Harry Potter Movies in Order: Release and Chronological Order

The Harry Potter movies in order of release are eight main films from 2001 to 2011, followed by three Fantastic Beasts spin-offs from 2016 to 2022. This is the sequence in which audiences first saw them.

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), directed by Chris Columbus
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), directed by Chris Columbus
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), directed by Alfonso Cuarón
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), directed by Mike Newell
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), directed by David Yates
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), directed by David Yates
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), directed by David Yates
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011), directed by David Yates
9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), directed by David Yates
10. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), directed by David Yates
11. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022), directed by David Yates

Four directors shaped the eight main films. Columbus made the first two, Cuarón took the third, Newell the fourth, and Yates directed the last four before making all three Fantastic Beasts films as well, so the later entries share one consistent hand. Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry, Rupert Grint plays Ron Weasley and Emma Watson plays Hermione Granger in every one of the eight, while the supporting roles shifted more than you might expect.

Albus Dumbledore is the clearest case. Richard Harris played him in the first two films and died on 25 October 2002, shortly after finishing Chamber of Secrets, and Michael Gambon was announced as his replacement in February 2003 for Prisoner of Azkaban. Jude Law then plays a younger Dumbledore in the second and third Fantastic Beasts films. The music changed hands too: John Williams scored the first three films, Patrick Doyle the fourth, Nicholas Hooper the fifth and sixth, and Alexandre Desplat the last two, with James Newton Howard scoring the Fantastic Beasts trilogy. You can follow those credits on the Harry Potter soundtrack page.

The release calendar had one notable shift: Half-Blood Prince slipped from November 2008 to July 2009 after Warner Bros. moved it. Deathly Hallows: Part 2 grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide, the highest of all eleven, while the Fantastic Beasts films took about $816 million, $656 million and $407 million, figures you can compare on the Harry Potter box office page. Watching all eight main films takes about 19 hours 38 minutes, and the three spin-offs add another 6 hours 49 minutes.

For a first viewing, release order is the better choice, and chronological order makes a good second pass once you know the story. In my opinion the reason is practical: the Fantastic Beasts films assume you already care about Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, and the Hogwarts films are what give those names their weight. Starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), directed by Chris Columbus, also lets the series age at the same pace as its young cast, with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson growing up across the eight films.

What if you only want the core saga? Then skip the spin-offs, because the eight main films are complete without them, and it could be argued that the later Fantastic Beasts instalments ask more of a newcomer than the first one does. Perhaps the single exception is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), directed by David Yates, which follows Newt Scamander through 1926 New York and works as a gentle way into the wizarding world for someone who has not seen anything else.

Is there anything to watch beyond these eleven? The next screen project is the HBO series, and you can follow its status on the new Harry Potter movie page. It is a fresh adaptation with a new cast rather than a continuation, and its first season is reported to premiere on December 25, 2026, so nothing needs to be watched before it. The Harry Potter TV series page has the details.

Before you press play, check which service carries the films where you live. As of 3 November 2026, HBO Max lists all eleven in the US, UK and Australia, and the where to watch Harry Potter guide has the full breakdown by country.