Harry Potter Movies Leave Streaming

The Harry Potter movies are no longer streaming on any platform. That started on Sunday when all eight of the Harry Potter films leave NBC Universal’s nascent streamer Peacock, which had them during the month of October. Before that, the Harry Potter movies were streaming on HBO Max. The franchise’s recent platform-hopping is the result of contracts that existed before HBO Max or Peacock existed. NBCUniversal has the rights to the Harry Potter series through 2021. That’s what the company launch Peacock with the full eight-film saga as part of its library. However, the details of the contract now require that the films exit the streaming service and join the prequel Fantastic Beasts movies on NBCUniversal’s cable networks like Syfy and USA.

“The Harry Potter franchise is beloved by people of all ages and represents the caliber of quality entertainment customers can expect to find on Peacock,” said Frances Manfredi, President, Content Acquisition and Strategy, Peacock when announcing the film’s move to the new streaming platform. “We’ve built a world-class collection of iconic movies and shows, and we will continue to expand the film library with treasured titles from NBCUniversal and beyond that will surprise and delight Peacock customers time and time again.”

Despite their age and the recent controversies surrounding creator JK Rowling, there’s still a high desire to watch these stories set in the Wizard World. Two decades after its theatrical debut, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone crossed the $1 billion milestone marker at the global box office in August after returning to theaters in Chian and other international markets in 4k and 3D. The entire 8-film series that has been a staple of at-home viewing during the pandemic.

When announced that the film had crossed the $1-billion threshold, Andrew Cripps, President, International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, stated, “We are thrilled to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone delight a new generation of audiences. The popularity of the film with moviegoers in China, who are discovering it for the first time, proves that the appeal of these stories is truly timeless and universal.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone begins the story of a boy who, on his 11th birthday, learns that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. Invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. At Hogwarts, he finds the home and the family he has never had.

The Harry Potter movies will probably return to Peacock before NBCUniversal’s control of the films runs out. After that, it seems likely that Warner Bros. will keep the rights to itself and put the movies back on the HBO Max streaming service.