All Harry Potter Movies (Ranked from Worst to Best)

Updated:

13 Jul 2022

I just wanted to put a disclaimer out there that I do not think any of the Harry Potter movies sucked. I just think that some of the movies were better than the others, as with any franchise of any kind. Certain aspects of some of the movies could have been done better, especially when these movies are based off a book series. With all that being said, let us get into the ranking of all the Harry Potter movies!

8.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)

Trailer for the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Pictured: The trio with Rufus Scrimgeour.

Starting out at #8 is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. I wish they had not split up the Deathly Hallows into two parts, or that they had split it up in a different spot. I understand why they did it, and it made sense, but the pace of the film itself was all over the place. It started off really intense and thrilling, then halfway through it just started slowing down.

This first part of the Deathly Hallows follows the trio going through and trying to destroy the Horcruxes to finally defeat Voldemort for the last time. Like I said, the beginning was thrilling, but about halfway the energy dropped.

An interesting fact about the Deathly Hallows is that both parts were filmed simultaneously, which would kind of confuse the cast at times.

7.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

Trailer for Deathly Hallows Part 2

Pictured: The last battle between Harry and Voldemort.

Next on our list is none other than Part 2. It continues right where we had left off in the first part and had action constantly going on throughout the whole film.

It started off with breaking into a bank and riding a dragon out of it, which then led into the battle with Voldemort. The battle at Hogwarts was obviously a significant part of the whole franchise. There were also a lot of intensely emotional scenes. Many characters did not make it out alive and there was a sense of impending doom at Hogwarts which for the first seven movies was a safe zone. And of course, the ending is emotional enough to make anyone cry, especially those who were big fans of the series.

The budget between both parts of the Deathly Hallows is about $250 million.

6.) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Trailer for Half-Blood Prince

Pictured: Harry and Ginny in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The overall storyline in this movie was interesting enough already, with the mysterious textbook and the mysteriously helpful notes that it held. This is another one for the fans who are interested in the romantic relationships of the series. It starts off with Ron dating Lavender which of course irritates Hermione as it is obvious how she feels about him. We also get to see Ginny and Harry finally confess feelings.

This movie also reveals more about Professor Snape, and we see a lot more of Draco and his aunt and mother as well, which adds to the overall story. The Dursleys were cut out of this movie and that was to “break the pattern” of how every one of the films started up to this point.

5.) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Trailer for Order of the Phoenix

Pictured: The movie poster

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix starts off with the Dursleys being attacked by Dementors and Harry having to stop them with magic, which is forbidden outside of Hogwarts since he is underage. They expel him, but then due to the circumstances, it gets reversed.

This film introduces everyone’s most hated character: Dolores Umbridge. She is the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. It becomes known that Umbridge thinks that Harry “lied” about Voldemort, and an organization that was secretly founded by Dumbledore (the organization is the Order of the Phoenix) reveals to Harry that the Ministry of Magic is also oblivious to Voldemort’s return.

This is the longest book in the series, but interestingly enough is the second shortest film.

4.) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Trailer for Prisoner of Azkaban

Pictured: The trio of Harry Potter, Hermione, and Ron with Sirius Black in the back.

The third movie in the franchise was none other than Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It starts off at the Dursleys’ house and results in Harry sending Mr. Dursley’s sister, Marge, floating away. Harry runs and finds the Knight Bus which transports him to the Leaky Cauldron. He reunites with Hermione and Ron, and they all discover that Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban and wants to kill Harry.

This is the film where the Marauder’s Map is also introduced by the Weasley twins. After twists and turns, it is revealed that Sirius Black is innocent of all crimes that he had been accused of. This movie of the franchise was a bit darker than the others had been up to this point. It was also the only one that did not feature Voldemort and ironically enough was the lowest earning movie of the whole series.

3.) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Trailer for the Chamber of Secrets

Pictured: Quidditch players of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

This sequel was great as far as other sequels are concerned. It starts off at the Dursley household where we meet Dobby, a house-elf for the first time. Dobby tries to convince Harry not to go back to Hogwarts, and then sabotages a dinner that was important for Mr. Dursley. The Weasleys then come and break him out and off to their house they go. We get to know the Weasleys more which is great as they become essential to the story later. Things take a turn for the intense at Hogwarts and Voldemort comes back to try to get revenge on Harry again.

The storyline surrounding the chamber of secrets itself is an interesting one and this movie is a wild ride. The Chamber of Secrets and The Sorcerer’s Stone are the only movies in the franchise to have extended editions of those respective films.

2.) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2011)

Official trailer for the first ever Harry Potter movie!

Pictured: Harry Potter and Hagrid looking at school supplies in Diagon Alley.

The one that started it all. As far as originals go, this one was a fantastic introduction to the wizarding world and all of the characters that we meet. It is crazy to look back at this one and see the trio so young and meeting for the first time, knowing how crazy their lives are going to end up becoming.

It is also interesting to see the visual effects of this movie and to see how far it has come, especially with the Deathly Hallows! The budget of the first film was $125 million and it brought in $1.018 billion!

1.) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Trailer for Goblet of Fire

Pictured: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum.

I ranked Goblet of Fire as the first for several reasons. For those who love Ron and Hermione’s relationship, they can really see it flourish in this one. This movie is the first one where they are all shown as growing up. In the first three, they were not teenagers yet, and in this one they show more maturity. The Triwizard Tournament had a remarkably interesting storyline and it introduced characters to us that the fans either ended up loving or hating. The cinematography was also exquisite in this one.

This particular film made $896.7 million in the box office and had a budget of $150 million!