When it comes to sorcery-based fantasy movies, nothing beats The Harry Potter series. In fact, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson’s starrer series have been Hollywood blockbusters. The eight-part movie series is based on J. K. Rowling’s best-selling fantasy novels of the same title. Despite the fact the globally successful movie is worth rewatching a million times, there are days a Potterhead wants to watch something that’s not Harry Potter but is similar to it. For days you are in the middle of this predicament, you deserve the ultimate list of movies like Harry Potter that took the world by storm and achieved enormous global success. To this day, the massive fandom of the Harry Potter movies has been going strong. From playing Quidditch to concocting potions and flying on broomsticks, the Harry Potter movies have it all. For days you are missing the magical world of Hogwarts but want to watch something other than Harry Potter, scroll on for some of the best movies like Harry Potter that will give you a similar wizardly experience. Ahead, find a list of hand-selected movies that includes movies like Teen Witch and The Chronicles of Narnia Trilogy and everything in between for a fantastic fantasy-filled binge-fest.
Movies Like Harry Potter
1. Teen Witch
High school teenager Louise Miller learns from Madam Serena, psychic that she is a reincarnation of the powerful witch and possesses magical abilities which will start working on her sixteenth birthday. She uses the magic to become popular and get back at her bullies in high school but soon learns that it is much more powerful than she ever thought and getting what you want is not what magic is all about.
Release Year: 1989
Genre: Fantasy/Comedy
Stars: Robyn Lively, Dan Gauthier, Zelda Rubinstein, Dick Sargent, Joshua John Miller
Directed By: Dorian Walker
Run Time: 94 minutes
2. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is one of the best movies like Harry Potter which follows the plot of a cynical magician, three kids, and an apprentice witch’s search for the missing magic spell from the book. Three children were placed in reluctant Miss Eglantine Price care during the Battle of Britain. The children soon learn that Ms. Price is learning witchcraft and are offered a transportation spell in exchange for silence.
Release Year: 1971
Genre: Fantasy/Family
Stars: Angela Lansbury, John Ericson, David Tomlinson, Ian Weighill, Roy
Snart, Cindy O’Callaghan
Directed By: Robert Stevenson
Run Time: 117 minutes
3. Seventh Son
Seventh Son follows the storyline of Thomas Ward, who is a seventh son of a seventh son as he goes on an adventure as the apprentice of the Spook, after the evil witch Mother Malkin breaks free from the confinement. Seventh Son is just like Harry Potter which will keep you engaged till the end with Malkin gathering an army of minions and Thomas falling in love with Alice who was sent to spy on him.
Release Year: 2014
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Kit Harington, Ben Barnes, Olivia Williams, Alicia
Wikander, Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou, Julianna Moore
Directed By: Sergei Bodrov
Run Time: 102 minutes
4. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Balthazar Bake is a legendary magician in the modern day Manhattan who recruits Dave Stutler as his reluctant protégé to save the city and prevent the return of Morgana le Fay. Stutler is a resourceful physics prodigy with hidden potential, who needs to rise up to stop the forces of darkness.
Release Year: 2010
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Stars: Nicholas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci,
Alfred Molina
Directed By: Jon Turteltaub
Run Time: 109 minutes
5. Doctor Strange
A brilliant neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange on his journey of spiritual and physical healing, after a car crash that leaves him unable to operate, discovers the world of magic and mystique. Dr. Stephen Strange is an arrogant and acclaimed scientist who vainly tries experimental surgeries to heal his own hands after the crash and soon learns about the paraplegic who regained the use of his legs. Dr. Strange is soon pulled into the world of Mordo and Ancient One.
Release Year: 2016
Genre: Action/Adventure
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict
Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Mads Mikkelsen, Scott Adkins, Tilda
Swinton
Directed By: Scott Derrickson
Run Time: 115 minutes
6. The Percy Jackson Movies
The Percy Jackson movies follow the adventure of a demigod and his comrades in the training ground at Camp Half-Blood which also includes setting an ongoing battle amongst the Gods. The Percy Jackson movies earned both commercial and critical success.
Release Year: 2010 – 2013
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action
Stars: Logan Lerman, Jake Abel, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario
Directed By: Chris Columbus
Run Time: 224 minutes
7. Upside-Down Magic
Upside Down Magic follows the tale of two best friends Reina Carvajal and Elinor Boxwood Horace as they enroll in Sage Academy which is a prestigious magic school. Reina holds the power of controlling fire while Elinor holds the power of transforming into an animal. They are soon pulled into the world of Shadow Magic, an evil force that uses a person’s magic through possession against everyone else.
Release Year: 2020
Genre: Fantasy
Stars: Izabela Rose and Siena Agudong
Directed By: Joe Nussbaum
Run Time: 96 minutes
8. Abigail
Abigail in the quest to search for her father who many years earlier were taken by the government discovers the whole new world of magic. She eventually learns that her city was seized by the people with dark magic who want to completely erase its existence along with wiping out all the sorcerers. As Abigail can’t suppress the magic inside her, she needs to flee from her home in a journey full of danger and adventure.
Release Year: 2019
Stars: Tinatin Dalakishvili, Rinal Mukhametov, Gleb Bochkov, Artyom
Tkachenko, Ravshana Kurkova
Directed By: Aleksandr Boguslavsky
Run Time: 110 minutes
9. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Jacob finds an entirely different magical place known as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children following the clues that were left by his beloved grandfather. The headmistress of this place Miss Alma Peregrine along with the home’s children possess paranormal abilities and hence are referred as ‘Peculiars’.
Release Year: 2016
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Stars: Eva Green, Allison Janney, Asa Butterfield, Chris O’Dowd, Terence
Stamp, Rupert Everett, Ella Purnell, Judi Dench, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed By: Tim Burton
Run Time: 127 minutes
10. The Craft
The Craft is also one of the great movies like Harry Potter which drives through the witchcraft world as four outcast teenage girls in a Catholic school decide to pursue witchcraft to their own advantage without knowing the negative consequences. These girls worship a powerful earth deity called ’Manon’. These four outcast teenagers use magic for their personal use to get back at the people who bullied them.
Release Year: 1996
Genre: Horror and Fantasy
Stars: Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk, Rachel True
Directed By: Andrew Fleming
Run Time: 101 minutes
