I Know What You Did Last Summer: Watch Order, Killer, Box Office

Few slasher series have pulled off the trick of returning nearly three decades later. The 1997 original, I Know What You Did Last Summer, became a teen horror touchstone, and now a 2025 sequel is testing whether that legacy still holds. This guide covers the correct watch order, the killer’s identity, the franchise’s box office performance, and how Julie James survived it all.

Original release year: 1997 ·
2025 film release date: July 18, 2025 ·
Original film budget: $17 million ·
Original film worldwide gross: $125 million ·
2025 film Rotten Tomatoes score: 34%

Five facts that define the franchise: one pattern — a mix of nostalgia and creative reinvention.

What’s the correct order of the I Know What You Did Last Summer movies?

Original trilogy

• The franchise begins with I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), directed by Jim Gillespie (Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia)).
• The sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer followed in 1998 (Wikipedia).
• CableTV’s viewing guide notes that the franchise timeline is linear and recommends watching in release order (CableTV (streaming guide)).

2025 reboot

• The 2025 film is a direct sequel to the original trilogy (Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia)).
• It stars Madison Iseman, Bill Skarsgård, and Ryan Hurst, and is directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (IMDb (film database)).

TV series (2021)

• A separate adaptation, the TV series premiered on Amazon Prime in October 2021 (Amazon Prime (streaming service)).
• It is a standalone retelling, not connected to the film timeline.

The pattern: the franchise has always rewarded chronological viewing. For completionists, the TV series offers a fresh take, but the core story lives in the two 1990s films.

Is the new I Know What You Did Last Summer worth watching?

Critical reception

• Rotten Tomatoes reports a critics’ score of 34% based on early reviews (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)).
• Many reviews note the film struggles to match the original’s tension.

Audience reaction

• Audience score stands at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes).
• IMDb user rating is 5.2/10 as of August 2025 (IMDb).

How it compares to the original

• The 1997 film holds an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score and is considered a teen slasher classic (Rotten Tomatoes (editorial)).
• The 2025 film updates the setting but reuses the same car-accident cover-up premise.
• For readers who enjoy comprehensive movie guides, check out our Along for the Ride: Complete Plot, Cast, Ending & Sequel Guide.

The trade-off: the 2025 film brings nostalgia for longtime fans, but its execution has divided audiences. For casual horror fans, the original remains the better entry point.

Who was the killer in I Know What You Did Last Summer?

Ben Willis (the fisherman)

• Ben Willis, played by Muse Watson, is the hook-wielding killer in the 1997 film (Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia)).
• He seeks revenge after the four friends leave him for dead following a hit-and-run.
• Readers interested in similar killer-focused guides can explore our Memory of a Killer (2026): Episodes, Cast & Viewing Guide.

Ray Bronson’s arc

• In the original timeline, Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is initially a suspect but ultimately survives. In later stories, he becomes a killer himself, adding complexity (Wikipedia).

Julie James’ survival

• Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) survives by fighting back and hiding from Ben Willis (IMDb (film database)).
• She appears again in the 2025 film as a survivor, bridging the original and new storylines.

The implication: the killer’s identity is straightforward in the original film, but the franchise plays with shifting allegiances across sequels.

Was I Know What You Did Last Summer a hit or flop?

Original box office performance

• The 1997 film grossed $125 million worldwide on a $17 million budget (Box Office Mojo (box office tracking site)).
• That’s a 7.4× return — a clear box office success.

2025 box office performance

• Box Office Mojo reports worldwide gross of $64.8 million as of late August 2025 (Box Office Mojo).
• IMDb lists an estimated production budget of $18 million, with domestic gross of $32.2 million (IMDb).
• By comparison, the 2025 film is considered a financial disappointment, especially given marketing costs.

Definition of a flop

• Industry analysts typically consider a film a flop if it fails to gross 2–2.5× its production budget (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)).
• The 2025 film’s $64.8 million gross on an $18 million budget gives a 3.6× multiple — technically not a flop, but underwhelming for a franchise relaunch.

How did Julie James survive?

Julie’s actions in the original

• In the 1997 film, Julie hides in a closet and later escapes Ben Willis after a chase sequence (IMDb (film database)).
• She uses her wits and the environment to avoid the hook.

Her survival in the sequel

• In I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Julie is again targeted but survives the events on the island resort (Wikipedia).

Connection to the 2025 film

• Julie James returns in the 2025 film, now as a mentor figure to the new group of friends (IMDb).
• Her survival is a key plot thread linking the original trilogy to the new story.

What this means: Julie’s survival is no accident — she represents resilience and is the franchise’s emotional core across decades.

How to watch the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise in order

1. Watch the 1997 original – Available on streaming and digital platforms (IMDb). This is the foundation.
2. Watch I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) – The direct sequel, also available widely (Wikipedia).
3. Watch the TV series (2021) – optional – A separate adaptation on Amazon Prime (Amazon Prime).
4. Watch the 2025 film last – It assumes you know the original timeline (Rotten Tomatoes).

If you’re short on time, the two 1990s films are essential. The TV series is a modern retelling with little connection to the movies.

For horror fans looking for a nostalgia fix, the 2025 film offers faint echoes of the original. Julie James fans should revisit the 1997 classic for genuine tension, or skip the reboot unless they’re completionists.

For a deeper look at the entire series, check out this complete franchise overview covering all films and their connections.

Frequently asked questions