Tier List

Harry Potter Movies Ranked: The Complete Tier List (2026)

All 8 Harry Potter films plus the 3 Fantastic Beasts spinoffs ranked from S-tier to D-tier. Then build your own Wizarding World ranking with head-to-head comparisons.

The Complete Harry Potter Tier List

Eleven films across two decades and a generation. Ranking the Wizarding World is one of those debates that splits friend groups and family group chats: every Potterhead has their own pecking order. Here's a complete S/A/B/C/D tier list of all eight mainline films and the three Fantastic Beasts spinoffs. Disagree? Build your own definitive ranking in Shortlist.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

(2004)

Cuarón's film. The series' most cinematic, atmospheric, and emotionally complete entry.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

(2011)

The Battle of Hogwarts, Snape's memories, and the long-awaited payoff. Endgame energy before Endgame.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

(2005)

The tournament, the maze, the graveyard. The exact moment the series got dark.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

(2009)

The most beautifully shot of the lot. The Astronomy Tower scene is devastating.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

(2010)

The slow, paranoid camping movie. Better on rewatch than it gets credit for.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

(2007)

Umbridge is one of cinema's great villains. The Ministry battle delivers.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

(2001)

The film that launched a generation. Slightly stagey now but the magic still works.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

(2002)

Longer than it needs to be. The Basilisk fight is iconic.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

(2016)

Newt is charming, the Niffler is great. The series got worse from here.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

(2018)

Tonally chaotic and lore-broken. Even die-hards struggle with this one.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

(2022)

Quietly course-corrected the franchise into early retirement.

Build your own Harry Potter tier list

Compare the Wizarding World head-to-head and rank every film. Free on iOS.

Harry Potter Movies in Order

The Wizarding World films, in release and chronological order: they're mostly the same.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

The three Fantastic Beasts films (2016, 2018, 2022) are prequels set decades before Harry, so chronologically they come first, but most fans recommend watching them after the main saga (or skipping the spinoffs entirely).

How to Build Your Own Harry Potter Tier List

Eleven films is too many to rank in your head. The fastest method, better than star ratings, faster than a spreadsheet, is head-to-head comparisons in Shortlist:

Create a Harry Potter list in the app. Add all 11 Wizarding World films, or just the eight mainline movies.
Compare two at a time: Shortlist shows you matchups like "Prisoner of Azkaban vs. Half-Blood Prince." Pick the winner.
After 15-20 comparisons, your full tier list builds itself. Most lists end up with Prisoner of Azkaban or Deathly Hallows: Part 2 at #1.
Share your ranking: every list gets a share link. Settle the group chat once and for all.

The same head-to-head method works for any franchise. See our movie tier list guide for the full approach.

The Best and Worst Harry Potter Movies: The Consensus

Critics and fans don't always agree, but the extremes are pretty settled:

Consensus best: Prisoner of Azkaban. Cuarón's direction, the Time-Turner, and Lupin's storyline, a near-universal #1.
Most epic: Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The series finale and the Battle of Hogwarts.
Most underrated: Goblet of Fire. The film that proved the series could grow up.
Most overrated: Sorcerer's Stone. Iconic for nostalgia, weakest as filmmaking.
Worst of the Wizarding World: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Even Newt fans struggle to defend it.

Should You Include Fantastic Beasts in Your Ranking?

Most Potterhead tier lists keep the eight mainline films separate from the three Fantastic Beasts spinoffs: they're a different era, different cast, and different tone. Including them is fair game; ranking them against Harry Potter is what gets people upset. Shortlist supports custom lists, so you can build a "Harry Potter only" ranking and a separate "Wizarding World" ranking that includes everything.

What About the Harry Potter HBO Series?

HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation isn't in this list because it's television, not film. Once it airs, you'll be able to rank each season alongside other prestige TV in our TV show tier list guide.

Harry Potter Tier List FAQ

How many Harry Potter movies are there?

Eight mainline Harry Potter films released between 2001 and 2011, plus three Fantastic Beasts spinoff films released between 2016 and 2022, eleven Wizarding World theatrical films total.

What's the best Harry Potter movie?

Most critics, fans, and filmmakers rank Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) as the series' best, citing Alfonso Cuarón's direction, the darker tone, and a more mature visual style. Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the most common runner-up.

Should I watch Fantastic Beasts before or after Harry Potter?

After. Although Fantastic Beasts is set chronologically earlier, fans almost universally recommend finishing the eight mainline Harry Potter films first: the spinoffs lean heavily on Potter lore and emotional context that hasn't happened yet in their timeline.

Are the Harry Potter movies worth rewatching?

Yes, and your ranking will probably change as an adult. Films that felt slow as a kid (Prisoner of Azkaban, Deathly Hallows Part 1) tend to climb. Films you loved as a kid (Sorcerer's Stone) tend to drop. That's exactly why building a fresh tier list is fun.

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