‘Harry Potter’: How Much Money Did the 8 Movies Make?
While a Harry Potter TV series may be in early development over at HBO Max, the upcoming series will never erase the impact that the eight movies had. The films released over a 10 year period and made Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson multimillionaires and household names. But how much money did these iconic films make when it was all said and done?
Because of the eponymous book series, the Harry Potter movies were extremely popular right off the bat. In 2001, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the U.S.) was released and achieved instant success. According to Forbes, the film made an astronomical $974.71 million worldwide.
‘Harry Potter’ movies continued to rake in the money
The second installment in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which was the second and final movie in the franchise to be directed by Chris Columbus, didn’t do as well as its predecessor at the box office but still, the film made $878.75 million worldwide, which is no small feat.
Directed by the acclaimed filmmaker, Alfonso Cuarón, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, was a turning point for the series. Here, the movies take on a noticeably darker edge and begin deviating from the books a bit more. Though the third movie is undoubtedly a fan favorite, it actually underperformed in the box office raking in only $795.63 million worldwide, which is the lowest of all 8 movies.
Warner Bros considered not making movies out of all 7 ‘Harry Potter’ books
Next up is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The first PG-13 film in the franchise, fans finally get to see a fully formed Voldemort in this installment. Because the previous film underperformed, there were actually whispers that Warner Bros wouldn’t commit to making movies for all seven books. However, when the fourth film made $896.68 million worldwide, those rumors ceased.
The box office success continued with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Despite the film’s less than stellar ratings, it still managed to rake in $942.64 million worldwide. This film also marked David Yates’ directorial debut into the franchise and he would continue on to direct the remaining three movies for storytelling consistency.
Splitting the last book up into two films
The box office momentum continued with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Fans came out in droves to dive into Voldemort’s origin story a little more and the film made $934.76 million worldwide.
Though there are only seven books, Warner Bros smartly chose to split the last book up into two movies. This decision proved to be extremely wise. Not only were fans satisfied to see more of the plot play out, but it also made more money for the distribution company. In fact, the model proved to be so successful that other successful franchises (like The Hunger Games) would follow suit. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part I made $960.43 million worldwide.
The final film in the franchise was the most successful at the box office
A year later, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was released to the public. It should come as no surprise that the final film in the franchise would outperform all others. The 2011 film made a staggering $1.342 billion which, at the time of its release, made it the third highest-grossing film of all time.
How much money did the 8 ‘Harry Potter’ movies make altogether?
But how much money did all eight Harry Potter movies make altogether? When it was all said and done the films collectively made an astonishing $7.73 billion worldwide. With a number that high, it’s no wonder that it’s considered one of the most successful franchises of all time.
