There aren’t many franchises in movie history more significant than Harry Potter. The magical adventures of the boy wizard and his friends dominated the noughties for booksellers and cinemas alike, raking in billions of dollars. But now the dust has settled on the Wizarding War, we’re here to help you watch the Harry Potter movies in order and experience the whole story.
Harry Potter, on the face of it, isn’t that complicated to rewatch. We followed the Harry Potter cast through eight movies, but then things became more knotty with the arrival of new movies set decades earlier, starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. So here’s the best way to experience the adventures of your favorite Harry Potter characters all over again. Wands at the ready, swish and flick!
How to watch all the Harry Potter movies in order of release
If you want to enjoy the Wizarding World the way millions of fans around the world did starting back in 2001, then this is the order to watch the Harry Potter films.
You’ll get all of Harry’s story as he grows from ‘The Boy Who Lived’ into a powerful wizard capable of going toe-to-toe with Voldemort himself. Then, you get to travel 70 years back in time to see how Newt Scamander and friends helped save the world from an entirely different magical despot back in the middle of the 20th century.
In our opinion, this is the way the best movies in the Potter world were meant to be enjoyed. And basically, our opinion is the only one that counts, right?
Here are all the Harry Potter movies in order of release:
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
Where to watch: Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
The first movie (known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the US) takes us by the hand and leads us through the magical world, through the eyes of our 11-year-old protagonist. We also meet some of the most formidable Harry Potter villains for the first time, with the worst of them concealed on the back of a dude’s head no less.
Fascinatingly, before Christopher Columbus got the nod to direct this opening installment, Steven Spielberg was a possible choice. Now that’s a real sliding doors moment for the Wizarding World.
The film sets up Harry’s story perfectly and introduces viewers to the secret Wizarding World. Columbus did a terrific job of bringing the magical environment of Hogwarts to life, while also making it clear that this is a dangerous world. And it would only get scarier.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Where to watch: Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
One of the unsung heroes of the franchise, this second installment amps up the danger without sacrificing any of the magic. There’s a rogue house elf comedy segment at the start but, by the end, Harry’s stabbing the hell out of a giant snake with a centuries-old sword. It’s a masterful act of tonal juggling.
Columbus again gave us plenty of the color that later installments rather lacked and showed a great eye for which bits of the book needed to appear in movie form and which could hit the cutting room floor. Sorry to any fans of the Deathday Party.
This is also the movie, of course, that gave the world Kenneth Branagh’s performance of pure ham as Gilderoy Lockhart. It was almost Hugh Grant in the role, though, which would have made a great deal of sense. We also had another Wizarding World near-miss with Eddie Redmayne auditioning to play the young Tom Riddle, more than a decade before he’d join Fantastic Beasts.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Where to watch: Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
Things start getting serious in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, with one of the best directors of the modern era, Alfonso Cuarón, now at the helm. He seems like an inspired choice now, but it took a phone call from Guillermo del Toro – who nearly made the movie himself – to get Cuarón to say yes.
During his third year at Hogwarts, Harry first meets his godfather Sirius Black, and unveils the truth of his parents’ death. The story becomes darker in this one, more mature, and the stakes are raised. Everyone also swaps their Hogwarts robes for very comfy-looking knitwear. We can’t say we blame them.
Not only is Azkaban considered by many (us included!) to be the best Potter movie overall, but the film also fully entrenches the sense of impending doom. By the end of the movie, we were hooked forever.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Where to watch: Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
It’s the one with all of the hair. Seriously, was there not a hairdresser available for these guys? This is the movie of the Triwizard Tournament, pitting Harry as a reluctant competitor against dragons, mermaids, a sentient maze, and Robert Pattinson. Then, to top it all off, Voldemort shows up. Potter just can’t catch a break.
Goblet of Fire marks the turning point in the franchise. Danger and death become a firm reality, and the rest of the story feels darker – and looks darker, thanks to David Yates – from here on out. There’s a notable exception in Goblet of Fire’s delightfully carefree Yule Ball sequence, complete with a musical cameo from Jarvis Cocker.
We think this is one of the weaker movies overall, cutting a lot of the character-focused stuff from the book. We wanted more Rita Skeeter too, and we definitely wanted the revelation that she’s an unregistered Animagus who can turn into a beetle. That’s quality stuff!
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Where to watch: Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
The true ultimate villain of Potter arrives in this movie, with loathsome politician Dolores Umbridge taking over Hogwarts as the establishment tries to keep Voldemort’s return quiet. Meanwhile, Voldemort is trying to crack Harry’s mind like an egg, and he’s succeeding.
Order of the Phoenix introduces David Yates as the full-time Potter director going forward and also has a stormer of a magic fight between the Order and the Death Eaters, featuring our first look at proper wand combat and some of the coolest Harry Potter spells in action. Oh, and it’s the amazing Luna Lovegood‘s first appearance too.
We’ve come around on Order of the Phoenix over the years. It’s a sprightly, brief entry in a franchise of absolutely massive movies and deserves an enormous amount of credit for the decision to focus on action. The longest book became one of the shortest movies, despite the fact there was originally a three-hour cut. Huge kudos to everybody in the editing room on this one.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Where to watch: Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
This is the one with all of the kissing, or what the books insisted on referring to as “snogging”. Yuck. Anyway, the characters somehow spend most of this movie worrying about romance rather than the increasingly powerful and possibly immortal dark wizard terrorizing and murdering his way around the world. Ah, teenagers.
There’s a reason this is widely considered by critics and fans to be among the weakest Potter movies. The book was very flashback-heavy as it told the origin story of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, while the movies chose to cut all of that fascinating stuff. Mostly for snogging. So much snogging.
That’s not to say that there isn’t fun to be had though, with some big action sequences taking the spotlight. The franchise even stepped outside of the UK for the first time in terms of filming locations, shooting part of Dumbledore and Harry’s Horcrux hunt at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. It’s certainly a stunning place.
If the Harry Potter TV series is going to make any major changes, Half-Blood Prince should be at the center of them. It’s time to reward fans with the tales of Merope Gaunt, Hepzibah Smith, and Voldemort’s early years. Set whole episodes in the Pensiveve, we’ll be obsessed!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Where to watch: Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
Dismiss this movie as “the one with the camping” and you’ll earn yourself an Expelliarmus from us. It lays crucial groundwork for the epic conclusion and uses the trio’s hunt for Horcruxes as a way to explore their characters further, showcasing the vastly improved acting chops of the stars at the center of the story.
While the heroes chip away at Voldemort’s defenses, the no-nosed baddie finally gets his claws on the Elder Wand and sets his sights on putting an end to Harry Potter for good. Yes, they also spend a lot of time camping. And there’s the dance thing. It’s a weird one.
This film also gives us the beautifully animated ‘Tale of the Three Brothers‘ sequence, put together by Ben Hibon. He drew from the work of German artist Lotte Reiniger, as well as Asian shadow plays. The result is spooky and utterly magical.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Where to watch: Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
Wall-to-wall carnage has finally arrived. From the moment this film begins, the pace picks up, with each urgent and intense action scene outdoing the last, as Harry Potter’s story comes to an explosive and highly entertaining end. There are spells flying everywhere, magical creatures marauding about, and main characters dying every few minutes. It’s hard to keep up with it all.
Of course, the whole thing culminates in the “19 years later” epilogue, in which all of the main characters are aged up. They actually shot the sequence twice, having gone so far with the make-up the first time around that Rupert Grint looked like Donald Trump.
Yates gets a lot of criticism for his directorial work in the series, but this movie shows just how well he can handle a magical set piece. The Battle of Hogwarts is utterly jaw-dropping, even though we can’t forgive that massive book change at the end. We might get over it. One day.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Where to watch: Max, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV Plus
Eyebrows were raised all over the Potter fandom when the Fantastic Beasts franchise was first announced. Isn’t that just a textbook that was released for charity? Well, yes. But actually, this is a charming and thoroughly enjoyable expansion of the Wizarding World. The Harry Potter author made her screenwriting debut here and did a first pass at the script in just 12 days.
This new chapter of the story zips back to the 1920s and follows gawky British wizard Newt Scamander as he tries to round up the various magical creatures he has inadvertently let loose in New York City. Of course, he finds himself embroiled in a plot by the dark wizard Grindelwald.
Fantastic Beasts is disarmingly simple, helped by Eddie Redmayne’s lovable lead performance and the colorful new corners of the Wizarding World of the United States. But things were about to get weird…
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
Where to watch: Max, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
Newt is still traveling around like the Wizarding World’s version of a seasoned Pokémon trainer, but that’s mostly where the similarities with the first film end. Grindelwald’s power is rising and suddenly our quaint little animal lover is a footsoldier in a magical war. It’s a big shift in the franchise, so it’s little wonder that the reaction was mixed, to say the least.
But there’s still some really enjoyable stuff here thanks largely to Jude Law’s sexy spin on Dumbledore. We also got the enjoyable fan service of Brontis Jodorowsky showing up to play a hugely important character we’d heard mentioned but never seen before: Nicolas Flamel, creator of the Philosopher’s Stone.
Even years later, we stand by our assertion that the ludicrous final twist could have gone somewhere intriguing. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
Where to watch: Max, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV
This is where the wheels came off. Dumbledore hatches a plan to take down Grindelwald, while Grindelwald hatches a plan to become a magical dictator of some sort. Newt is still there, but he’s as much a spectator as we are.
Mads Mikkelsen as Grindelwald is a real improvement for this installment and we were pleased to see his romance with Dumbledore finally addressed in some way. But that wasn’t enough to save it, as Jakob Barnes pointed out in our Fantastic Beasts 3 review.
As for the future, we have no idea what will happen next. That’s especially true now it seems as if the Fantastic Beasts 4 release date might have been scrubbed from the calendar. Mischief managed? Not even close.
How to watch the Harry Potter movies in order (chronologically)
If you’ve done your homework and know your way around Harry’s story, then you may want to watch the Harry Potter movies in chronological order.
This wouldn’t make sense as a viewing order for newcomers at all. You’re in the grim world of David Yates, then the colorful world of Columbus, then you follow the decline back into Yates and his unusual approach to color grading. It just doesn’t make sense. But if you’re a seasoned Potterhead, as no one is calling us, this might be a fun alternative to the norm.
Here are all the Harry Potter movies in chronological order:
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
Harry Potter movies in order of Rotten Tomatoes score
If you’re feeling exceptionally masochistic, you could always watch the Harry Potter movies in order of Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score, but honestly, who’d put themselves through this? Also, Deathly Hallows Part II that high? Come on; everyone knows Prisoner of Azkaban is the best one.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (96% critics score/89% audience score)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (90% critics score/86% audience score)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (88% critics score/74% audience score)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (84%critics score/78% audience score)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (82% critics score/80% audience score)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (81% critics score/82% audience score)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (78% critics score/81% audience score)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I 77% critic score/85% audience score)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (74% critics score/79% audience score
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (46% critics score/83% audience score)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (36% Critic score/55% audience score)
Harry Potter movies in order of IMDb rating
If you believe in the wisdom of crowds, you might fancy watching the Harry Potter movies in order of their IMDb rating. We’re not quite sure why you’d do this to yourself in terms of chronology and, as big Chamber of Secrets apologists, this ranking hurts. A lot.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (8.1/10)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (7.9/10)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (7.7/10)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (7.7/10)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (7.6/10)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (7.6/10)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (7.5/10)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (7.4/10)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (7.2/10)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (6.4/10)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (6.2/10)
Harry Potter movies in order of Metacritic score
Much like Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic aggregates the views of film critics. However, it differs in that it provides a number for how much each critic liked the film, rather than the binary yay or nay of Rotten Tomatoes.
On paper, that makes it more reasonable, but the formula’s take on Harry Potter is wild. In possibly the most chaotic ranking of them all, the Fantastic Beasts franchise gets some love at the expense of three of the more solid Potter efforts. We can’t stand by this order at all.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (Metacritic score: 85)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Metacritic score: 82)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Metacritic score: 81)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Metacritic score: 78)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Metacritic score: 71)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Metacritic score: 66)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Metacritic score: 65)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (Metacritic score: 65)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Metacritic score: 63)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Metacritic score: 52)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (Metacritic score: 47)
If that’s not enough magic, take a look at why the most heart-breaking Harry Potter scene didn’t make the movies. Meanwhile, even the most devoted of fans can learn about the secret inspiration for the Deathly Hallows symbol.
We’ve also got a guide breaking down everything we know about potential movies like the Cursed Child release date. Speaking of which, we think the Cursed Child movie should be a gay romance.
The creator of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years. If you’d like to learn more about transgender equality or lend your support, here are two charities we encourage you to visit: the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US and Mermaids in the UK.