The Wizarding World franchise spun out of J.K. Rowling’s religiously popular Harry Potter book series has become one of the most successful and well-recognized movie series of all time, with future installments still in production.
With such an immense fanbase, there’s no shortage of opinions as to which of the movies are the best but how have each of the entries fared in the eyes of critics? Let’s look at every movie so far and its score on review aggregate site Metacritic to help paint a clearer picture of the brand’s history at the movies.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (52)
The latest journey to the Wizarding World has proven to be one of the most divisive, and controversial, entries into the franchise so far.
The second Fantastic Beasts movie, which was written by original Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling as the first movie was, mostly sets the action in Paris and delves into a number of old family histories from the fictional universe but was met with far heavier criticism than usual.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (63)
The second and final movie in the series from original director Chis Columbus was an adaptation of the second book in the Harry Potter series of the same name.
Chamber of Secrets performed similarly to the first installment in the movie franchise with both critics and wider audiences before finding greater acclaim from the following movie onwards.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (64)
Chris Columbus’ original adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s original Harry Potter book began one of the most profitable movie franchises of all time and introduced audiences to a host of young actors who would quickly go on to become household names.
Introducing the Wizarding World and its many quirks for the first time, Sorcerer’s Stone (or Philosopher’sStone, in its native country) was perhaps the most kid-friendly of the series but still contained plenty of the dark elements that would define so much of the rest of the franchise.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (65)
It was far from the first movie to do it but the Harry Potter franchise’s decision to split the final book of its source material into a two-part movie was a big moment in Hollywood moviemaking.
Though not as critically well-received as the following and final part, Deathly Hallows – Part 1 was still a huge success at the box office and primed the movie series for its biggest accomplishment to date.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (66)
Acting somewhat as a prequel to the events of the Harry Potter books and their movie adaptations, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is set in 1920’s New York and follows a new hero in the form of Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander.
It’s the first entry into the Wizarding World movies to be solely credited to J.K. Rowling as screenwriter and critics seemed as excited as fans to return to the magical universe.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (71)
The fifth entry into the Harry Potter movie adaptations was the first to be headed by long-time franchise director David Yates, who would direct all of the following installments of the franchise, including both Fantastic Beasts movies.
Following the darker and more sprawling stories of the previous two movies, Order of the Phoenix was a big step forward for the title character in terms of more adult themes.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (78)
Following on from the continued success of the franchise with Order of the Phoenix, director David Yates’ second entry into the series of movies handled some of the biggest moments of the overarching story satisfyingly for both fans and critics.
The financial success of the franchise also only continued to rise, with Half-Blood Prince ending up as the second highest-grossing movie of that year behind only James Cameron’s record-shattering Avatar.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (81)
Adapted from the fourth Harry Potter book of the same name, Goblet of Fire was the biggest chapter to adapt in the series at that point and its score reflects the success of the franchise’s increased scope and ambition.
Centering on a wizarding tournament featuring the titular goblet, the story expanded the Wizarding World more than any installment before it and laid the groundwork for the wider magical society that audiences would see in the Fantastic Beasts movies.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (82)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, the third Harry Potter movie was a noticeable departure from the more child-friendly tone of Chris Columbus’ first two movies and began the title character’s adolescent period to great success.
Introducing a host of long-running characters and plot threads to the story, it’s no wonder why Prisoner of Azkaban is still one of the most beloved entries into the franchise.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (85)
The final of the original Harry Potter book adaptations still sits as the best-reviewed movie of the franchise by Metacritic’s calculations and also takes the top spot as the highest-grossing so far also.
Finally confronting the forces of good and evil within the Wizarding World at Hogwarts school, Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was a high that Hollywood would find itself chasing for years with relatively little success.
