Harry Potter on Netflix UK: fans react as streaming platform adds all eight Wizarding World movies to site

The Harry Potter films are now available to watch on Netflix in the UK and Ireland - it is the first time that the full series is available to stream on one platform without additional charges.

The films, which (as if you don’t already know) tell the story of a boy wizard who goes to a magical school and learns how to harnesses his powers to defeat the dark wizard who killed his parents years before.

Adapted from the novels of JK Rowling, the films became the third highest-grossing movie franchise of all time, with a collective box office of $9.5 billion. 

Potter fans, or Potterheads as they like to be called will likely be quoting Sirius Black’s infamous line - ‘I did my waiting, 12 years of it’, as that is the length of time that has elapsed between the release of Deathly Hallows Part 2 and the arrival of the franchise on a streaming service.

Licensing agreements had previously prevented the films from being available to stream in the UK for years, but the new deal with Netflix has finally brought the films online, and fans couldn’t be happier. 

Which Harry Potter films are on Netflix?

All eight of the Harry Potter films are now available on Netflix - these are:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher'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)

Are the Fantastic Beasts films on Netflix?

The Fantastic Beasts films are a spin-off from Harry Potter, set in the same universe but set around 70 years before the events of Harry Potter. 

In even more good news for Potterheads, the first two films in the series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), and The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) are both available on Netflix in the UK and Ireland.

The latest instalment in the series, The Secrets of Dumbledore is not available on the platform. You can watch it on Now TV, or buy it from Amazon, Apple TV+, YouTube and more from £13.99.

How much did Netflix pay for Harry Potter?

It’s unknown how much Netflix paid for the right to add Harry Potter to its immense library, but however much, it’s likely to prove a good investment.

As Netflix is currently the only platform where users can access the film series for free (after paying the subscription), the franchise could prove to be a big draw for new subscribers. 

Despite the fact that the first film was released more than 20 years ago, the Harry Potter films have continued to grow in popularity.

What have fans said about Harry Potter coming to Netflix?

Netflix was fairly blasé about what may be its biggest non-original content addition of the year. In a tweet on 16 May, the company announced that the eight films would land on the site today.

Fans however proved very excited by the news - the tweet was liked more than 24,000 times and attracted hundreds of comments. One user called the news an ‘absolute win’.

Another said ‘[Philosopher’s Stone] is a beautiful crafted masterpiece, I can’t fault a second of it. I never get tired of it.’

Whilst another paraphrased Draco Malfoy, tweeting: ‘It’s true then, what they’re saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Netflix’.