UPDATE: June 1, 2021, 10:13 p.m. EDT After a run on Peacock, Harry Potter has found a new home on HBO Max.
What: All eight Harry Potter movies
Where to watch: HBO max
Dust off your broomsticks and polish those wands: The wizarding world of Harry Potter has been around for two decades, and fans are gearing up for a serious binge session to catch up with their fave wizards and muggles.
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, the magical mythical world follows a young Harry (Radcliffe) as he discovers his powers and attends Hogwarts School of Magic. In case you've been living under a rock, check out the trailer for the first installment below:
Thinking about tuning in? Here's what you need to know.
Where can I watch Harry Potter?
After spending some time on Peacock, the entire Harry Potter library is now available on HBO Max for all of June 2021.
I know nothing about Harry Potter. What order should I watch the films in?
There are eight fantasy films in the Harry Potter series, and The Harry Potter Films follow the same sequence as the Harry Potter books, starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. After that follows Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, and Half-Blood Prince. The final installment was split in two, Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Deathly Hallows Part 2.
What are people saying about Harry Potter books versus the films?
Mashable reporters Sam Haysom and Rachel Thompson went head to head to debate whether the books or the films were the better choice (which you can peruse here), arguing, “Don’t get me wrong, I bloody love the Harry Potter books. Truly, I do. But, I really, really, really love the films. The reason for my enjoyment is because watching the films is like reliving the scenes played out in my imagination when I first read the books as a child." Some other reviews:
"When you read the Harry Potter books, you can picture the characters looking and behaving in the exact way that makes the most sense to you. However, in the movies, the directors and actors force their interpretations onto you." — Talia Klein Perez, writer at The Perspective
"Adapting any popular book series is a huge challenge, and when it came time to bring the Harry Potter books, written by J.K. Rowling, to the big screen, Warner Bros. had a herculean task before them." — Nina Starner, writer at Looper
"One of the biggest differences between the Harry Potter books and movies is that the books have way, WAY more information. There are characters and entire plot lines in the books that there simply isn't time for in the movies, so HP movie fans have to be content with knowing less info about the magical world." — Julia Seales, writer at Bustle
