For those who waited for and watched the movies as they came out, there's no question of the best way to watch the Harry Potter movies in order. Casting three leads —Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint — who were actually children, so they could age along with the characters, definitely helped. You can often tell which Harry Potter movie comes next by looking at how the characters age on the posters or thumbnails.
But many people weren't watching the movies when they started coming out over 20 years ago. If you're just starting out with the movies based on JK Rowling's books, here's the one and only order to watch the Harry Potter movies.
The Two Harry Potter Movie Series
The main HARRY POTTER movie series, adapting the seven core books by JK Rowling, ran for ten years, from 2001 to 2011. Then there are the three FANTASTIC BEASTS movies. That ongoing series began in 2016.
The Best Harry Potter Viewing Order
The good news is that the release order for the Harry Potter movies and the ideal viewing order are the same thing. There's no reason to watch the movies in any sequence other than the chronological order — unless you'd like to do so for your own reasons, of course.
The big question is whether or not to watch the FANTASTIC BEASTS movies before or after the HARRY POTTER movies. We say no. They tell a prequel story, which puts them chronologically before the Potter movies.
But the FANTASTIC BEASTS movies reveal backstory details for several characters in the HARRY POTTER series. It's better to experience those after seeing the main series, rather than having that knowledge when you meet characters like Dumbledore for the first time.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Will the Harry Potter Movies Be Rebooted?
Whether or not the Harry Potter books will be adapted into new movies, rebooting the movie series, is a huge question. The answer is uncertain now, but it will probably happen. The question is simply when. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav recently said that Harry Potter is among the intellectual properties that have been "underused" by the studio.
Still, no serious Harry Potter reboot plans have been announced. There are still two more FANTASTIC BEASTS movies to make as well, since that series was originally announced as being a five-movie project.
Keep an eye on our Events page for Harry Potter revivals!
All images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.