng Meiqi (Xiao Fe), Owodog Chuang (Te She), Dany Lee (Ni Si), Jingxing Huang (Iron Monkey), Zack Roberts (52 Killer), Jade Chynoweth (USA Phantom Dancer)

One of the franchise's darkest rides are those of 2019 Step up China (also known as Step Up: Year of Dance). Actor and stuntman Ron Yuan (Black Dynamite) directed this spinoff, which seems a little more action-oriented than the rest of the saga. Predictably, the story is quite generic and involves dancers from different backgrounds learning to work together, but again, it's the settings that matter. These are at least performed with enthusiasm, but Step up China it's typically ranked as the lowest in the series – and for good reason.

While there weren't many professional reviews that circulated after its release, audiences who saw the film didn't hold back when reviewing it on sites like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Many referred to it as not only the worst film in the franchise, but as one of the worst dance films, as it failed to showcase some of its dancers' most impressive skills. Its lack of connection to the rest of the franchise was also lamented by many who liked the fact that the first five films tried to maintain connections between the characters.

Step Up was also a TV show and a play

Step Up: High Water debuted in 2018

Next it also continued beyond films. In 2018, YouTube Red released the first season of the series Intensify: High Wateralthough the series was later retitled simply Next. The series did not highlight film characters, but followed students at a performing arts high school in Atlanta, Georgia, maintaining a similar format to the films but telling a longer, serialized story. When YouTube canceled the series after the second season Starz Picked Up the Show for Season 3.

Unfortunately, the series suffered production delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, following the death of Naya Rivera, had to recast her character (with Christina Millian), as the scripts for season 3 had already been written to feature -there. Other characters also had to be recast as actors committed to other projects during the delays. With the delays, cast changes, and move to a new platform, there weren't as many eyes on the TV series, and Starz canceled the show after just one season.

The cancellation was a blow to fans of the franchise, as the series was much better received than any of the sequels. It helped that directors with experience with choreography and musicals were chosen to direct the episodes. It was also recognized that the show had a stronger plot than most sequels. Critics praised the series' narrative choices. Decision maker he even considered it the “best narrative chapter” of the franchise.

Tatum also planned a movie-inspired show. In 2022, it was announced that he had begun the development stages of a live show and was aiming for a 2023 launch. As of June 2024, however, the show has not yet been fully realized. In Dubai, however, a show inspired by the cinema was shown in 2016. Although the television series was the last edition of the Next franchise in 2022, it's unlikely to be the last.

Where to watch the Step Up movies

Hulu Offers Several Advanced Movies to Stream

With all Next So that the films are quite simple, fans of the franchise will next look for where they can watch all the films at home. Fortunately, there are viewing options for each of the six films, and while they can't all be watched in the same place, there is a streaming platform that offers the best option for fans. From December 9, 20224, the first three films of the Next franchise will be available on Hulu. With these films being the most popular in the franchise, this adds convenience for fans.

As for the other films, Next: Revolution is available on Netflix, Intensify everything In is available on the Roku channel and Step up China is available on Prime Video. Each film in the franchise is also available to rent or purchase on the usual video-on-demand platforms such as Apple TV, Amazon and Microsoft.