25 years on from its original release, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or the Philosopher’s Stone, if you’re outside the U.S.) is headed back to movie theaters next year.
Warner Bros. is planning a big push for the film’s 25th anniversary in 2026, including new merchandise and the aforementioned limited-time re-release of the series’ beloved first movie.
Next year’s anniversary is well timed, too, as it will provide Warner Bros. one final opportunity to focus audience attention on its aging films before the Harry Potter reboot arrives the following year. The TV series, which began production this summer, is set to debut via HBO in 2027 and run for much of the next decade.
“This anniversary not only celebrates the legacy of the original film but also introduces the magic to a new generation,” Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products group said in a statement, per Variety.
Warner Bros.’ first Harry Potter film originally launched back in November 2001, with its success ensuring the franchise made stars out of its young actors, who went on to appear in seven sequels. Warner Bros. itself, meanwhile, has made $7.7 billion out of the Wizarding World movie franchise to date.
The big screen adaptation of JK Rowling’s book series ultimately concluded in 2011, with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, with no current plans to adapt the franchise’s stage play sequel story Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
According to Sorcerer’s Stone director Chris Colombus, the fractured relationship between the movies’ trio of main stars — Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson — and Harry Potter author JK Rowling means another reunion is “never going to happen”, something last month’s continued spat between Rowling and Watson highlighted.
Image credit: Warner Bros.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
