Can you name the Harry Potter movies in order of release? I don’t think I can off the top of my head, and I have watched them multiple times.
I’m sure you already know that Harry Potter is an eighth-part movie based on the seven-part book written by J.K Rowling.
So if you don’t have any experience with the Harry Potter franchise, you can find out by going through our list to know all the Harry Potter movies in order of release.
How Many Harry Potter Movies Are There?
The Harry Potter film series is one of the most popular franchises. The series consists of eight fantasy films, which begin with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and conclude with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
It has also been extended to include a spin-off prequel series that will consist of five films, starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and this marks the beginning of the Wizarding World shared franchise.
Based on release dates, the films in this franchise, including the spin-offs, are: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022).
Harry Potter Movies in Order
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Richard Harris, Ian Hart, John Hurt, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters.
Starting off our list of Harry Potter movies in order of release, we have Harry Potter and the philosophers stone.
Harry is orphaned as a baby and left in the care of his muggle (non-magical) aunt and uncle, who mistreat him.
When he turns eleven, he is informed that he is, in fact, a wizard by half-giant Rubeus Hagrid and is told the truth about his parent’s death, and that is that they were killed by dark wizard Lord Voldemort who then failed to kill Harry and was rendered powerless, making Harry very famous in the wizarding world.
He then proceeds to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn magic. While there, he meets and befriends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and the three are caught up in the drama surrounding the mysterious philosopher’s stone that is kept in the school.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
- Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Richard Harris, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts for their second year, and this time, a new challenge arises; the Chamber of Secrets is opened, unleashing a monster that leaves people petrified.
Harry becomes an object of fear and a subject of gossip as he is accused of being the culprit behind the attacks.
He also discovers shocking new secrets as he, Ron, and Hermione once again attempt to find the truth and prevent Hogwarts from being closed for good.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second on our list of Harry Potter movies in order of release.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Julie Walter.
Despite having a rough summer, Harry, alongside his friends, returns to Hogwarts for his third year of magical education. There they meet a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor R. J. Lupin.
At the same time, a notorious mass murderer named Sirius Black has escaped the wizarding prison at Azkaban and is supposedly coming for Harry.
These events necessitate the arrival of the magical beings known as Dementors to guard the school premises. A series of events leads Harry to discover more about his past and connection to Sirius Black.
Prisons of Azkaban is third on our list of Harry Potter movies in order of release.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, Robert Pattinson, Clémence Poésy, Stanislav Lanevski.
Next on our list of Harry Potter movies in order of release, we have Harry Potter and the goblet of fire.
During Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts, the school hosts the Triwizard Tournament, which involves three European schools, each producing a champion to participate in the games.
The Goblet of Fire chooses Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, and Cedric Diggory as the champions representing the three schools.
However, Harry’s name is also chosen as the fourth champion. He seeks the help of his friends to participate and the various events that take place culminate in Harry witnessing the rebirth of Lord Voldemort.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters.
The Ministry of Magic, headed by Cornelius Fudge, is in denial about Voldemort’s return, leading to a trying time for Harry.
He and his friends return to Hogwarts for their fifth year, against all odds, to meet a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge, who is a spy placed by Fudge to oversee Headmaster Dumbledore. She rules the school with a heavy hand, causing a challenging time for Harry.
At the same time, Harry is troubled by realistic nightmares. He becomes aware of a prophecy the Dark Lord is after, which is eventually revealed to say that “neither can live while the other survives,” a group constituted of Hogwarts students and the secret organization Order of the Phoenix secretly fight against Voldemort’s return.
Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (2009)
- IMDb Rating:7.5/10
- Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Julie Walters.
Lord Voldemort’s return is now public news, and he, alongside his Death Eaters (his followers,) is causing a reign of terror in both the wizarding and muggle worlds.
Professor Dumbledore goes with Harry to persuade an old colleague, Horace Slughorn, to take up his old post at Hogwarts, though he has ulterior motives.
Harry discovers an old Potions textbook with an annotation saying it belongs to the “Half-blood Prince” Draco Malfoy struggles to perform a task given to him by Voldemort.
At the same time, Harry and Dumbledore hold secret meetings to find a way to destroy the Dark Lord for good. Harry Potter and the half-blood prince is sixth on our list of Harry Potter movies in order of release.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Warwick Davis, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, David Thewlis, Julie Walter.
Following their decision not to return to Hogwarts for their final year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out on the dangerous task of finding and destroying Lord Voldemort’s secret to immortality, the Horcruxes.
They undergo a perilous journey froth with several challenges in the form of Death Eaters, Snatchers, Harry’s growing connection with the Dark Lord’s mind, and uncovering the mystery of the Deathly Hallows.
This movie is the seventh on our list of Harry Potter movies in order of release and the first of the two-part film.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
- Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Julie Walters.
Last on our list of Harry Potter movies in order of release, we have Harry Potter and deathly hallows, and it is also the second installment of the two-part film.
Picking up from where the last movie left off, the trio has decided to continue seeking out the other Horcruxes after successfully destroying one Horcrux.
The Dark Lord has, at last, caught on to what they are up to and headed to Hogwarts, where he launches an attack.
Former members of Dumbledore’s Army, Order of the Phoenix members, and other allies unite with the trio for one last stand against the Dark Lord and his evil forces.
Other notable cast members are Bonnie Wright, James and Oliver Phelps, Tom Felton, Devon Murray, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, and Evanna Lynch.
The Harry Potter franchise is a series of long books and movies about the life of Harry Potter, his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and their headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
It has become so much more than just the movies and books, and it has garnered many fanatics worldwide.
If you’re planning to join the long line of fanatics, one thing you need to know is that the movies overlap, so you should try to watch the Harry Potter movies in order of release if you want to understand the storyline and avoid spoilers.
