Here’s the Best Places to Watch the Harry Potter Movies Online [February 2021]

Whether you’re revisiting the books or marathoning the movies, Harry Potter continues to be one of the most popular and influential sagas in storytelling. Though the books were written for children and young adults, most people find that they can connect to the tale of young Harry Potter and his friends rising up to defeat the evil Voldemort. Over eight films, Harry’s story came to lift on the big screen from 2001 to 2011, but each of the movies continue to be popular in reruns on cable, and in DVD sales.

Of course, if you’re looking to stream the films online, they’re a bit harder to find. Entering the Potterverse isn’t as easy as loading up Netflix, since the films aren’t available on the world’s most popular streaming service. If you’re ready to jump back into JK Rowling’s Wizarding World, here are the best places to watch the films in 2021.

The Streaming Wars

Let’s start by discussing the real reason you’re here: where is Harry Potter streaming in 2021 in the United States? Well, we’ve got some surprisingly good news for you! Right now, you can watch all eight Harry Potter films  at NBC’s new streaming service, Peacock. Unfortunately, the company has moved all but the first film behind a paywall, so you’ll need a paid account to watch Harry Potter through Peacock. The first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone can be streamed with ads.

Why Peacock, you may be wondering? Well, way back in 2016, Warner Bros. and NBC Universal inked a deal that would make NBC-owned properties the sole destination for the films beginning in 2018. We’re now about a year and a half through that deal, with the Potterverse films no longer airing on Freeform and unavailable on streaming services like Netflix or Hulu.

In fact, that deal also prevents Harry Potter from making their way to Warner Bros.’ own streaming service, HBO Max. While the film made an unexpected appearance at launch, none of the films are streaming on HBO Max anymore—and they likely won’t for a while. The deal signed with NBC Universal runs through 2025, which means Warner Bros. won’t get those rights back for another half decade. We’re getting major flashbacks to Disney’s attempts to launch a streaming service while waiting for their Netflix deal to run out the clock, but you never know what could change down the road.

Also, keep in mind that we’re looking at these listings from a US-focused market. Around the world, you may be able to find them on various other services.

Renting or Buying

While streaming the franchise might be difficult, if you have a few bucks for each film, renting or buying each of the films is actually pretty easy. Each major online rental store has the entire series up for grab, so let’s look at what you can expect from each service.

Google Play Store

The Play Store has all of the Harry Potter movies available to stream to Android devices. They are available in the US and UK and presumably elsewhere too. You can buy them from the store and own them, so they should always be available even if licensing gets in the way. As of July 2019, the films can be rented for $3.99 and purchased for $14.99 in 4k resolution. You can also buy all eight of the original franchise for $69.99 plus tax, also in 4k resolution. The first Fantastic Beasts movie is available to rent for $3.99 or purchase for $14.99, while the second movie is $5.99 to rent and $19.99 to purchase; you can get a two-movie combo for $23.99, all in 4k resolution.

iTunes

As you might expect, all eight films—plus the Fantastic Beasts movies—can be found on Apple’s classic video store. Whether you’re buying on your iPhone, Apple TV, or your Mac, you’ll find the movies waiting for you in Apple’s Movies app.

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is also in on the Harry Potter action with its own streaming service. Amazon rents the Harry Potter movies for $3.99 (in HD but not 4K) and sells them for $9.99, a savings of a few dollars off of Google’s offering. Fantastic Beasts is available for $3.99 to rent and $9.99 to buy, while the second FB movie is only available for purchase, at $19.99.

YouTube

Even without a subscription to YouTube TV, you can rent the Harry Potter movies (and many others) on YouTube for $3.99 apiece or purchase them for $14.99 apiece in Ultra HD. The rental and purchase agreement go through Google Pay but YouTube provides the streaming.

Alternative TV services

I mentioned Fubo TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Now and YouTube TV as sources for SyFy and USA Network. These are such strong alternatives to cable that they deserve their own mention. Each of these has both of the main channels where you can see Harry Potter included in one of their subscription packages.

Fubo TV costs $54.99 a month, Sling TV costs $25 a month, DirecTV Now costs $50 a month and YouTube TV is available from $49.99 a month. None are cheap in their own right but all of them are cheaper than cable. As they all contain either SyFy and/or USA Network, the primary rights holders for the Potter universe, you should be able to get your Harry Potter on whenever you like.

The Full List of Movies

As of February 2021, there are ten movies set in the Harry Potter universe. The first eight are set at or in connection with Hogwarts, and deal with the ongoing conflict between Harry Potter and his friends and the evil Voldemort. Each of the first eight movies covers approximately one year at Hogwarts. The first eight movies are:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Subsequent to the end of the Potter saga, two more movies have come out in the Fantastic Beasts series. Set in the years before Harry Potter, those movies are:

1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
2. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Though not set directly in the world of Hogwarts, the Fantastic Beasts movies are set in the Wizarding World and are clearly meant as a continuation of the franchise. We can look forward to new Fantastic Beast movies for years to come, most likely. A third Fantastic Beasts film, as yet untitled, is scheduled for November of 2021—though as with all Hollywood films these days, it’s likely to be delayed.