Release Order (Recommended)Recommended
0 / 4 watchedRelease order: first film, both prequel specials, then the sequel. Four entries total.
- 1 The Bad Guys Theatrical original, released April 22, 2022. The crew fakes going good to dodge prison.
- 2 The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday Netflix prequel special, November 30, 2023. Christmas heist with a replacement voice cast.
- 3 The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist Netflix Halloween prequel special, October 3, 2024. The crew steals an amulet from a haunted mansion.
- 4 The Bad Guys 2 Theatrical sequel, released August 1, 2025. The crew is pulled back for a job by a new all-female crew.
About The Bad Guys
DreamWorks' Bad Guys films follow Mr. Wolf's crew of animal criminals trying, mostly, to go good. The 2022 original opened April 22 and earned about $251 million worldwide. Its sequel arrived August 1, 2025 with new thieves played by Natasha Lyonne, Danielle Brooks and Maria Bakalova.
Two Netflix specials sit between the films. A Very Bad Holiday (November 30, 2023) and Haunted Heist (October 3, 2024) are prequels with a replacement voice cast. Release order works best: film, specials, sequel.
Good to know
A prequel series, The Bad Guys: Breaking In, premiered on Netflix on November 6, 2025; its second season, retitled The Bad Guys: The Series, followed April 2, 2026. This list covers films and specials only. A third film was discussed by the directors in June 2025, but its status is uncertain after both directors and a producer left DreamWorks (reported 2026). Shorts Maraschino Ruby (2022) and Little Lies and Alibis (2025) are disc and theatrical extras.
