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The Wizarding World, created by J.K. Rowling in the 1990s, has continued to cast a spell on audiences, be it in the form of books or movie adaptations. But once the Harry Potter films ended, the iron was still hot for more stories in this magical universe. That resulted in the 2016 spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Set years before The Boy Who Lived enrolled in Hogwarts, this series has found its own level of success at the Muggle box office.
All three films in the Fantastic Beasts series are now streaming, allowing audiences to watch the entire series so far from the comfort of their home. Whether they're diehard Potterheads, those who have only seen the original series or are new to the franchise, now's the perfect time to sit down and find the titular creatures. Here's a look at the story of the Fantastic Beasts series and where to stream the trilogy.
What Are the Fantastic Beasts Movies About?
The first Fantastic Beasts movie takes place in the late 1920s, decades before the events of the Harry Potter books and movies. It follows seeming ne'er-do-well wizard Newt Scamander, who is searching the globe to find and document a number of the movie's titular magical creatures. Along the way, he befriends a No-Maj/Muggle named Jacob and discovers that his quest might be far more dangerous than he anticipated, especially given the anti-magic hysteria in America.
Though the first movie focused on magical beasts, the sequels, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, were much more interested in being proper prequels to the broader Harry Potter series. The second movie introduced a younger version of Albus Dumbledore, who had strong ties to the series' chief villain Grindelwald. That builds up into the latter forming a magical army that seeks to prevent the Muggles from destroying the world. With Dumbledore and others, Newt gets tasked with defeating this immense threat to Muggles and wizards alike.
How to Watch the Fantastic Beasts Films, Including the Secrets of Dumbledore
The Fantastic Beasts movies, like Harry Potter before them, are owned and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. WB now has its own streaming service, HBO Max, and it's here that the Wizarding World movies are available to stream. That includes the most recent film in the trilogy, The Secrets of Dumbledore, as well as the BBC documentary Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History (hosted by Stephen Fry). The Secrets of Dumbledore came out in April 2022 and was the lowest-grossing Wizarding World film. Much of this can get attributed to its casting controversy involving Johnny Depp and the reception of the previous movie, which was notably below franchise standards.
The Secrets of Dumbledore is also available to stream on Hulu, but only if the subscriber has the HBO Max add-on. Those using Hulu's Live TV can stream the trilogy's first two movies as part of their subscription. All three films are available for purchase on digital streaming services like Apple TV, Google Play, iTunes, YouTube and Amazon Prime Video. However, they're not directly on these streaming services, so the best way to enjoy these films is with an HBO Max account.