Harry Potteris one of the most successful and beloved franchises in cinema history. With its own world at Universal Studios, as well as flagship stores worldwide and restaurants in cities throughout the U.S., it’s clear that people can’t get enough ofHarry Potter. The films are still finding new audiences with today’s younger generation and following HBO Max’s 20th-anniversary reunion special with the cast it is clear the hype for Harry Potter is strong despite thecontroversy surrounding franchise creator J.K. Rowling.
Updated July 17, 2025: This article has been updated to include theFantastic Beastsfilms as well as additional information on all theHarry Potterfilms and the status of the franchise following the continued controversy around author J.K. Rowling.
The movies are an adaptation of theHarry Potternovels and both the books and movies followHarry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe)a young boy, whose parents died when he was a baby, who finds out he’s a wizard. When Harry attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he uncovers the truth about his past as he and his friends go on adventures to ultimately defeat one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time, Lord Voldemort.
The film franchise has now grown with a prequel trilogy titledFantastic Beaststo make up anentire Wizarding World film seriesto rivalStar Wars, Middle Earth, and various superhero universes. Here is everyHarry PotterandFantastic Beastsmovie, ranked.
11Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Without a doubt, the weakest entry in the entire Wizarding World franchise isFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The second film in what was supposed to be a five-part story tried to double down on franchise nostalgia by bringing in a variety of characters from theHarry Potterfranchise and putting Hogwarts front and center in the marketing.
The finished film however plays more like an ad for future films to come, with no real momentum being made on this film and sidestepping much of what made the firstFantastic Beastsunique. The film also raises some uncomfortable ethical questions about the wizarding world, where the villains want to stopWorld War 2, and therefore the heroes must stop him and make sure the horrors of that war come to pass.
10Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledoreis an improvement overCrimes of Grindelwald, butit was too little too late as the previous film damaged the brand so much thatThe Secrets of Dumbledorebecame the first bomb in the Wizarding World franchise.
The film does have some highlights, particularly an expanded role for Jude Law’s Dumbledore, and Mads Mikkelsen makes a much better Grindelwald than Johnny Depp. Yet the film is caught in an awkward place of needing to be a prequel to theHarry Pottersequel while still being a sequel toFantastic Beaststhat never quite find a place for those characters. The film signaled anend to theFantastic Beastsfranchiseand now there is no word on the future of theHarry Potterfilm series.
9Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretswas released in 2002 and is the second installment in the franchise. When Harry and his two best friends Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts for their second year of learning wizardry messages written in blood on walls and strange things at Hogwarts interfere with their education.
While by no definition a bad film, and it captures the same comforting vibes of the first movie,Chamber of Secretsdoes feel in many ways more of the same and the most episodic in the main series. Chris Columbus helped guide the franchise, but it was clear that for the franchise to survive he would need to step aside and let other filmmakers shape the wizarding world.
8Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themwas the first entry in a new chapter for the Wizarding World, a prequel to the Harry Potter film series that was mainly a spin-off focused on Newt Scamander. The film does a great job introducing a new cast of characters that audiences could love, and the 1920s American setting is a great distinction that finally earned the Wizarding World series its first Academy Award win for Production Design.
Yet the biggest issue withFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themis when it tries to be a more traditionalHarry Potterprequel, and the connections to the wider universe weigh down the fun stand-alone story the movie appears to be going for.
7Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
While there is so much to unpack inHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixthe most memorable part about the film is Hogwarts' new addition, Dolores Umbridge. She may look sweet and comforting with her constant smile, always dressed in pink but inside she is awful to her core. Umbridge is one of the most hated characters in the franchise and because of how cruel her actions are even Stephen King has said that she is frightening.
Related:10 Little-Known Facts About The Harry Potter Franchise
Order of the Phoenixis caught in an interesting place, as it was the longest book in the series but is the shortest film meaning many subplots from the film are cut. This is David Yates’s first dip into the Wizarding World, and it is clear he is still finding his footing and would make stronger entries in the series. It is hard to argue against the fact that the creation of Dumbledore’s Army and the battle inside the Ministry of Magic are awe-inspiring moments that show Potter can compete with any action movie franchise.
6Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stoneis the first Harry Potter film ever. It introduces us to Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) as well as all the school and all of its professors who become parental figures to Harry. This movie was even nominated for three Oscars including Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.
While this movie is great overall and kickstarted the franchise, the reason why it is ranked lower on the list is that the movie has to lay a lot of groundwork with so much ground to cover leaving some of the characters as broad archetypes. However, there is no denying that the movie did its job and got audiences hooked to follow these characters for years to come.
5Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.is the fourth film in the franchise and pivot for the series, as it bringsLord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes)to the franchise as the series' primary villain. Harry and three other students compete in the Goblet of Fire tournament, an extremely rigorous obstacle that will determine who will win the Triwizard Cup which makes this the most action-centric entry in the entire franchise.
Goblet of Fireintroduces many new characters to the franchise, with a special shoutout toCedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson). By the end of the film, Voldemort has returned and killed Cedric Diggory marking the first major death of a hero character in the franchise.Goblet of Fireis the moment the series shifts from fun escapist children’s movies to a darker more mature tale. The film is warm and inviting, but also where things get serious for the heroes.
4Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1is ranked so high on the list because it was revolutionary for film in a lot of ways, the main one being that it was one of the first franchises to split a final film into two separate parts. With Part 1 ofDeathly Hallowshaving a running time of nearly two and a half hours and Part 2 being two hours and ten minutes long, director David Yates was able to fit everything he wanted into the story by creating two films for the last book.
The first film features a major break from the franchise conventions, with the characters never stepping foot in Hogwarts which creates a sense of longing for the audience to return to that setting. The fugitive man on the run story is a change of pace and puts the characters in scenarios they’ve never been in. The story of the three brothers is a visual marvel of animation.
The best decision though was the final sacrifice of Dobby the House Elf. While the character dies in the books the movie uses his death as a major shift in the narrative, the moment where the characters are at their lowest in a manner similar toThe Empire Strikes Back. Dobby’s death is emotional, heartbreaking, and a real moment of maturity in the franchise one forgets it is a wizard boy holding a house elf and just sees a young man holding an old friend in his arms.
3Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
With some of the most action-packed and heartwarming moments in the entire franchiseHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2was a great conclusion to a decade-long franchise. The battle at Hogwarts is one of the most difficult fights Harry has found himself in, and it ends up causing the death of a lot of his friends, while the filmmakers also decided to focus on the destruction of Hogwarts as opposed to big action set pieces.
Related:The Wizarding World: Is There a Future For J.K. Rowling’s Franchise?
At the end of the movie, audiences see Harry, Ron, and Hemione all grown up, still great friends, and at peace with their lives after Hogwarts, which is all fans can really hope for. Had thatbeen the end of the franchise, fans certainly would have been happy.
2Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
This movie changed Hogwarts forever and brought many characters to their breaking point. InHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) finds himself called upon by Voldemort’s followers to kill Albus Dumbledore. In an attempt to spare Draco from committing the murder, Dumbledore asks Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) to kill him instead. The headmaster’s death reveals secrets to Harry about his upbringing and early years at Hogwarts shocks him and changes his relationship with his professors forever.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Princeis one of the most visually beautiful entries in the franchise and was even nominated for Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards. With the final two films being so focused on stopping the main villain the filmmakers ensure to treat the last film set during the Hogwarts school years with all the fun elements fans had come to love. This includes Quidditch, teenage romance, and even bringing back the conflict between Harry and Malfoy which had been mostly ignored in the previous three movies.
Yet the film also has some of the most heartbreaking moments, and the sequence of the staff and students of Hogwarts holding up their wands to lighten the sky and cast away the darkness is one of the best pieces of visual storytelling in the series.
