By release date and chronologically

As the Wizarding World franchise continues to grow, the total Harry Potter And Fantastic animals Kino order becomes more complicated. JK Rowling’s magical novels became one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises throughout the 2000s. Audiences watched eight movies centered around Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter which showed his ascent through Hogwarts and the main role in defeating Voldemort. The eight Harry Potter films were followed by a prequel series, Fantastic animals, And now will be expanded further by a reboot TV series.

The Fantastic animals Movies kicked off in 2016 with Eddie Redmayne’s magizoologist Newt Scamander taking the lead role. The prequel series was originally quite disconnected from the main one Harry Potter movies, but that changed dramatically with its sequels, as Grindelwald got a bigger role, a young Albus Dumbledore appeared, and more connective tissue formed. The series was originally intended to be five movies long, but after casting controversy and a poor box office performance, the third film is the final installment in the series.

Fantastic Beasts movies in release order

From Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to Dumbledore’s Secrets

Set these Fantastic animals Movies in order based on the release dates of the franchise is extremely simple. The prequel franchise began in 2016, five years after the end of the original Harry Potter series. For those who want a complete overview of the franchise in terms of release dates, the Fantastic animals The order of movies is as follows:

If fans want to watch the movies in timeline order instead, there isn’t a huge difference in the watch order, but the employment of flashbacks throughout the movies means that the timeline can get a little confusing.

Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies in chronological order

All of the prequel trilogy takes place before the events of Harry Potter

Whereas Harry Potter’s coming-of-age story was told throughout the 1990s, The Fantastic animals Films take place 50-65 years earlier, in the 1920s and 30s. The original movie centered on Newt Scamander was set in 1927, 65 years before the first one Harry PotterBut sequels move the prequels closer to the events. For those looking for a Harry Potter Timeline viewing order without the need of a crystal ball, here’s how to watch these Fantastic animals Movies in order.

1926: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

The first in the series begins in 1926, with Newt Scamander’s arrival in New York. The young magizoologist brings with him a case full of magical creatures, and through a series of misadventures the creatures are accidentally released around the city, leaving Newt to deal with them with the help of muggle (or non-mage) Jacob Kowalski, Porpentina. Tina Goldstein, a demoted Aurora, and her sister, Queenie.

The movie introduces the Magical Congress of the United States, and the infamous scholar Grindelwald, as well as the New Salem Philanthropic Society, a group of anti-magic humans who believe that witches are real, and dangerous. Her adopted son, Credence, is also introduced as an Obscurial – A dangerous child whose suppressed magic made him a powerful force.

The first movie of the trilogy does not use as many flashbacks to earlier events as the next movies, so watching it is very simple.

1927: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Set shortly after the first film, The Crimes of Grindelwald Catch up with Grindelwald’s escape, and the original crew reunited in a quest for Credencewho fled to Paris. While the original film shows the magical world of the United States in the 20s, the second installment moves to Europe, with most of the action taking place in France (and the introduction of the French Ministry of Magic), as well as a few Scenes. at Hogwarts.

The action also focuses more on the lore that Harry Potter fans are familiar with, As Grindelwald begins to build his following, based on the idea that witches and wizards should not be forced to hide to protect those without magic.

The second movie in the Fantastic animals Trilogy, however, features a handful of flashbacks to the youth of some of the main characters. While the story of the film itself takes place in 1927, the flashbacks take place primarily in the early 1910s, giving a more complete picture of the history between some of the characters.

1932: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

The third and final film in the series begins after a time jump of ten years – bringing him into the 1930s, and a few years before World War II begins.. This larger time jump allows the third film to allow for greater growth of the characters between movies, And makes sense for the original schedule of five films, leading up to the events of WW2.

The film also changes location again, with some scenes in the UK and China, while the bulk of the action takes place in Germany and Bhutan. Newt and his friends work together once again, alongside Dumbledore, In order to try to destroy Grindelwald’s destructive plans to become the new supreme leader of the International Youth League.

The movie, however, is where the timeline of events can get a little confusing on first watch-through. This is because Grindelwald kills a magical beast and uses his own magical ability to see into the future. He plans to give himself an advantage in his quest to rule the wizarding world and eliminate muggles. That is, sometimes he sees events moments before they happen, and other times, days before they happen, before the action goes back and forth.

Grindelwald is able to use his newfound ability to stay one step ahead of Newt and his old friend Albus Dumbledore for much of the movie, but not for

All this.

The Harry Potter movies in order

After the three Fantastic Beasts movies, fans can watch the eight Harry Potter movies in both release and timeline order to complete their viewing experience:

The events of the movies take place between 1991 and 1998, with each story mostly set in the events of the title character’s school year. The last two movies take place from 1997 to 1998. Flash forward to the end of Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2 Takes place nearly two decades later, in 2017, when Harry’s own child attends Hogwarts.

Why the last two Fantastic Beasts will not be made

The Harry Potter prequel is not the success story that WB was hoping for

When the Fantastic Beasts franchise was announced, Rowling said it was intended to be five movies long – and that this would lead to the famous duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, which is a huge moment in Wizarding World lore. in the Harry Potter The duel takes place in 1945, with clear parallels between Grindelwald’s rise and the Second World War.

The plots of the first three films are clearly built around this duel, too – the first introduces the core characters, and the second and third focus on the rise of Grindelwald, the instability of the magical community, and the debates about its secrecy, and The breaking of a blood pact between Dumbledore and Grindelwald that would allow the duel to eventually take place. Presumably, the last two films are intended to cover more of the story, And would end with the duel in the fifth film, after Dumbledore becomes Hogwarts headmaster, and Grindelwald is sentenced to life imprisonment.

However, fans won’t be seeing the duel on the big screen anytime soon, as there is nothing in development at Warner Brothers for a Fantastic Beasts 4Despite the original plans. The cancellation of the series was never officially announced, but it seems to be dead in the water, largely due to a poor box office return.

While the first film was relatively well received, earning a respectable $814 million, the second fell to just over $650 million, and the third brought in just over $400 million – making it the lowest-earning of all the Wizarding movies. World movies.

Simply put, this trend is not one that Warner Bros. would want to spend more money on – Especially as the reviews match the box office, progressively worse with each film. In addition, controversy surrounding the casting of Johnny Depp, and surrounding Rowling’s continued anti-trans sentiments, has led to the franchise struggling to find the kind of loyal audience that the original Harry Potter films.

How much Harry Potter knowledge do you need to watch Fantastic Beasts?

Pottery knowledge is necessary, but it helps

A thorough knowledge of Harry Potter is not a requirement for following or enjoying these Fantastic animals Movies. The prequels do a pretty good job of establishing the basic understanding of the wizarding world that newcomers need. What’s more, since it takes place decades before the events of harry potter, Newt Scamander’s story is relatively self-contained. Voldemort is not present, for example, and all the significant pre-Saucer’s stone Events such as the First Great Wizarding War and the founding of the Order of the Phoenix take place after these Fantastic animals Trilogy.

However, while knowing Harry Potter is not a requirement for enjoying fantastic animals, It definitely helps. For example, the appearance of characters like Dumbledore is much more relevant for Harry Potter Fans who know his significance in the timeline. He is still an important character in fantastic animals, And the prequel trilogy does not require viewers to know that he is the future head of Hogwarts, but his presence is much more satisfying for those who know his eventual fate.

What’s more, there are some thematic elements that will simply go over the heads of viewers who haven’t seen or read any Harry Potter Stories. The most powerful example of this is in Fantastic beasts and where to find them When Newt first arrived in America. There are many comparisons made to show how different Wizarding culture is in the United States compared to the UK. These are incredibly interesting for Harry Potter Fans who have previously only seen the world of magic through the lens of Great Britain, but to newcomers they simply come across as borderline-clunky world-building exposition.

Where to watch the Fantastic Beasts movies

Max is the streaming home of all things Potter

Whether or not the franchise returns for the final two installments, fans will next be looking for where they can watch the existing three films, and there are several places to do so. All three of these Fantastic animals Films are available to stream on Mac. While many movies move between streaming services as licensing changes, Max is sure to keep the franchise going, especially with the Harry Potter show on the horizon.

However, if for some reason Warner Bros. removes one of its biggest franchises from Max, there are always on-demand options for the movies with each of those movies. Fantastic animals Movies available to stream on platforms like Apple TV.