Rita Skeeter and Mad-Eye Moody sit in the crowd in Harry Potter Image via Warner Bros. By Shrishty Mishra Published Aug 4, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT Shrishty is a decade-old journalist covering a variety of beats between politics to pop culture, but movies are her first love, which led her to study Film and TV Development at UCLAx. She lives and breathes cinema and sometimes wakes up with the close-up shot of Ryan Gosling's hands playing piano in La La Land, in her head. She has worked with numerous media outlets, including Burda Media (MSN News), DKODING Media, The Voice of Fashion, Hindustan Times, and more. Throughout her career, she has interviewed an array of people, from CEOs and politicians to filmmakers and farmers. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Add on Google Preferred Source Google News Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Harry Potter fans need no reason to celebrate the iconic franchise they grew up with. Be it J.K. Rowling ’s books or the iconic movies, the wizarding world enchants its audience and transports them to a world full of wonders and magic. It’s been 25 years since the first movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone , came out and kickstarted a journey for millions of fans around the world.
Directed by Chris Columbus , the film launched Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. It followed Harry as he (and us) make a transition from a non-magical life to a magical one. The feature also introduced Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore, Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, and Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall – all of whom played beloved characters over the years, and are etched in our memories.
After the success of the first feature, Columbus went on to direct the second film, Chamber of Secrets , establishing the iconic visual look, magical tone, and core cast of the franchise. With Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , the franchise brought in director Alfonso Cuarón to establish a darker, more mature, and cinematic aesthetic as the characters grew older. Each director brought out a new part of the Wizarding World, which is the primary reason it feels so vast and versatile.
Then in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , director Mike Newell brought a kinetic energy with a tense, dramatic edge to flesh out the wizarding tournament and introduced Voldemort ( Ralph Fiennes ) in flesh. Next came David Yates , who took over the reins of the next four installments, Order of the Phoenix , Half-Blood Prince , Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2 . He defined the sweeping, epic, and dark political conflict of the concluding war against Voldemort.
After careful deliberation, the Sorting Hat has made its decision. This is the house your values, your instincts, and your particular way of being in the world were made for.
You have nerve. Not the reckless kind, but the deep, quiet courage that shows up even when you're terrified — especially then.
You are driven, sharp, and utterly clear-eyed about what you want and how to get there.
You are the kind of person that makes the world genuinely better just by being in it.
Your mind is your greatest gift, and you've always known it.
The franchise had a great run and grossed over $7.78 billion worldwide ow…