The Legacy of Harry Potter Books vs Movies: Which Had More Sales?

The magical spells of Hogwarts emerged in the late 1990s. According to the internet, it was published for the first time as J.K. Rowling’s debut. This fantasy novel then proceeded to mesmerize fans with one series after another, available in both physical and cinematic forms. However, the current debate revolves around Harry Potter books vs movies.

Who wins the race?

Will Daniel Radcliffe's performance overshadow Rowling's exceptional writing skills?

What do you think: will the readers surpass the book sales, or will movie lovers win the day with a larger number of tickets sold?

Analyzing the Legacy of Hogwarts in Books & Movies

If we keep aside the franchise of this critically acclaimed script for a moment and try to break down this very general debate about movies versus books. We might actually be able to understand the situation, which leads to a valuable assessment. This can also be helpful for comic book printing companies. So, generally speaking –

Do book sales do well as compared to the movies, or is it vice versa?

• Where do we find the answers? Let's narrow it down and start from the basics. Beginning with the books, they always allow the readers to create their own mental images, fostering a more active and personalized experience. This means if someone has just read the books, Harry Potter can be a different face and body in their imagination, but once they watch the movie, then no one will ever be as convincing a Harry as Daniel.

• Point number two is the personalized experience. Readers can adjust the pace, reread passages, and revisit the story at their own convenience. However, this isn’t always possible when it comes to movies. Sometimes, the free-quality prints aren’t available online either.

So, yes, books are more convenient and approachable than movies. However, it is still a game of preferences. Now, let us see what the numbers say about sales over the years of Harry Potter books vs movies release.

Is the Debate Really On? Let’s Find Out

This popular story begins with an ordinary boy who discovers his destiny in a magic-teaching school. It is a tale that appeals to audiences of all ages thanks to its wide-ranging themes, which include power, friendship, revenge, loyalty, and more.

Then, with characters as interesting and relatable as Ron, Hermione, Voldemort, and Dumbledore, the story continued to win hearts. People, however, have to decide whether to read or watch their favorite story. This is exactly like an author struggling to choose between photo book printing in Dubai or the US: Both choices are equally tempting.

Movie vs. Book – Let the Numbers Settle the Debate

Speaking of sales, you need to understand that they are calculated in two forms: book-generated revenue and box office gross collection. First, let’s talk about the manuscripts. To date, the franchise has sold over 600 million copies worldwide. This means that if you have fifteen friends, at least one of them likely has a Potter book.

According to the scorecard, the first book, "Philosopher’s Stone," sold approximately 120 million copies, but the next series saw a drop in sales to 77 million. Then it continued to decrease to 65 million and remained the same until the seventh part, Deathly Hallows.

Now, the question is, if the legacy is a big success, why has the number of books sold been shrinking? According to some theories, people who initially read the novel shifted to the movie franchise because it is comparatively easy to watch and complete in just 3 hours.

However, you can still see those 65 million people who were loyal bibliophiles and continued to buy and read from Rowling. This illustrates the profitability of pursuing mystery and thriller novels over comic book printing.

Now, About the Harry Potter Movie Sequels

There were a total of eight movies that brought in a massive amount of money at the global box office. The sequels were distributed over a period of ten years, going from 2001 to 2011. Beginning from the very first one, it produced a worldwide gross of 974.755 million. The further figures are also demonstrated below.

1. The Sorcerer’s Stone $974.755 million

2. The Chamber of Secrets $878.980 million

3. Prisoner of Azkaban $795.634 million

4. The Goblet of Fire $895.921 million

5. The Order of Phoenix $938.213 million

6. Half-Blood Prince $933.959 million

7. Deathly Hallows pt. 1 $972.051 million

8. Deathly Hallows pt. 2 $1.341 billion

The table shows how the gross was increasing exponentially until the release of the last movie, The Deathly Hallows, part. 2. It was the only sequel that earned under a million. According to the sources, there are three significant reasons why this movie is not as celebrated as the prior ones.

• Firstly, the creators were compelled to condense significant portions of the books to maintain a reasonable runtime. This meant that the movie had a rushed feel and a sense that certain plot points or character arcs felt underdeveloped.

• Then, for number two, some scenes and characters that were particularly beloved by fans were altered or removed in the movie adaptations. For instance, the scene where Harry receives a Hogsmeade permission slip from Sirius was omitted, and the Dursleys' presence in the later films was limited, too. This is sure to cause a sense of disappointment among some fans.

• Finally, the Harry Potter movies initially had a high bar to meet because the first two films largely adhered to the narrative of the books. However, as the series progressed, deviations from the book became more frequent, which led some fans to believe that the movies didn't capture the same magic as the novel.

Which of the Fiction series was the most popular?

According to the fan ratings and box office success, everyone’s favorite movie was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. It has the highest box office gross and consistently ranks high in popularity polls.

Is Hogwarts Legacy a success?

Is that even a question? Everyone knows how Hogwarts has been a successful legacy. It is a role-playing game and has sold over 30 million units worldwide. This makes it the best-selling video game of all time.

In which country was the Harry Potter most sold in book form?

Its script form was approximately sold around 189 million copies in the US as of August 2018. However, in recent history, the final book, Deathly Hallows, sold 8.3 million copies within 24 hours of its release.

Which sequel of Harry Potter movie series got the lowest earnings and why?

The lowest-grossing sequel in the Harry Potter film series is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It was obviously a success, and fans loved it, but compared to other books in the franchise, this installment earned only $795.6 million, perhaps due to the sudden shift in tone and direction.

The Summary

After the detailed discussion of who is the better sales generator, Harry Potter books vs movies, we have concluded that, regardless of the disagreement, the incredible power of Rowling succeeded. She continued to rule over everyone’s hearts with her decade-old characters and novels.

However, as per our analysis, the winner of this debate is the Harry Potter series. It dominated the industry for ten years, generating more business and profits. Moreover, it helped set a uniform image of Harry and the rest of the characters in the audience’s mind.