We’ll probably never stop watching Harry Potter. It’s become a lifestyle, a world, and a complete obsession for those who grew up watching it. In this sense, the Harry Potter franchise has far exceeded its already stunning merit of being some of the best fantasy movies of all time.
If you’ve grown up watching the Harry Potter cast and becoming lost in the world of Hogwarts, then it’s likely you’ll already have your own ranking of the family movies. And you’ll already know that you’ll probably be holding them in your heart forever. Or…always.
Now, if you ask anyone what their favorite Harry Potter movie is, you’re going to likely get a different answer each time. Some might prefer the climatic ending movies, or they have a love for the secret werewolf movie The Prisoner of Azkaban, or they favor The Goblet of Fire, purely because that’s the one with Robert Pattinson. (“My boy! That’s my son!”)
But one of the best streaming services has come through with an answer on what the most popular Harry Potter movie is, at least for the time being. It all boils down to which films rank on the Top Ten lists on Netflix. Specifically, which ones rank on the Global Top Ten, of which there is only one movie: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Thus far, it’s the only one in the franchise to have reached the global chart, while the other installments only rank in specific countries. This isn’t overly surprising. It’s the first movie in the entire series, and maybe even the most family-friendly, considering how intense the following films get.
The movie also spent six weeks in the Top Ten in the UK. (It’s probably their biggest export, after all.) Interestingly enough, the second most popular spot is actually shared by three of the HP movies: Goblet of Fire, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban. You’ve got a terrific sequel in there, a wild Twilight crossover, and one of the best time travel movies ever made.
Still, we don’t blame the original for stealing the top spot. It still gives us that magical feeling today as it did when we first watched it as kids. The world building is some of the best ever put to screen, and it introduced us to some of the best Harry Potter characters and first brought to life one of the best movie villains ever seen.
For more Potter, check out our guide to watching the Harry Potter movies in order, get to know the Harry Potter villains, and check out the Harry Potter TV series release date and the Cursed Child release date. You can also take a look at our list of the best fantasy series of all time.
If that’s not enough, we’ve also got a break down of all the biggest Harry Potter plot holes, and a feature on why Harry Potter is the OG nepotism baby. Plus, check out our list of all the new movies to come and best movies of all time. We’ve also got guides on the Elder Wand, Voldemort, Luna Lovegood, and Hagrid.