The eight installments of the Harry Potter franchise is among many fantasy-genre films that deliver a gripping plotline and adventurous narrative along with romance in one go. They are a detailed adaptation of a children’s fiction fantasy series authored by British writer J.K. Rowling. Throughout the films, we see Harry discover his wizarding background and going on many expeditions to stop Lord Voldemort from rising again in full power. Each Harry Potter movie features one of the best ensemble casts put together in cinema, from Daniel Radcliffe’s performance of the titular hero to Emma Watson and Rupert Grint’s beloved supporting portrayals of Hermione and Ron, respectively. Apart from them, many other senior fabled names from the industry joined to make the franchise what it is, including Michael Gambon as Dumbledore and Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort.
Though the franchise met its inevitable conclusion in 2011 with the release of its eighth film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the smashing records prompted the filmmakers to push a five-film prequel franchise, Fantastic Beasts, into production. Recently, the third installment of Fantastic Beast: The Secrets of Dumbledore, starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, was released. The story directly interprets the past of the greatest known wizard Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law). Though the Fantastic Beasts franchise seems to have fizzled, per EW, let’s look at each Harry Potter movie, ranked by box office gross.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban — $789.5M
Warner Bros.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban marks the third film in the franchise. Despite introducing some prominent characters like Sirius Black and Remus Lupin that shaped the series, the movie missed the mark domestically and garnered the lowest box office gross. That said, the film soared in the overseas market. Still, it was synonymous with having a weak narrative when compared to the chart-busting animated movie Shrek 2 in the same year.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets — $875.2M
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second film in the franchise, focusing on exploring the origin of Lord Voldemort. Though the movie took a step ahead in putting the prime antagonist in the spotlight, it still was not adequate to draw the audience to the theater. Indeed, it ended up being the lowest-rated on IMDb (7.4) in the franchise. And if that was not enough, per The Things, Chamber of Secrets and Order of Phoenix were the only two movies in the saga that did not receive any Oscar nominations.
6 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — $886.7M
Warner Bros. Pictures
The fourth installment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, chronicling the Harry Potter odyssey, by far, is the most entertaining piece both in the movies and the books. The movie sets the new tone for the franchise by introducing Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort and a world outside Hogwarts. The film became an instant hit worldwide, giving stiff competition to Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Helmed by Mike Newell, the film also bagged Kid and Teen Choice Awards.
5 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince — $929.4M
The sixth movie, under the direction of David Yates, brought forward a fresh dynamic to the overall franchise by introducing the Horcruxes and their mysteries. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also steered clear from just being a Hogwarts-centric franchise, opening the gates to the rest of the world. The movie created a lot of buzz in the year and stood against chart-busters like Avatar ($2.8 billion worldwide gross), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ($886 million), and The Twilight: New Moon ($836 million).
4 Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix — $939.6M
Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix is the fifth movie in the franchise, exploring Harry’s grief over Cedric’s death in Goblet of Fire and his increased efforts in putting together an army against Voldemort. While the movie saw its IMDb ratings tumbling to the second lowest (7.5) in the franchise, the box office gross painted a different image. Worldwide, the film stood neck-to-neck with Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ($960 million). In the domestic market, the movie did not recreate Potter magic and fell behind titles like Spider-Man 3, Transformers, and more.
3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 — $952.6M
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is adapted from the novel of the same name, but it splits the narrative into two films. The penultimate movie revolves around the trio hunting the Horcruxes and sets the stage for an even darker finale. Despite the premise being built after six consecutive films in the franchise, the movie lost the top rank to Toy Story 3 ($1.06 billion worldwide gross). Domestically, it ranked seventh behind Avatar, Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland, Iron Man 2, The Twilight, and Inception.
2 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone — $965M
The introductory film of the wizarding world set the record straight in terms of its potential. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone offered a sneak peek into the life of Harry, his freshly discovered capabilities, a magical school, and his friends for life. With a promising plotline, there was no turning back from the magic of the film. The box office gross became concrete evidence. The film ended up pushing another epic fantasy genre film —The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings ($891 million worldwide) — to the second spot.
1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 — $1.31B
The concluding movie of the decade-spanning franchise finally ended with the appreciation it deserved. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was the only film from the franchise to enter the holy club of $1 billion in box office gross. Moreover, the box office figures speak volumes of its woven magic domestically and worldwide; it topped the chart, stepping over Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($1.1 billion) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($1.04 billion). Helmed by Yates, the film puts an end to the dark sorcery of Tom Riddle and dishes out a happy ending for the characters, forever closing their chapters for the audience.
