How To Watch Fantastic Beasts Movies In Order: Is It A Prequel To Harry Potter?

If you love fantasy films, chances are you've watched the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The film series occurs in the Wizarding World and has a vast following worldwide. However, understanding the sequence of events can be tricky, given its connections to the Harry Potter universe. So, how do you watch the Fantastic Beasts movies in order?

Is Fantastic Beasts a prequel to Harry Potter? The franchise is a spin-off prequel to the Harry Potter novel and film series. Set decades before Harry's story begins, it explores the magical world of the 1920s and introduces new characters like Newt Scamander. But how do you watch the series? And what is the chronological order of Fantastic Beasts movies?

How to watch Fantastic Beasts movies in order

J.K Rowling's Fantastic Beasts films are part of the larger Wizarding World franchise that began with the Harry Potter series. The film series consists of three fantasy films (as of 2024) released from 2016 to 2022. But if you were wondering about the right order to watch Fantastic Beasts films, you are in luck. The series follows a canonical order, so watching it in order of release is fine.

Here is the Harry Potter spin-off series in order.

1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

• IMDb score: 7.2/10
• Runtime: 133 minutes
• Release date: 18 November 2016

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) is the first movie in the series, set in 1926. The film introduces Newt Scamander, a 'magizoologist' who arrives in New York with a suitcase full of magical creatures. A series of mishaps accidentally releases the creatures, leading to Newt and his new allies racing to retrieve them.

Alongside this adventure, the movie teases the looming threat of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Watching Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sets the foundation for the future battles that will unfold in the Harry Potter universe.

2. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

• IMDb score: 6.5/10
• Runtime: 134 minutes
• Release date: 16 November 2018

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) is a sequel that closely follows the first film's events. In this installation, Grindelwald escapes custody and begins gathering followers to establish a new world order where wizards rule over non-magical beings.

The Crimes of Grindelwald brings more Harry Potter connections, including a young Albus Dumbledore and other significant characters. Watching this movie second ensures you understand the increasing stakes and deeper storylines.

3. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

• IMDb score: 6.2/10
• Runtime: 142 minutes
• Release date: 8 April 2022

Set in the 1930s, The Secrets of Dumbledore shifts the focus to Albus Dumbledore, who is drawn deeper into the fight against Grindelwald. Dumbledore recruits Newt Scamander and other wizards to help thwart Grindelwald's growing influence.

This third instalment brings several storylines to a head, but it might be the last in the series due to box office performance and other controversies. Fans hoping to follow the complete narrative should watch this as the final instalment.

Fantastic Beasts movies in order with Harry Potter

After watching the three Fantastic Beasts movies, fans can continue with the eight Harry Potter films by release order or chronological timeline to fully immerse themselves in the wizarding world. These final chapters span the events from 1991 to 1998.

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer'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)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – stage play (2016)

The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a stage play (2016) set nineteen years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and follows the son of Harry Potter, Albus Severus Potter.

Are there 5 Fantastic Beasts movies?

No, the Fantastic Beasts franchise currently has three movies (as of 2024). However, according to Hollywood Reporter, when J.K. Rowling announced the series, she revealed plans to include five films. She also disclosed that the finale would cover the famous duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.

Do you need to watch Fantastic Beasts in order?

Yes, you do. Despite each film's storyline, the overarching plot involving the rise of Gellert Grindelwald, Albus Dumboldore's role and the connections to the Harry Potter universe build upon one another.

What happened to Newt Scamander in Harry Potter?

Newt Scamander is not a central character in the Harry Potter series. However, he is known as the author of the textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which Hogwarts students use in their Care of Magical Creatures class.

The Harry Potter series briefly mentions him and reveals that he is still alive in 1995, living in Dorset and married to Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein.

Wrapping up

Watching the Fantastic Beasts movies in order will ensure you follow the storyline as intended. Luckily, the three films in the franchise all follow each other canonically, so there is no need to worry about piecing timelines together.

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