Few franchises have sparked the kind of love-hate divide that The Kissing Booth has. It topped streaming charts and spawned three films, yet critics savaged it from day one. Now, with a possible fourth chapter on the horizon, star Jacob Elordi has made no secret of his regrets. Here’s everything you need to sort the hype from the reality.
Release Year: 2018 ·
Director: Vince Marcello ·
Streaming Platform: Netflix ·
Lead Actress: Joey King ·
Based On: 2012 novel by Beth Reekles
Quick snapshot
- 42M Netflix accounts watched the first film within 10 days (Netflix Official Blog)
- Jacob Elordi called the films “ridiculous” in a 2023 GQ interview (GQ Magazine)
- Three films released (2018, 2020, 2021) with no official Kissing Booth 4 renewal (Screen Rant)
- Whether Netflix will actually commit to a fourth film given Elordi’s public disinterest
- If a 2026 release window has any solid foundation beyond industry speculation
- Whether a reboot could proceed without Noah Flynn’s original actor
- 2018 — The Kissing Booth drops on Netflix
- 2020 — The Kissing Booth 2 premieres
- 2021 — The Kissing Booth 3 wraps the original saga on August 11
- 2026? — Unconfirmed chatter about a fourth installment
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre | Teen romantic comedy |
| Runtime | 105 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Production Company | Netflix |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Critics) | 16% (Part 1), 25% (Part 2), 11% (Part 3) |
| Total Trilogy Viewership | 200+ million hours combined |
Is Kissing Booth a hit or flop?
It depends on how you define success. By streaming metrics, The Kissing Booth trilogy is one of Netflix’s most-watched teen films ever. By critical standards, it ranks among the lowest-scoring franchises on Rotten Tomatoes.
Box office performance
Netflix doesn’t publish traditional box office figures, but the company has released viewing data for the franchise. The first film attracted 42 million Netflix accounts within its first 10 days of release, breaking streaming records at the time. The sequel, Part 2, drew 66 million views in its first four weeks, Variety reported. The third installment accumulated 82 million viewing hours in its first 28 days, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Critics, however, painted a very different picture. The trilogy holds Rotten Tomatoes scores of 16% for Part 1, 25% for Part 2, and 11% for Part 3, the review aggregator shows. Industry analysts have called the franchise a paradox: a critical flop that became a streaming hit, with an estimated 200+ million total viewing hours across all three films, IndieWire noted.
Critical reception
Critics found little to praise in the original film, with reviews calling it formulaic, shallow, and lacking the self-awareness that could have made it work as camp. Part 2 fared slightly better with audiences (72% audience score), though critics still gave it just 25%. By Part 3, the franchise hit its lowest critical point at 11%, with reviewers noting a sense that the story had exhausted its premise.
Audience scores
Audience scores tell a contrasting story. Viewers consistently rated the films higher than critics, suggesting the franchise succeeded at delivering exactly what its target demographic wanted: light romance, easy watching, and a star (Joey King) they could root for. The disconnect between critical panning and audience enthusiasm is what makes The Kissing Booth a case study in how different metrics produce entirely different verdicts.
What streaming service is The Kissing Booth on?
The Kissing Booth franchise is a Netflix exclusive. All three films are available on the platform, and no other streaming service has rights to distribute them.
Current availability
Netflix remains the sole home of The Kissing Booth trilogy. The platform streams the films in virtually all countries where Netflix operates, with the franchise appearing in the teen romance sections of the service. Netflix Tudum confirmed that all three installments have remained in the library since their respective release dates.
Netflix exclusivity
Netflix produced the films directly, which means there’s no path to finding them on competitors like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, or Apple TV+. The franchise sits alongside other Netflix Original teen films like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before as a platform-specific asset.
If you’re a Netflix subscriber, all three films are included in your existing plan. There are no additional rentals or purchases required — just search for the title and start watching.
Why did Jacob Elordi regret Kissing Booth?
Jacob Elordi, who played Noah Flynn in all three films, has been blunt about his regrets. In multiple interviews, he’s described the experience as professionally and personally difficult, with the fame it brought pushing him close to quitting acting altogether.
Actor’s public comments
In a high-profile GQ Men of the Year interview published in December 2023, Elordi called The Kissing Booth films “ridiculous” and said they made him feel “dead inside.” GQ Magazine reported that he expressed deep dissatisfaction with the material, describing them as far from the kind of work he wanted his career to represent.
He told the publication he “didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies,” a remark that has since circulated widely online as the clearest public statement of his regrets.
Interview highlights
In a separate 2022 GQ interview, Elordi revealed he nearly quit acting after The Kissing Booth 1 due to the intense fame scrutiny that followed. The sudden spotlight from a global Netflix hit created pressure he wasn’t prepared for, he said.
By 2024, he confirmed in a Guardian interview that he regrets the “teen heartthrob” phase the franchise created for him. He’s since pivoted toward roles in Euphoria and Saltburn, projects that positioned him as a serious actor rather than a teen romcom star.
Elordi credits the franchise with launching his career, yet he’s spent years publicly distancing himself from it. Meanwhile, the same films that made him famous continue drawing viewers — and likely influenced his booking power for roles in prestige projects worth millions per film.
Was there a Kissing Booth 4?
No official fourth film has been announced. While chatter about a possible 2026 release has circulated, Netflix has not confirmed any plans, and key cast members — particularly Elordi — have shown little interest in returning.
Sequel releases so far
The franchise released three films between 2018 and 2021: The Kissing Booth (May 2018), The Kissing Booth 2 (August 2020), and The Kissing Booth 3 (August 2021). The third film was marketed as the conclusion to Elle and Noah’s story, with Netflix Tudum noting the August 11, 2021 release as a definitive endpoint for the original saga.
Status of fourth film
As of this writing, no fourth installment has been officially announced. Screen Rant reported that Netflix has not renewed the franchise, citing cast availability concerns and Elordi’s documented disinterest as likely obstacles.
Joey King expressed openness to a reboot in 2023 interviews, ET Online noted. But without Elordi, any continuation would need to explain Noah’s absence — a challenge that may be keeping Netflix from pulling the trigger.
Is Kissing Booth 4 coming out in 2026?
Industry speculation has pointed to 2026 as a potential window for a fourth film, but nothing has been confirmed. The status remains uncertain, with cast availability and actor willingness among the biggest question marks.
Announcements and cast
No Netflix announcement has mentioned Kissing Booth 4 by name or date. Joey King, the franchise’s leading star, has left the door open for more, but Elordi has given no public signal that he’d return. The core cast for any continuation would depend heavily on whether Netflix can negotiate agreements with actors who have moved on to other projects.
Production updates
Without official confirmation, any talk of production timelines for Kissing Booth 4 is speculative. The franchise’s global viewership numbers — particularly the 200+ million hours watched across the trilogy — give Netflix a financial reason to pursue continuation. But financial incentive alone doesn’t solve the actor availability problem that a sequel would face.
Timeline
What we know and what remains unclear
Confirmed
- Available on Netflix — all three films stream exclusively on the platform
- Jacob Elordi publicly called the films “ridiculous” and said they made him feel “dead inside”
- Three films released between 2018 and 2021
- No official Kissing Booth 4 renewal announced as of this writing
Unclear
- Whether Kissing Booth 4 has a confirmed release date
- Whether the franchise will be classified as a hit or flop by Netflix’s internal metrics
- Whether Elordi would ever return if a fourth film were announced
- Whether a reboot could work without the original Noah Flynn actor
What people are saying
The Kissing Booth films are ridiculous. They made me feel dead inside.
— Jacob Elordi, GQ Men of the Year (December 2023)
I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies.
— Jacob Elordi, GQ interview (2023)
It’s the rare franchise that critics savaged and audiences loved in equal measure — a streaming-era paradox that defies traditional success metrics.
— IndieWire analysis
The Kissing Booth phenomenon demonstrates how streaming metrics and critical consensus can tell entirely different stories. 42 million accounts watched in 10 days, 200+ million hours across three films — and yet the franchise carries an 11% Rotten Tomatoes score for its final installment. For Netflix, these numbers represent a clear success. For critics, they’re irrelevant. The truth, as always, sits somewhere in between.
For Jacob Elordi, the franchise launched his career while costing him his peace of mind. He’s since rebuilt his image with prestige roles worth millions per project. For Joey King, the door remains open — but without Noah Flynn, a fourth chapter would face an uphill battle with audiences who grew up with the original cast.
What is the plot of The Kissing Booth?
Elle Evans, a high school junior, creates a booth at a school carnival where students can anonymously kiss whoever they choose. When her best friend Lee’s brother Noah sees her at the booth and kisses her, it sparks a summer romance that forms the basis of the first film and its sequels.
Who directed The Kissing Booth?
Vince Marcello directed all three films in the franchise. He also co-wrote the screenplays with his writing partner, adapting Beth Reekles’ original novel.
What is The Kissing Booth cast?
Joey King plays Elle Evans, Jacob Elordi plays Noah Flynn, and Joel Courtney plays Lee Flynn. Other notable cast members include Taylor Ortega (Chloe), and multigenerational appearances from actors playing various roles across the three films.
Where can I watch The Kissing Booth 2 and 3?
All three films are available on Netflix. The platform streams the entire trilogy exclusively, with no options to rent or buy on other services.
Is The Kissing Booth based on a book?
Yes. The franchise is based on Beth Reekles’ 2012 novel “The Kissing Booth,” which she originally published on Wattpad before it became a bestseller and caught Netflix’s attention.
What are The Kissing Booth ratings on IMDb?
The first film holds a 5.9/10 on IMDb, with audience scores split between those who embraced the light romance formula and those who found it formulaic. Subsequent installments scored slightly higher with audiences, though critics remained dismissive.
Are there The Kissing Booth trailers available?
Yes. Official trailers for all three films are available on Netflix’s YouTube channel and on the platform itself, autoplaying when you start a film or search for the title.
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Ethan Nguyen is Senior Reporter at Australia Pulse, covering breaking stories and explainers.