Ben Stiller is a night guard at the Museum of Natural History in the kid-friendly franchise.

How to watch the *Night at the Museum *movies in order (including the animated sequel)

Ben Stiller is a night guard at the Museum of Natural History in the kid-friendly franchise.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

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February 2, 2026 11:56 a.m. ET

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'Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again'; 'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb'; 'Night at the Museum'. Credit:

20th Century Studios/Courtesy Everett; Joe Lederer/20th Century Fox; Doane Gregory/20th Century Fox

- Milan Trenc's 1993 book *The Night at the Museum* inspired four films.

- Released between 2006 and 2014, the movies follow Larry Daley, who works as a night security guard at the Museum of Natural History, where the exhibits come to life after dark.

- In 2022, Disney+ released an animated film where Larry's son Nick takes over as the new night guard.

The *Night at the Museum *franchise marked Ben Stiller's first real venture into live-action family movies.

Director Shawn Levy previously told ** that the *Meet the Parents *star "knew it was risky," but they made a deal: Levy "would make sure the movie was edgy and funny the way a Ben Stiller movie needs to be, and he would make sure it was emotional and poignant the way a Shawn Levy family film needs to be."

Clearly, it paid off because the 2006 film was a box office smash, leading to two sequels and an animated feature. In July 2025, EW reported that a reboot is in the works.

With all that in mind, now might be the perfect time to revisit the franchise. Luckily, the first three films are now streaming on Netflix.

Here's how to watch the *Night at the Museum *movies in order.

Night at the Museum (2006)

Ben Stiller as Larry Daley and Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt in 'Night at the Museum'.

Doane Gregory/20th Century Fox

In the first *Night at the Museum*, Ben Stiller's Larry Daley is a divorced dad and struggling inventor in desperate need of a new job. When his son Nick (Jake Cherry) begins taking after his stepdad (Paul Rudd), Larry worries Nick thinks he's a failure — but then he lands a gig as a night security guard at New York City's Museum of Natural History.

Before his first shift, Larry is warned to "not let anything in... or out." Soon, he learns that the museum exhibits come to life at night thanks to an ancient Egyptian artifact, the Golden Tablet of Pharaoh Ahkmenrah. Dinosaurs, historical wax figures, and miniature cowboys all run wild. But when the museum itself ends up in danger, Larry has to team up with the exhibits to save the day.

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Despite a mixed critical reception, audiences turned out in droves. *Night at the Museum* raked in more than $574 million on a budget of $110 million.

Much of the film's appeal can be credited to Stiller, who was constantly fine-tuning scenes and "fighting to make the movie better," as effects supervisor Jim Rygiel told EW. His hands-on approach helped turn the magical museum's chaos into a crowd-pleasing adventure.

Where to watch *Night at the Museum*: Netflix

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)

Ben Stiller as Larry Daley and Bill Hader as George Armstrong Custer in 'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian'.

Doane Gregory/20th Century Fox

Set two years after the events of the first movie, 2009's *Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian* finds the action shifting to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

”The Smithsonian is 19 museums, so the scope of things that can come to life is far more diverse,” Levy told EW at the time. ”It’s not just creatures — it’s artwork and aircraft and a lot of cool s---.”

There, Larry finds himself facing down the sinister pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), who's got plans to take over the world. Along the way, Larry teams up with new exhibit friends and even meets cute with the animated wax model of famed pilot Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams).

*Battle of the Smithsonian *was also met with mixed reviews, but nevertheless made more than $400 million on a $150 million budget.

Where to watch *Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian*: Netflix

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)

(Left to right) Mizuo Peck as Sacagawea, Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt, Ben Stiller as Larry Daley, Rami Malek as Ahkmenrah, and Patrick Gallagher as Attila the Hun in 'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb'.

Kerry Brown/20th Century Fox

*Secret of the Tomb*, the third entry in the franchise, picks up five years later, with Larry again working at the Museum of Natural History. Everything seems perfect… until the magical tablet starts to wear down, and the exhibits begin acting *very* odd.

Larry, his son Nick (Skyler Gisondo), and the museum gang seek answers at London's British Museum, where a few experts might know how to restore the table's fading magic before it's too late.

Levy's threequel sees Stiller doubling up as a new Neanderthal figure named Laaa, who believes Larry is his father. It also features fresh faces like Rebel Wilson, Rami Malek, and Dan Stevens. Still, the franchise's appeal appeared to be waning. It earned an impressive $353 million worldwide, but that still makes it the lowest-grossing entry in the trilogy.

Where to watch *Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb*: Netflix

Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022)

Dexter (Dee Bradley Baker) and Nick Daley (Joshua Bassett) in 'Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again'.

20th Century Studios/Courtesy Everett

Nearly a decade after the third film, the *Night at the Museum* franchise returned as a Disney+ animated movie.

Levy returned as a producer on *Kahmunrah Rises Again*, but the project otherwise features an all-new cast and crew. It was directed by Matt Danner from a script by Ray DeLaurentis and William Schifrin, with Joshua Bassett (*High School Musical: The Musical: The Series*) voicing Larry's son, Nick.

Following in his dad's footsteps, Nick becomes a night guard at the Museum of Natural History. The evil Kahmunrah (Joseph Kamal) again rears his head, more determined than ever to carry out his plan to rule the world.

Where to watch *Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again*: Disney+

The Night at the Museum movies in order by release date:

- *Night at the Museum *(2006)

- *Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian* (2009)

- *Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb* (2014)

- *Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again* (2022)

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