J.K. Rowling unleashed a sensation when she published the first book in the Harry Potter series in 1997. Four years later, the young wizard’s adventures made it to the big screen and became a massive hit. Since then, the franchise has spawned video games, theme parks, tourist attractions, tattoos, and more in one of the biggest pop culture sensations in recent history.
The 11th film about the Harry Potter universe and the third of the Fantastic Beasts series is coming out April 15.
When Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book, she was nearly broke. Now it’s estimated that she’s worth at least a billion dollars. Her book was originally rejected by numerous publishers, and Bloomsbury, the one that did end up publishing it, didn’t expect it to do great. Turns out it was their golden ticket.
When the series was adapted into movies, it continued to do well and appealed to an even wider audience. From 2001 to 2011, Harry Potter films were pumped out almost yearly (usually around the holiday season) and were always a hit at the box office. The wizarding world has since been brought back to life with the Fantastic Beasts movies, though not quite with the same level of success. See where Harry Potter falls on the 100 top-grossing movies of all time.
Many of the main actors grew up with the movies over the years. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and many others look unimaginably young in the first few movies. They devoted 10 years of their lives to the roles, and it’s hard to see them and not associate them with the characters they played. However, the stars have remained active and often have appeared in independent films and other, more personal projects. Daniel Radcliffe is on the list of actors who made major body transformations for roles.
Click here to see every Harry Potter movie, ranked
To determine the best Harry Potter movies, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on several measures from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. The index is a composite of each movie’s IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. All ratings were weighted equally. Data was collected September 2021. Supplemental data on global box office came from industry data site The Numbers.
10. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
> Score: 1.5
> Avg IMDb rating: 6.5
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 54%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $651.28 million
The Crimes of Grindelwald is the 10th film in the Harry Potter universe and the second set in the Fantastic Beasts series. The movie continues the story of monster chaser and documenter Newt Scamander as his misadventures draw him deeper into a dark magical conspiracy. Much of the film is set in Paris in the 1920s and gives viewers a glimpse into the French world of magic.
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9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
> Score: 2.3
> Avg IMDb rating: 7.3
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 79%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $811.72 million
After the conclusion of the original Harry Potter series, many thought that might just be the last we saw of the wizarding world on the big screen. Instead we got a peek back into the Harry Potter universe in the “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” film. The movie is set in 1920s New York City and shows what magical society is like in the United States. The plot follows Newt Scamander, a curious and dashing young wizard who is obsessed with magical creatures. Newt must scramble around New York, trying to recover several escaped magical beasts.
8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
> Score: 2.4
> Avg IMDb rating: 7.5
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 81%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $940.74 million
In the fifth installment in the saga of the boy who lived, Harry is introduced to the Order of the Phoenix. The order is a secret organization founded by Albus Dumbledore that is fighting to stop the return of Lord Voldemort. Meanwhile, Harry and friends begin creating a secret group of Hogwarts students to train in the struggle against Voldemort. Dark forces are on the move like never before, and things quickly spiral out of control as Voldemort moves one step closer to returning to power.
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
> Score: 2.4
> Avg IMDb rating: 7.4
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 80%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $876.51 million
In the “Chamber of Secrets,” Harry returns to wizarding school Hogwarts for his second year after an exciting and dangerous first one. The school is quickly set abuzz by a cryptic message on a corridor wall that claims the mysterious Chamber of Secrets has been opened and bloodshed is sure to follow. Some strange force begins to attack students and warns that the heir of Slytherin will purge the school of impure wizards. Harry and friends must race to stop whatever is threatening the school and its students.
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6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
> Score: 2.4
> Avg IMDb rating: 7.6
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 78%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $930.67 million
In the second to last installment in the original book series, the fight between good and evil continues to heat up. Harry returns to Hogwarts for his sixth year while battle lines are drawn in the looming conflict against Voldemort. Harry suspects his archrival Draco Malfoy of joining Voldemort’s side as a Death Eater along with other members of Slytherin house. Meanwhile, Harry starts a relationship with Ron’s sister Ginny, and Ron and Hermione show feelings for one another. As Voldemort’s return draws near, the trio of heroes discover a way to defeat the dark lord.
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
> Score: 2.4
> Avg IMDb rating: 7.6
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 82%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $965.05 million
There was plenty of hype around the book series, and when it finally launched on the big screen, it marked the beginning of an era. The wizarding world explodes to life as young wizard Harry Potter is thrown into a magical society and a secret war that began before he was born. He quickly becomes friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, joins Gryffindor house, meets several other wizards, and develops a rivalry with Draco Malfoy. Along the way, we are introduced to all the quirks and intricacies that J.K. Rowling’s imagination unleashed on the world.
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4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
> Score: 2.4
> Avg IMDb rating: 7.7
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 85%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $955.37 million
The Deathly Hallows is the last book in the series but was broken into two movies to do it justice (and make a lot of money). This time around, Voldemort and his cronies have grown strong enough to openly threaten the order of the wizarding world. Harry, Ron, and Hermione do not return to Hogwarts and instead embark on a quest to stop Voldemort before it’s too late. However, Voldemort is also looking for them, and they must avoid his ever-expanding forces as they track down pieces of Voldemort’s soul.
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
> Score: 2.4
> Avg IMDb rating: 7.7
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 74%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $891.32 million
In the fourth installment in the series, the Triwizard Tournament has arrived at Hogwarts. In the tournament, a wizard from each of three different wizarding schools is selected to compete in a series of difficult and dangerous challenges to bring glory to their school. Harry Potter is too young to compete in the dangerous tournament, but fate has other plans for him. Students enter the competition by putting their names into the Goblet of Fire, which then chooses who will compete. In an unprecedented twist, Harry’s name is produced and he is thrown into the wild competition.
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
> Score: 2.6
> Avg IMDb rating: 7.9
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 86%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $789.96 million
In the third book and movie in the series Harry returns to Hogwarts after two exciting years, hoping for some calm. He quickly learns that suspected murder Sirius Black has escaped from wizard prison Azkaban. Black is believed to be an old ally of Lord Voldemort and to have played a key role in the death of Harry’s parents. We are also introduced to Dementors, dark creatures that can suck the souls from wizards, a punishment worse than death. The creatures come to Hogwarts to try and stop Sirius Black who’s believed to be out to kill Harry. Harry soon learns that his ties to Sirius are much deeper than he realized.
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1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
> Score: 2.7
> Avg IMDb rating: 8.1
> Rotten tomatoes audience score: 89%
> Worldwide ticket sales: $1.33 billion
“Part 2” is the final film in the adventures of Harry Potter and the second film based on the “Deathly Hallows” book. Harry continues his quest to destroy Lord Voldemort as the wizarding world spirals into chaos and violence. The series matures with the characters and suddenly death and terror are everywhere. The once peaceful society is transformed into open warfare as Voldemort seeks to take full control. The movie is the highest rated in the series and had the highest ticket sales by a large margin.
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