Harry Potter Movies Ranked: Every Film From Best to Worst
Harry Potter movies ranked best to worst, in my opinion, put Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), directed by Alfonso Cuarón, first of all 11 films, with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) second. The most popular film at the box office is Deathly Hallows: Part 2, at $1.31 billion worldwide according to The Numbers, and I place Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald last.
Key Takeaways
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) is the best Harry Potter movie in this ranking, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) is second.
- Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the most popular film in the series by box office, with $1.31 billion worldwide according to The Numbers.
- All eight main films rank above all three Fantastic Beasts films, with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them the strongest of the spin-offs at ninth.
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is last in this ranking, and every placement here is opinion, not a critic average.
Hot Takes
- Priya Nair (opinion): Prisoner of Azkaban is the best film in the series because it is the only one that a director clearly remade in his own image, and the later films borrow from it.
- Priya Nair (opinion): Goblet of Fire deserves a place above Order of the Phoenix, since its set pieces are better staged even though Order of the Phoenix has the stronger villain in Dolores Umbridge.
- Priya Nair (opinion): Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is underrated, and the quiet forest scenes are a braver choice than anything in the first two Columbus films.
Opinion, by Priya Nair.
- 1
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), directed by Alfonso Cuarón, is first because it is the point where the series stops looking like a carefully filmed school story and starts looking like cinema. The Knight Bus ride, Aunt Marge's inflation and the Dementors posted around Hogwarts each use the camera to show Harry's state of mind. At 141 minutes it is shorter than both Columbus films, Michael Gambon makes his debut as Dumbledore, and John Williams supplies Double Trouble. In my opinion no later entry is as sure of itself.
- 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), directed by David Yates, is second because it pays off a decade of casting in 130 minutes, the shortest of the eight main films. The Gringotts vault sequence with the goblin Griphook is the best of its set pieces, and Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom and Alan Rickman as Snape both get real material. It is also the series' biggest earner, at $1.31 billion worldwide according to The Numbers, though I place it second on craft, not on money.
- 3
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), directed by Mike Newell, is third because the Quidditch World Cup attack and the Triwizard Tournament give it the clearest shape of any school film. Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory and Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody add texture, and Patrick Doyle's score is a distinct break from the John Williams films. It opened to $102.7 million in the US, according to Box Office Mojo. It loses a place only because its ending feels more abrupt than its first hour.
- 4
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), directed by David Yates, is fourth because Imelda Staunton's Dolores Umbridge is, in my opinion, the best villain of the Hogwarts years. At 138 minutes it is the shortest of the school films, and it moves quickly from the Dementor attack near Harry's relatives' home to the Ministry's denial that Voldemort has returned. It sits below Goblet of Fire because its set pieces are smaller.
- 5
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), directed by Chris Columbus, is fifth because it builds the wizarding world with real care, from the cupboard under the stairs to a hidden London street and the Hogwarts Express. Its cast of children and veterans, including Richard Harris, Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman, is excellent. It earned $1.03 billion worldwide across all releases, according to Box Office Mojo. It stays this low only because it plays so safely.
- 6
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), directed by David Yates, is sixth, and I think it is underrated. The attack that costs Harry his owl Hedwig and Mad-Eye Moody, the wedding that breaks up when the Ministry falls and Dobby's grave at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire are quieter and braver than most of what came before. Alexandre Desplat's score suits it, and O Children by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is its best musical moment. It ranks below the top five because it is, by design, half a story.
- 7
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), directed by David Yates, is seventh because Jim Broadbent's Horace Slughorn and the Half-Blood Prince's potions textbook are a lively centerpiece, and Draco's secretive behavior builds real unease. It had the largest budget of any main film at $250 million, and its release moved from November 2008 to July 2009. It loses ground because its tone is gloomy and its plot threads are slow to connect.
- 8
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), directed by Chris Columbus, is eighth because at 161 minutes it is the longest main film and it repeats the first film's structure. Kenneth Branagh is very funny as Gilderoy Lockhart, Toby Jones voices Dobby, and the flying car rescue is a lively set piece. Richard Harris died on 25 October 2002, weeks before the film opened on 15 November 2002. It earned $879 million worldwide.
- 9
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), directed by David Yates, is ninth and the best of the spin-offs because it has a self-contained plot: Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, loses creatures from a case swapped with Jacob Kowalski's in 1926 New York. Dan Fogler's Jacob is the heart of it, and the film won the Oscar for costume design. It earned $816 million worldwide against a $180 million budget.
- 10
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022), directed by David Yates, is tenth because Jude Law's Dumbledore and Mads Mikkelsen's Grindelwald, who replaced Johnny Depp, have good scenes, and the blood pact between them is a smart restriction. The qilin storyline and the wizarding election leave it with too many parts, and it is the lowest earner in the series at $407 million worldwide on a $200 million budget.
- 11
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), directed by David Yates, is last because its Paris setting and Zoë Kravitz as Leta Lestrange deserve a clearer story than it delivers. The search for Credence Barebone, Queenie's spell on Jacob and Dumbledore's request all compete for attention, and the cast is left with little room. It earned $656 million worldwide on a $200 million budget, and this is an opinion about the writing, not the actors.
How I Ranked the Harry Potter Movies Best to Worst
I ranked the Harry Potter movies by how well each film stages its own story, how it uses its cast, and where it sits in the saga, and the placements are my opinion throughout. The list covers the eight main films and the three Fantastic Beasts spin-offs, so it answers both "best Harry Potter movie" and "Harry Potter movies ranked including Fantastic Beasts".
What did I actually weigh? Four things, in rough order of importance: direction and staging of the big set pieces, how well the film tells its own story without leaning on the books, the strength of the ensemble, and the music. Box office is a separate question, and I treat it as evidence of popularity, not quality. The most popular film is Deathly Hallows: Part 2, but the best, in my opinion, is not the biggest earner, which matters if you are choosing a film to rewatch tonight.
The top of the table is a contest between directors. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban wins because Alfonso Cuarón, taking over from Chris Columbus, made the school feel lived in and the danger feel close, while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 takes second place because it has a decade of casting and character behind every scene. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, directed by Mike Newell, is third, helped by a Triwizard Tournament that gives the film a clear shape.
The middle is where reasonable fans disagree most. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has the best antagonist of the Hogwarts years, and it is the shortest of the school films at 138 minutes. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is fifth because it builds the world so carefully, even if it plays safe. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets follow, each with real strengths and a clear reason for sitting lower.
Where do the spin-offs land? All three come after the eight main films, and I do not think that is unfair. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the best of them because it has a self-contained plot in 1926 New York, while Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald both carry more plot than they can resolve. I try to be critical but never cruel, and I think the cast, Eddie Redmayne especially, deserved a tidier story.
How should you use the list? If you are new to the saga, read the Harry Potter movies in order first, because the ranking is not a viewing order. If you only have time for two, watch my top two, and then check where to watch Harry Potter for the service that carries them in your country. The film count is on the Harry Potter movies hub, and the HBO series is covered on the Harry Potter TV series page.
FAQs
Which is considered the best Harry Potter movie?
In this ranking, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) is the best Harry Potter movie. Alfonso Cuarón directed it, it runs 141 minutes, and it is the film where the series moves from careful adaptation to confident filmmaking. Fans often argue for Deathly Hallows: Part 2 instead, which is second here, so this is an opinion and not a settled fact.
What is the least liked Harry Potter movie?
I rank Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) last, which is my opinion and not a poll result. It earned $656 million worldwide against a $200 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, but its crowded plot leaves the cast with little room. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is the lowest earner of the series, with $407 million worldwide, but I place it above The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Which Harry Potter movie was the most popular?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) was the most popular by box office, with $1.31 billion worldwide according to The Numbers. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is next among the main films at $1.03 billion according to Box Office Mojo. Box office measures popularity, not quality, so it does not decide the order here.
What are the best Harry Potter movies in order?
My order, best to worst, is Prisoner of Azkaban, Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Sorcerer's Stone, Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Half-Blood Prince, Chamber of Secrets, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Secrets of Dumbledore and The Crimes of Grindelwald. The reasons for each placement are in the method section of this ranking.
Do the Fantastic Beasts films belong in a Harry Potter ranking?
They belong if you count the wider wizarding world, and this list includes them as spin-offs. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) is set in 1926, decades before Harry's story, and was directed by David Yates, who also directed the last four main films. Ranked only among the eight main films, the order is the same with the three spin-offs removed.