<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). The Fantastic Beasts films mark the beginning of a shared media franchise known as J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World . </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 . The screenplays were written by Steve Kloves, with the exception of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), which was written by Michael Goldenberg . Production took over ten years to complete, with the main story arc following Harry Potter's quest to overcome his arch - enemy Lord Voldemort . </P>

When was the first harry potter movie released