Harry Potter (film series)
Harry Potter is a film series based on the eponymous novels by British author J. K. Rowling. The series is produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011).[2][3] A spin-off prequel series started with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), marking the beginning of the Wizarding World shared media franchise.[4]
Harry Potter
- Chris Columbus (1–2)
- Alfonso Cuarón (3)
- Mike Newell (4)
- David Yates (5–8)
Steve Kloves (1–4, 6–8)
Michael Goldenberg (5)
- David Heyman
- Chris Columbus (3)
- Mark Radcliffe (3)
- David Barron (5–8)
- J. K. Rowling (7–8)
- John Seale (1)
- Roger Pratt (2, 4)
- Michael Seresin (3)
- Sławomir Idziak (5)
- Bruno Delbonnel (6)
- Eduardo Serra (7–8)
- Richard Francis-Bruce (1)
- Peter Honess (2)
- Steven Weisberg (3)
- Mick Audsley (4)
- Mark Day (5–8)
- John Williams (1–3)
- Patrick Doyle (4)
- Nicholas Hooper (5–6)
- Alexandre Desplat (7–8)
Warner Bros. Pictures
2001–2011
1,179 minutes[1]
United Kingdom
United States
English
Total (8 films)
$1.2 billion
Total (8 films)
$7.7 billion
The series was mainly produced by David Heyman, and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as the three leading characters: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Four directors worked on the series: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates.[5] Michael Goldenberg wrote the screenplay for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), while the remaining films' screenplays were written by Steve Kloves. Production took place over ten years, with the main story arc following Harry's quest to overcome his arch-enemy Lord Voldemort.[6]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final novel in the series, was adapted into two feature-length parts.[7] Part 1 was released in November 2010, and Part 2 was released in July 2011.[8][9]
Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time—at 18th-highest, grossing over $1 billion. It is the fourth-highest-grossing film series, with $7.7 billion in worldwide receipts.
Release
The rights for the first four novels in the series were sold to Warner Bros. for £1,000,000 by J.K. Rowling. After the release of the fourth book in July 2000, the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was released on 16 November 2001. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $90 million in the United States alone, which set a record opening worldwide. The succeeding three motion picture adaptations followed suit in financial success, while garnering positive reviews from fans and critics. The fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was released by Warner Bros. on 11 July 2007 in English-speaking countries, except for the UK and Ireland, which released the movie on 12 July.[73] The sixth, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was released on 15 July 2009 to critical acclaim and finished its theatrical run ranked as the number two grossing film of 2009 on the worldwide charts.
The final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was split into two cinematic parts: Part 1 was released on 19 November 2010, and Part 2, the conclusion to both the final film and the series, was released on 15 July 2011.[74] Part 1 was originally scheduled to be released in 3D and 2D,[75] but due to a delay in the 3D conversion process, Warner Bros. released the film only in 2D and IMAX cinemas. However, Part 2 was released in 2D and 3D cinemas as originally planned.[76]
The television broadcast rights for the series in the US are currently held by NBCUniversal, which typically airs the films on USA Network and Syfy.[77] The film series has accrued nearly 1.3 billion viewings since its television debut—the highest-watched franchise in television broadcast history.[78] All eight films became available to stream exclusively on HBO Max on 27 May 2020, the launch date of the service.[79]
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of Philosopher's Stone, in November 2021, it was announced that the entire film series would be relaunched in cinemas in Brazil, as well as a special edition of Philosopher's Stone on HBO Max.[80] Much of the original cast and crew reunited for an HBO Max retrospective special titled Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, released on 1 January 2022.[81]