The fantasy genre has seen a huge resurgence in the 21st century, both on television and in film. On TV, this started with the success of Game of Thrones, which led other networks to create similar shows like The Witcher and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and even House of the Dragon. However, fantasy films experienced a boom much earlier, largely thanks to a couple of incredibly popular movies.
The first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, came out in the U.S. on November 16, 2001, bringing the popular books to life on the big screen. The film wasn’t only a faithful and magical adaptation, but also a huge hit, earning $974 million worldwide. At the time, that made it the second highest-grossing movie ever, and it has since surpassed $1 billion with re-releases. Its success proved that the Harry Potter series, and fantasy movies in general, could be incredibly popular, paving the way for seven more films.
Harry Potter Sparked A New Wave Of Fantasy Adaptations
The success of Harry Potter sparked a huge wave of interest in fantasy movies. After a popular run in the 1980s, the genre had faded, and the 1990s weren’t kind to it. But Harry Potter proved fantasy could be massively popular again, making it a very attractive market for studios, and everyone wanted to create the next big franchise.
Over the next few years, many similar fantasy series appeared, often inspired by well-known books. However, none achieved the same success as the Harry Potter films. Series like The Chronicles of Narnia, Eragon, Percy Jackson, The Seeker, The Golden Compass, and The Spiderwick Chronicles came out, but didn’t have a lasting impact. While each had its own weaknesses, they all seemed to be trying to replicate the Harry Potter phenomenon without the same level of quality or the pre-existing, large fanbase that guaranteed success.
While other franchises did manage to attract fans of Harry Potter, even if they weren’t exactly the same type of fantasy, it’s clear Potter paved the way for their success. Twilight, The Hunger Games, and even the Marvel Cinematic Universe all benefited from the massive popularity of the Harry Potter films, finding a winning combination of talent, strong world-building, and perfect timing. These franchises appealed to a similar audience and, in turn, helped create the current entertainment landscape where big franchises and established intellectual property dominate.
Lord Of The Rings Was Better Than Harry Potter – But Less Imitated
It’s amazing to remember that The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring came out only a month after the first Harry Potter movie, and was also a huge success, earning $887 million worldwide. While the Harry Potter films are enjoyable, the Lord of the Rings movies are truly exceptional. They’re classic epics, and widely considered one of the best trilogies ever created, showcasing a level of artistry rarely seen in the fantasy genre since.
Both The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter helped launch the wave of fantasy films and franchises we saw starting in the 2000s. However, most of these new projects followed the Harry Potter model, likely because The Lord of the Rings was such a complex undertaking. It was essentially one long story filmed continuously, primarily on location, and relied on a combination of traditional effects and innovative computer-generated imagery.
The Harry Potter films established a successful model for building a long-running fantasy movie series, much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A key to this success is the ability to film a lot on a studio lot, creating a consistent flow of production. In contrast, The Lord of the Rings was a massive, painstakingly detailed undertaking, which is often impractical due to time constraints. The challenges of this approach are evident in the uneven quality of The Hobbit trilogy.
The success of The Lord of the Rings paved the way for other fantasy epics, most notably Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, which Thrones is based on, wouldn’t have been possible without Tolkien’s influence. And the Game of Thrones TV show likely wouldn’t have been greenlit without the Lord of the Rings movies proving that large-scale fantasy could succeed. That show then took a similar approach, inspiring many imitators.
For me, the recent film Dune comes closest to capturing the feeling of seeing The Lord of the Rings in theaters. The incredible detail and immersive world-building in Dune remind me of the magic of Peter Jackson’s film, but the fact that it took two decades to achieve something similar really highlights what a remarkable accomplishment The Lord of the Rings was.
The Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings movies are available to stream on HBO Max.
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2025-11-16 16:11