The multimedia franchise “Harry Potter” stands as one of the largest and most renowned stories of all time. The series started in the late 90’s as a book series, and since then, the Wizarding World has expanded into movies, video games, toys and other experiences that have enchanted audiences for almost three decades.
The original author and creator of the series, J.K. Rowling, first came up with Harry Potter while she was stuck on a train to London in 1990. According to her online site, she spent the next five years fleshing out the story audiences love today. She carried the first three chapters of Harry Potter with her on her move to Scotland. After over a year of searching for a publisher with her agent Christopher Little, Bloomsbury published the first book, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in June 1997. In 1998, the book earned a spot on the shelves in America, followed by a huge increase in popularity. Over 500 million copies of the books sold worldwide, 120 million being the first book in the series.
Warner Bros brewed a contract in 1999, which bought the rights to turn the first four books of Harry Potter into blockbuster movies. At this time, the last of the four books wasn’t even out yet. Over the next six years, Warner Bros filmed the first four movies, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as “the golden trio.” Later, Rowling signed a contract for the last four movies. After all eight movies hit the screens across the globe, the receipt at the box office was $7.7 billion worldwide.
As the franchise gained traction, companies began creating toys and video games based on Rowling’s works. In 2001, Lego released their first Harry Potter set, which featured a spinning wheel with each of Hogwarts’ houses so children could “sort” Harry into whichever house they chose. In the same year, Electronic Arts released “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” for PlayStation. The game follows the story from the first book and features single-player, free-roam gameplay with plenty of combat and collectibles. The game became one of the best-selling PlayStation video games at the time of its release, with 8 million copies sold worldwide.
The franchise continued to inspire developers and even carried into the realm of experiences and fun. In 2007, Universal Studios announced a Harry Potter themed area of their resort in Orlando, FL. In 2010, a walk-through version of Hogsmeade opened to the public, featuring three rides and several stores, including Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks and the Hog’s Head. In 2014, a second area opened as a recreation of Diagon Alley, with even more rides and shops that envelop visitors in a magical world. Other Wizarding Worlds opened at Universal Studios in Hollywood, Beijing and Japan from 2014 onward.
Despite the controversy surrounding Rowling and her views on transgender ideology in recent years, coupled with the loss of a huge chunk of Harry Potter’s fanbase because of her remarks on X, the Wizarding World still stands strong. In 2016, a new line of movies based on one of Rowling’s spinoff books, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” came out, starring Eddie Redmayne. Warner Bros. Games came out with a reimagined version of life as a wizard in their 2023 release “Hogwarts Legacy.” Universal Orlando has another Harry Potter area in the works, this time a replica of the Ministry of Magic, set to open to the public in May. HBO even has a reprise of the story through a Harry Potter television series set to air in 2026.
From humble beginnings, Harry Potter bloomed into an adventure that inspires generations and whisks fans away into a world beyond the books and movies. With even more endeavors yet to come, the Wizarding World and all of its wonder will continue to enchant long into the future.
