<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> Total (8 films) $1.2 billion </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> Total (8 films) $7.7 billion </Td> </Tr> <P> Harry Potter is a British - American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by author J.K. Rowling . The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--Part 2 (2011). A spin - off prequel series will consist of five films, starting with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), marking the beginning of the Wizarding World shared media franchise . </P> <P> The series was mainly produced by David Heyman, and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as the three leading characters: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger . Four directors worked on the series: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates . Michael Goldenberg wrote the screenplay for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), while the remaining films had their screenplays written by Steve Kloves . Production took place over ten years, with the main story arc following Harry Potter's quest to overcome his arch - enemy Lord Voldemort . </P>

When was the first movie of harry potter released