To remember:
- This article provides a guide to watching the Harry Potter films in the ideal order, offering a complete immersion in J.K. Rowling's magical world.
- It presents two viewing orders: the release order of the films for an experience in line with cinematic evolution, and a chronological order based on the timeline of events in the saga.
- In addition to the eight main films, the article mentions the "Fantastic Beasts" prequels and a future Harry Potter series scheduled for 2026, indicating continued expansion of this enchanting universe.
In the "Harry Potter" films, Rowling weaves a narrative weave where the young wizard grows up at Hogwarts, facing the growing threat of Voldemort, illustrating the struggle between good and evil in a captivating magical universe.
Imagine, just for a moment, rediscovering theHarry Potter world as if for the first time. The wizarding world, with its fantastic animals, relics and mysteries, awaits you with open arms!
But how do we find our way through this teeming chronology, where each film reveals a new piece of the puzzle that J.K. Rowling has imagined for us? From the young wizard's first adventure at Hogwarts School, to the epic duels with the infamous Lord Voldemort, to the dark revelations of the Phoenix, this guide is the key to reliving every moment, every emotion, in the ideal order.
Find out in this article how to watch the Harry Potter films in the right order!
Harry Potter order: In what order should you watch the Harry Potter films?
Harry Potter is a series of low fantasy books written by British author J K Rowling. Each volume illustrates how magic and witchcraft can change children's lives. Produced by Warner Bros, the Harry Potter saga plunges us into the world of a young wizard named Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione Granger at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, run by Albus Dumbledore.
The main plot of the series involves the Harry Potter's battle against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard seeking immortality who murdered the boy's parents. For decades, Voldemort led his loyal followers, the Death Eaters, in their quest for absolute power over the wizarding and Muggle worlds (humans without magical powers).
But enough about the story and the book, you're on this article because you've been searching: the right order to watch Harry Potter? Is it better to follow the chronology? Indeed, the order in which you watch the Harry Potter films may vary according to your personal preferences. However, a viewing guide to the Harry Potter films that fans of the series enjoy :
Harry Potter release order:
This is the order in which the films were originally released. In fact, if you follow this order, you won't have to see any of the films. no historical links complicated to manage. All you have to do is watch the film according to its release date, and follow the story as it unfolds. What's more, by following this order, you'll be able to live the experience as it has been presented to audiences over the years.
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - December 5 2001 (Chris columbus)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - December 4 2002 (Chris columbus)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - June 02 2004 (Alfonso Cuarón)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on November 30 2005 (Mike Newell)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on July 11 2007 (David Yates)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in July 15 2009 (David Yates)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 on November 24 2010 (David Yates)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 on July 13 2011 (David Yates)
Chronological order Harry Potter :
Each book in the Harry Potter series takes place during a school year at Hogwarts, where Harry's schooling gradually evolves throughout the saga. The young wizard progresses to a higher class with each new volume. This progression makes it easier to classify the films in a coherent chronological order.
However, it's important to note that both Fantastic Beasts and its sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, serve as prequels, set 70 years before the events of the main story. The latter begins in 1991, when Harry starts school at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and ends in 1998 with the epic Battle of Hogwarts. With this in mind, the recommended viewing order for the Harry Potter saga :
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004 Azkaban prison is a fictitious location in the saga
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007 Hermione and Ron, key members of the Order of the Phoenix, braved the dangers of the Chamber of Secrets to protect their friends and the wizarding school.
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009 : in the saga's fantasy novels, "Half-Blood Prince" reveals little-known aspects of magic and deepens the mystery surrounding this complex sorcerer at the heart of numerous intrigues.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 in 2010 In this film, the secrets surrounding the Horcruxes and Voldemort's ability to survive death are fully explored.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 in 2011. This eighth installment breaks all records and is even the most successful of the Harry Potter saga.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, written by J. K. Rowling, illustrates several themes central to the Harry Potter universe: self-discovery, the importance of friendship, the struggle between the forces of good and evil, learning and personal growth, acceptance of differences. Voldemort appears for the first time at the end of this film.
Following this order allows you to follow the chronology of the story and events in the Harry Potter universe, from the beginning to the end of the saga. It is important to note thata play was created to bring the characters to adulthood. Entitled "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", the play was written by Jack Thorne in collaboration with John Tiffany and J. K. Rowling.
This saga by JK Rowling plunges us into the world of Albus Severus Potter, Harry and Ginny's son, nineteen years after the events of Deathly Hallows. As he begins his schooling at Hogwarts, Albus finds himself compelled to use the famous time-reversal device to save Cedric Diggory from certain death. However, as the story shows, altering the course of time is never without consequences...
The Harry Potter films grossed nearly $8 billion at the box office!
Harry Potter's main actors include :
- Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role ;
- Alongside Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley.
- Emma Watsonwho plays the studious and brilliant Hermione Grange. She encountered difficulties during the filming of certain scenes due to a tic.
Daniel Radcliffe, meanwhile, expressed his own criticism of his acting in the saga, feeling at times "very self-conscious" about his performance. These three actors, despite their success, remain visibly modest and gave remarkable performances, managing to capture on screen the strong friendship that unites the trio of characters as described in the books.
What is the IMDb score for the Harry Potter saga?
Like the Harry Potter books, opinions on the best installments in the series are extremely varied and subjective. However, when based on IMDb scores, the Harry Potter film rankings reveal a very wide range of opinions. astonishing consistency among fans, with all eight episodes scoring between 7.4 and 8.1 out of 10.
It's interesting to note that the two films in the Fantastic Beasts franchise are generally regarded as the least appreciated works in the magical universe. This perception is reflected in the lower box-office figures for the second film. The first film proved to be the more successful, generating more box-office than "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban".
Here are the IMDb scores for the films, from highest to lowest:
- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - 8,1
- "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 7.9
- "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 7.7
- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part 1″ - 7.7
- "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - 7.6
- "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 7.6
- "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - 7.5
- "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 7.4
- "Fantastic Beasts - 7.3
- "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - 6.6
Beyond the saga: Fantastic Beasts!
Here's the Fantastic Animals saga and Harry Potter's original Films in the Wizarding World.
Fantastic animals and where to find them (2016)
The story in Fantastic Animals is set in the 1930s. This is the first Harry Potter prequel. It takes place some 70 years before Harry started school at Hogwarts. It illustrates the lives of magical beasts. Albus Dumbledore also appears in these films.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
This is the sequel to the first prequel, released a few months after Fantastic Animals. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald takes us back to England. This second opus has more in common with the original Harry Potter films.
The film features the young Albus Dumbledore or Jude Law and the young Minderva MccGonagall or Fiona Glascott. The film focuses mainly on the villains revealed in the first film, Gellert Grindelward and Johnny Deep.
Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore's Secrets (2022)
"Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore's Secrets" marks a turning point in the series, offering its very first time travel. Set five years after the events of "The Crimes of Grindelwald", this third opus in the series refocuses largely on the Grindelwald character, this time starring Mads Mikkelsen. Although punctuated by some time travel caused by the creature Qilin, most of the film takes place in the in the 1930s.
Harry Potter: a sequel to the series confirmed?
Will Harry Potter be back in France on Amazon this year? Apparently, an all-new casting call has been made to choose actors to play Harry, Hermione and Ron, as well as all the other iconic characters from this literary tale. However, even though Daniel Radcliffe has confirmed that he will not be joining the series, two actors from the original series are still keen to return!
While Warner Bros. Discovery was looking for a creative team and casting, the company's CEO, David Zaslav, announced in February 2024 the official and targeted release date of the Harry Potter series at a conference broadcast by The Hollywood Reporter.
David Zaslav explains that he met JK a few weeks ago:
"I was in London a few weeks ago with Casey Bloys (HBO and HBO Max boss ed.) and Channing Dungey (WBD TV ed.) and we spent more time with J.K Rowling and her team. We're delighted to be relaunching this franchise. Our conversations have been great, and we couldn't be more excited about what lies ahead. We can't wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max".
So you'll need to be patient and wait until 2026 to enjoy this fantastic film!
Focus on the Harry Potter book and film
Captivating stories
J.K. Rowling has captivated millions of readers worldwide with her iconic wizarding sagaStarting with the first volume, Harry Potter at Philosopher's Stone. This book introduces young Harry Potter, an orphan who discovers he is a wizard on his eleventh birthday.
He receives a life-changing letter inviting him to join Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At Hogwarts, not only does Harry discover the basics of magic and make his first friends, but he also learns the truth about his parents and about Voldemort, the greatest wizard of all time, whose darkness continues to threaten the magical world.
Over the years, Rowling has built up a rich and complex universe, weaving adventures that follow Harry and his friends through their time at Hogwarts, year after year. Each volume explores deeper, darker aspects of the saga, while enriching the mythology surrounding wizards, Hogwarts and Voldemort.
The novels plunge readers into increasingly serious issues, mixing magic, friendship, courage and betrayal, making them captivating for audiences of all ages. Thus, Rowling's work is not limited to recounting the exploits of a young wizard against the evil embodied by Voldemort; each volume creates a world where every character, every place and every spell seems real and vibrant, making a deep impression on the reader.collective imaginary.
Comments and reviews on Amazon
On Amazon, readers gave the film positive reviews. On Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers - Année 1, for example, Alain comments: "My 12-year-old granddaughter loved this DVD 1. She watched it in French and then in English, and is delighted to have learned certain expressions. It's an excellent teaching method for familiarizing yourself with a foreign language." And it's not just children who are Harry Potter fans, let's face it.
PietroDoFlamingo25 comment and check if the sequel is already available. It just goes to show how much Internet users appreciate this fascinating story. Every Potterhead reviews and comments on films and books online.
After returning to France, Julien checks Amazon for reviews of the latest illustrated children's tome in the fantasy saga directed by Yates, amazed at how each page captures the essence of the adventure. As he browses through the novels, he comments on how this series continues to fascinate young readers, perfectly illustrating the magical themes that make them dream.
David Holmes, famous for his work as a stuntman in J.K. Rowling's saga, often proved himself courageous in the face of adversaries such as Voldemort and Dumbledore, bringing crucial dramatic intensity to the screen. His expertise enabled the spectacular visualization of magical conflicts and the duels which are at the heart of the confrontations between the forces of good and evil in the Harry Potter universe. Which Harry Potter film did you watch first?
