With a quick “accio” (and realistically a whole lot of discussions, deal-making, and, you know, boring muggle stuff), the Harry Potter films are making their way back on to HBO Max. According to Variety’s report, the return comes following the series’ 11-month stay over on NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, and is sure to make an HBO Max look a whole lot more appealing to a pretty massive audience. The Harry Potter series is set to hit the streaming service on September 1, where it will reside indefinitely alongside a large number of Warner Bros. other films, such as the DC Cinematic Universe collection.
Included in the series are all eight mainline Harry Potter films: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2. As of now, there’s no news on whether or not the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series will be joining the rest of the films in a move to HBO as well.
For those wondering why the iconic Warner Bros. series weren’t already on HBO Max — especially considering Warner Bros. owns the streaming service — if was for a pretty good reason. Prior to the establishment of HBO Max, the studio had sold the streaming right to the series to NBC for their service Peacock. Therefore, when HBO Max first launched in May of 2020, it only had access to the movies for three months before the deal went into effect and all eight films were transferred over to Peacock.
However, Warner Bros. has since reclaimed the rights and is bringing the enchanted series back to its own service in a massive move for the company. You see, as of right now, the Harry Potter films rank as the third highest-grossing movie franchise of all time, with a worldwide value of $7.7 billion. This puts the series behind only Star War and the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises, both of which reside on competitor streaming service Disney+.
Another silver lining of this deal? Fans of the series who have been seriously let down or hurt by J.K. Rowling’s continuous and increasingly more disturbing comments on the Transgender community will no longer have to buy the series and support the author to give it watch. All in all, it seems a pretty big win for all parties and is just in time for a Holiday marathon.
