You might have assumed that the world of Harry Potter had reached its cinematic end when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 wrapped up the boy wizard’s story in 2011, but Warner Bros. wasn’t about to close up shop on their magical cash cow. Thus, the franchise was extended into the Wizarding World shared universe, which now includes not only the eight original Harry Potter movies but also the trilogy of Fantastic Beasts spinoff films. The Harry Potter films are constantly shifting their streaming home between Peacock and HBO Max, sometimes the franchise is streaming on both services at the same time. Currently, 9 of the films in the wizarding franchise are available on either Peacock or HBO Max, with the exceptions being the first two Fantastic Beasts films. With the films’ timeline suddenly not so straight-forward and the imaginative titles of these movies perhaps starting to blend together in your head, we figured it was time to offer up a primer on how to tackle all the films in this sprawling fantasy series.
Harry Potter Movies in Order of Release Date
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - November 16, 2001
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - November 15, 2002
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - June 4, 2004
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - November 18, 2005
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - July 11, 2007
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - July 15, 2009
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 - November 19, 2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 - July 15, 2011
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - November 18, 2016
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - November 16, 2018
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - April 15, 2022
Harry Potter Movies in Chronological Order of Events
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Set in 1926, roughly seven decades prior to Harry Potter beginning his education at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the first Fantastic Beasts movie focuses on the New York adventures of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a British wizard and Ministry of Magic employee who finds himself embroiled in an insidious scheme involving the Magical Congress of the United States and a powerful wizard named Gellert Grindelwald (revealed late in the film to be Johnny Depp), who believes wizards should reign over non-magical humans.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
A few months after the events of the first Fantastic Beasts, Newt is back in England, but he’s soon tasked by Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), who will one day look over Harry as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, to track down Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), a troubled young wizard who is also being sought out by a recently escaped Grindelwald. In addition to Dumbledore, The Crimes of Grindelwald introduces other characters who will later play a significant role in the Harry Potter films, including a young Minerva McGonagall and Nagini, a circus performer whose blood curse will permanently transform her into a giant snake.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Set five years after the events of The Crimes of Grindelwald, the third film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise is surprisingly devoid of too many beasts. Instead, the story centers around the rise of the wizard Grindelwald and the truth about Credence's family origins. While most of the film takes place in 1932, the main creature, a Qilin, is a magical creature who can see into the future, so there ends up being a bit of time play at work. The film brings back characters from the previous movies while recasting Grindelwald, now played by Mads Mikkelsen.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
At this point we jump ahead over a half-century and begin the main series, which will track the orphan Harry Potter’s yearly adventures at Hogwarts as he battles against various dark forces, including the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. As a baby, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) survived an attack by Voldemort that backfired on the dark lord, disembodying him, and claimed the lives of Harry’s parents. Harry has been raised by his aunt and uncle in the years since, oblivious to the magical world around him. That all changes with the arrival of a mysterious owl bringing exciting news: Harry is a wizard and he has been accepted into Hogwarts to begin his magical training. Upon entering the school, he meets his new BFFs, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and immediately draws the ire of his potions teacher, the mysterious Severus Snape (Alan Rickman). As the Hogwarts Headmaster, Dumbledore (now played by Richard Harris) keeps an eye on everyone, while Harry and his pals attempt to solve a mystery involving a giant three-headed dog and the magical Sorcerer’s Stone.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
It’s Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, and the school has a problem – something or someone is freezing the students into a petrified state. These attacks seem to be related to the titular Chamber of Secrets, a secret room supposedly hidden in Hogwarts that could purge the school of students not born to wizard parents (discriminatorily called “mudbloods” in the Wizarding World). It’s up to Harry to set things right, but to do so, he’ll need to unlock the secrets of an enchanted diary that was written by a former student named Tom Riddle.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Year three. Also known as the one where these movies start getting really, really good. (You can probably thank incoming director Alfonso Cuarón for that.) Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who has been locked up in Azkaban for supporting Voldemort, has escaped, setting the wizarding community on edge. The school is locked down and surrounded by Dementors, ghostly, grim reaper-like figures tasked with returning Black to the prison. But all is not what it seems, and with an assist from his new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Remy Lupin (David Thewlis), Harry begins unraveling secrets that will extend his network of allies for the battles to come. Harris sadly died before the filming of this movie, and Dumbledore was played by Michael Gambon for the rest of the series’ run.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Year four. Harry is not supposed to be old enough to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, a series of challenges pitting the best student from Hogwarts (which turns out to be Robert Pattinson!) against the champions of several other wizarding schools. But when his name is pulled from the magical goblet that dictates the contestants, Harry finds himself forced to participate. Meanwhile, everyone’s hormones are raging and finding a date to the Yule Ball becomes a particular source of consternation. Oh, and, yeah, Voldemort, formerly known as Tom Riddle, fully returns to the flesh, ready to get his revenge on Harry. He’s played by Ralph Fiennes, and he is pissed.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Voldemort is back, and everyone is freaking out. Everyone, that is, except for the Ministry of Magic, who sends the sadistic Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), one of the series’ most detestable villains, to Hogwarts to make sure everyone is keeping their head down and not spreading any fake news. Harry, Ron, and Hermione know better though, and they create Dumbledore’s Army, a group of students who band together to train in secret for the battles ahead. Phoenix is the first in the series to be directed by David Yates, who would go on to direct every Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film made since.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
In Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts, Voldemort’s followers, also known as Death Eaters, have openly declared war on the Wizarding World in an attempt to consolidate power. Harry worries that his longtime school rival Draco (Tom Felton) has gone full Death Eater and learns that Voldemort cannot be killed so long as pieces of his soul survive in six Horcruxes – enchanted objects that will serve as the primary MacGuffins for the rest of the series.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
Warner Bros. split the final book of J.K. Rowling’s epic fantasy series in two movies. In Part 1, Harry, Ron, and Hermione have bailed on their final year of wizarding school to go on a quest to find and destroy all remaining Horcruxes. They manage to track one down but learn that, to destroy it, they will also need to locate the powerful Sword of Gryffindor. Then there’s also the matter of the Deathly Hallows themselves, three magical items that would allow the wizard who possesses them to master death. So obviously everyone is interested in those too, heroes and villains alike. The film ends in an ominous cliffhanger that sets the stage for the final installment.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
In the series’ grand finale, which picks up immediately after Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ends, we learn the truth about Snape (he’s not such a bad guy after all!) and the forces of good and evil collide for an epic battle at Hogwarts. Everyone gets a chance to shine, from Harry, Ron, and Hermione down to fan-favorite supporting characters like Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) and Molly Weasley (Julie Walters). Is Voldemort finally defeated for good this time? You’ll have to watch to find out!
What's Next?
Rowling and Warner Bros. have always intended to make five Fantastic Beasts films, but so far there has been no announcement on a follow-up to The Secrets of Dumbledore. Given that there is a 40-year gap between 1932 and when Harry's dad, James, enters Hogwarts, there's still plenty of room for more prequel stories. There’s also always a chance Warner Bros. could reunite the original cast for an adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a 2016 stage play based on a story by Rowling that is set 19 years after Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and is considered canon by Rowling.