Claim: The Underworld series began.

Underworld is a series of action horror films directed by Len Wiseman , Patrick Tatopoulos , Måns Mårlind , Björn Stein and Anna Foerster . The first film , Underworld , was released in 2003 . It tells the story of Selene -LRB- Kate Beckinsale -RRB- , a vampire who works as a Death Dealer , killing the lycans -LRB- Werewolves -RRB- who allegedly slaughtered her family . The second film , Underworld : Evolution , was released in 2006 . In this film , Selene takes Michael Corvin , a lycan/vampire hybrid , to a vampire safehouse and plans to return to Viktor 's estate to awaken another elder Markus , whom they discover is the first Vampire and a powerful enemy . The third film , Underworld : Rise of the Lycans , is the prequel to the series , chronicling the origins of the vampire-lycan war -LRB- it was released on January 23 , 2009 -RRB- . The fourth film , Underworld : Awakening , is the sequel to Underworld : Evolution and was released on January 20 , 2012 . In this film , humans have discovered the existence of the vampire and lycan clans , and are trying to eradicate both species . A fifth film titled Underworld : Blood Wars was released internationally on November 24 , 2016 , and in the United States on January 6 , 2017 .   Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics , the five films have grossed a total of $ 539 million , against a combined budget of $ 212 million .