How to watch

A Star Is Born tells of a rising young performer who falls in love with an established star whose career is collapsing under the weight of alcoholism. The story has been remade for nearly every era of Hollywood, from the Golden Age to the modern pop world, and each version reflects its time. Its roots go back even further, to George Cukor's What Price Hollywood?

🕐 Release Order

Here is every version, along with the film that inspired it, in release order.

1. What Price Hollywood? (1932)
2. A Star Is Born (1937)
3. A Star Is Born (1954)
4. A Star Is Born (1976)
5. A Star Is Born (2018)

Because these are remakes rather than sequels, there's no shared timeline, but each one shifts the setting in interesting ways.

📖 Story Chronology

The 1937 film with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March and the 1954 musical with Judy Garland and James Mason are set in the movie business. The 1976 version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson moves to rock music, and the 2018 film with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper blends country and pop. Each is a standalone story.

1. What Price Hollywood? (1932) — precursor
2. A Star Is Born (1937)
3. A Star Is Born (1954)
4. A Star Is Born (1976)
5. A Star Is Born (2018)

Which Order Should You Choose?

You can watch any version on its own. Most modern viewers start with the 2018 film, then go back to Garland's 1954 classic, which many consider the definitive take. Completists should watch in release order to see how the story evolved over eighty years.

🔗 Related Guides

• Mamma Mia! Watch OrderGuide
• Grease Watch OrderGuide
• Dirty Dancing Watch OrderGuide

Did we miss anything? Let us know and we'll keep this guide up to date!