--- title: "Harry Potter Watch Order: Movies, Fantastic Beasts & HBO Series" description: "How to watch every Harry Potter movie in order — the eight Hogwarts films, Fantastic Beasts, and where HBO’s Christmas 2026 series fits. Release order vs chronological, with Celluloid Scores." url: "https://celluloidscore.com/news/harry-potter-watch-order/" category: "Guide" author: "Kaiser Khan" date_published: "2026-07-24" date_modified: "2026-08-12" source: "Celluloid" --- # Harry Potter Watch Order: Movies, Fantastic Beasts & HBO Series How to watch every Harry Potter movie in order — the eight Hogwarts films, Fantastic Beasts, and where HBO’s Christmas 2026 series fits. Release order vs chronological, with Celluloid Scores. ## What is the correct Harry Potter movie watch order? **Watch the eight Hogwarts films in release order.** That is also story order for Harry’s years at school: 1. [*Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-2001/) (2001) 2. [*Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-chamber-of-secrets-2002/) (2002) 3. [*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban-2004/) (2004) — the creative peak for many fans 4. [*Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire-2005/) (2005) 5. [*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix-2007/) (2007) 6. [*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-2009/) (2009) 7. [*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-1-2010/) (2010) 8. [*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2-2011/) (2011) There is no useful chronological reshuffle inside this octet — start at year one. Celluloid Scores (four-input composite; audience excluded) as of this page’s last update: | Order | Title | Year | Celluloid Score | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [*Philosopher’s Stone*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-2001/) | 2001 | 75 | | 2 | [*Chamber of Secrets*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-chamber-of-secrets-2002/) | 2002 | 73 | | 3 | [*Prisoner of Azkaban*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban-2004/) | 2004 | 82 | | 4 | [*Goblet of Fire*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire-2005/) | 2005 | 80 | | 5 | [*Order of the Phoenix*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix-2007/) | 2007 | 74 | | 6 | [*Half-Blood Prince*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-2009/) | 2009 | 77 | | 7 | [*Deathly Hallows – Part 1*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-1-2010/) | 2010 | 73 | | 8 | [*Deathly Hallows – Part 2*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2-2011/) | 2011 | 86 | If you only rewatch two, *Azkaban* (craft) and *Part 2* (payoff) are the usual pair. Scores live on each title page if a later review changes an input. ## Where do the Fantastic Beasts movies fit? **Treat Fantastic Beasts as an optional prequel spin-off after the main eight (or as a separate trilogy).** Chronologically they sit decades before Harry’s birth; narratively they assume you already know Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Ministry politics from the Hogwarts films. 1. [*Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*](/movies/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-2016/) (2016) 2. [*Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald*](/movies/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-2018/) (2018) 3. [*Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore*](/movies/fantastic-beasts-the-secrets-of-dumbledore-2022/) (2022) **First-time viewers:** finish Deathly Hallows Part 2 before Beasts. **Lore hunters:** watch Beasts after *Half-Blood Prince* if you want Dumbledore context mid-saga — still optional. | Order | Title | Year | Celluloid Score | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [*Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*](/movies/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-2016/) | 2016 | 69 | | 2 | [*The Crimes of Grindelwald*](/movies/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-2018/) | 2018 | 52 | | 3 | [*The Secrets of Dumbledore*](/movies/fantastic-beasts-the-secrets-of-dumbledore-2022/) | 2022 | 53 | 52–53% is the site saying the sequels are completist territory. The first Beasts film is the only one that works as a one-off. ## Where does the HBO Harry Potter series fit? **HBO’s [*Harry Potter*](/shows/harry-potter-hbo/) (eight episodes, Christmas Day 2026) is a new television adaptation of book one — not a sequel to the Radcliffe films.** Watch it anytime; it does not require the movies, and the movies do not spoil its casting. Season 2 (*Chamber of Secrets*) is already ordered. For cast, date, and streaming details, see our [HBO Harry Potter series guide](/news/hbo-harry-potter-series-guide/). ## Which Harry Potter movie is best to start with? **Start with [*Philosopher’s Stone*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-2001/).** If you only rewatch one, many critics still pick [*Prisoner of Azkaban*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban-2004/). For the finale payoff, end on [*Deathly Hallows – Part 2*](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2-2011/). Most titles stream on [HBO Max](/shows/platform/hbo-max/) in regions where the Wizarding World library is licensed — check each movie page for current platforms. More franchise guides: [/guides/watch-order/](/guides/watch-order/). ## Who should skip this watch order? Skip Fantastic Beasts on a first run if you only wanted Harry’s eight films — they are optional prequels, not homework. Skip waiting for the HBO series before starting *Philosopher’s Stone*; the series is a new adaptation, not a sequel. Skip the whole saga if you need a single two-hour story; this is a decade-plus commitment and the [title pages](/movies/harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone-2001/) will not hide that. People who get a messy Potter weekend usually started on Beasts, mixed book order with film titles, or treated the HBO show as “the next movie.” This page exists to stop those three. --- Canonical HTML: https://celluloidscore.com/news/harry-potter-watch-order/ Last modified: 2026-08-12