Wizarding World

The Wizarding World—originally called J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World—is a high fantasy adventure franchise and shared fictional universe built around Rowling's Harry Potter book series. Film production began in 2000, and since then eleven movies have been made: eight directly adapt the Harry Potter novels, while three belong to the Fantastic Beasts series. Warner Bros. Pictures owns and distributes all of them. At the global box office, the franchise has earned more than $9.6 billion, placing it fourth among the highest-grossing film franchises ever, after the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man, and Star Wars.

Every Wizarding World film has been produced by David Heyman and his company Heyday Films. For Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe joined as producers. David Barron started producing with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2007 and continued through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011. Rowling herself produced the final two Harry Potter films.

For the Fantastic Beasts series, Heyman, Rowling, Steve Kloves, and Lionel Wigram have produced all three installments. The films have been written and directed by various people and typically feature large ensemble casts. Many actors appear in multiple movies, including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Gary Oldman, Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, and Dan Fogler.

Jude Law and Johnny Depp each appear in two films. Soundtrack albums have been released for every movie. Beyond cinema, the franchise includes a stage play (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), a digital publication, a video game label, and themed areas called The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at several Universal Destinations & Experiences parks worldwide.

The first Wizarding World film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, came out in 2001. Seven Harry Potter sequels followed, starting with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002 and ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011, nearly a decade after the original. The spin-off/prequel series began with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016. Its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, was released on 16 November 2018, and a third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, arrived on 15 April 2022. The first narrative video game under the Wizarding World brand, Hogwarts Legacy, launched in early 2023. Warner Bros. is also developing a television series for HBO, with each season adapting one of the seven Harry Potter books.

In October 1998, Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the first four Harry Potter novels for a seven-figure sum, following a pitch from producer David Heyman. The studio paid close attention to Rowling's preferences when drafting her contract; a key condition was that the films be shot in Britain with an all-British cast, a rule largely followed. On 8 August 2000, the then-unknown Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson were cast as Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Chris Columbus was chosen to direct Philosopher's Stone, with Steve Kloves writing the screenplay. Filming began on 29 September 2000 at Leavesden Film Studios and wrapped on 23 March 2001, with final work completed in July. Principal photography started on 2 October 2000 at North Yorkshire's Goathland railway station. Warner Bros. originally planned a 4 July 2001 release, but the tight schedule caused several potential directors to withdraw, so the date was pushed back. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone premiered in the UK and US on 16 November 2001.

Columbus and Kloves returned for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Production began just three days after the first film's wide release, on 19 November 2001, in Surrey, England, with additional location shooting on the Isle of Man and elsewhere in Great Britain. Leavesden Film Studios provided sets for Hogwarts. Principal photography finished in summer 2002, and post-production continued until early October. The film premiered in the UK on 3 November 2002 and went wide on 15 November, exactly one year after the first movie.

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, a dangerous convict named Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban and targets Hogwarts, where dementors are posted to protect Harry.