If you’re a fan of the Harry Potter movies, you can’t get enough of them. You may have watched all eight films and wondered if there were more scenes to watch.
Perhaps you have searched for extended versions of the films but reached a dead end. There are extended versions of the Harry Potter movies but many are difficult to find. You mostly have to watch television. Read more to find out about the extended versions of Harry Potter.
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What Are the Harry Potter Extended Editions?
When we see a movie in the theater, we see the edited version called the Theatrical Cut. This is usually more condensed than the Extended Cut or edition, which has scenes that were left out of the movie release.
The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars are prime examples of extended cuts or editions that were made so that fans could see more scenes from both movie series.
Extended Editions are versions of the Harry Potter films that have deleted scenes added back into them. Like other extended editions, Harry Potter extended editions may also contain different editing, effects, and music. Fans may love these added-in elements, but they may also change the scope of the film.
Lord of the Rings, for example, had existing scenes that were extended along with new scenes put back in. If you’re a fan of the Lord of the Rings movies, you also know that extended versions were provided for all three movies. Does the same hold true for Harry Potter?
Which Harry Potter Movies Have Extended Editions?
The first two films in the Harry Potter series have extended editions. In 2004, the extended versions were first aired on ABC Family TV Network. In 2009, these films were also released on DVD and Blu-Ray versions called The Harry Potter Ultimate Edition.
The DVD and Blu-Ray versions of the films provide extended content for the first two films, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
For the first movie, the extended version runs seven minutes longer than the theatrical one and contains seven deleted scenes. The second movie is 13 minutes longer and contains 19 deleted scenes.
The extended version of The Sorcerer’s Stone includes such scenes as Dudley’s uniform being dyed gray so that Harry could use it and a longer version of Snape’s potions class. The Chamber of Secrets has scenes like Harry meeting Colin Creevey.
These extra scenes from the first two movies may pique your interest for more extended versions. Unfortunately, not all of the movies have extended versions.
This disappointed fans so much that they circulated a petition in 2017 to try to get the other extended versions released.
When released on DVD, each movie had extra scenes provided on a second disc, but these scenes were shown only on television versions.
Fans must look to TV outlets for the other movies.
Where Can I Watch Extended Versions of Harry Potter?
If you are looking for more than the first two films, the USA Network is one of the television networks that provided longer versions of all eight films. HBO Max also advertises that it carries extended versions of Harry Potter, but this may mean just the first two films.
Fans note that the Peacock network has extended versions of Harry Potter. If you go to their website, Peacock states they have all eight films in extended format, including the third and fourth ones, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet Fire, and the two-part seventh film Deathly Hallows.
Moviesanywhere.com has at least Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, while Roku has the Half-Blood Prince in the extended version.
Most television outlets provide extended versions of Harry Potter, and many supply access to all of the films. Yet, you can’t own all of the films in an extended format.
Why Aren’t All of the Harry Potter Films Available on DVD or Blu-Ray?
How movies are watched these days is part of the reason why all of the Harry Potter films are not available on DVD or Blu-Ray. Most people stream their movies, so DVD and Blu-Ray options have become more obsolete.
Initially, ABC and DVDs were the main ways to watch the movies outside of theaters. But starting in 2017, the model shifted with Warner Bros. opening up the license to other parties, like cable rights to Syfy and USA and streaming to HBO.
So, the demand for this type of viewing accelerated while the former dropped off.
The producer of the films, David Heyman, provides another reason. In an interview that marked the 20th anniversary of the film series, Heyman said cutting scenes out was done because they did not fit the story arc well. According to the films’ creators, adding those scenes back in does not help.
This second reason seems more important in explaining why more of the films were not put out in an extended format. Television networks, on the other hand, have access to the extended ones and want to keep viewers in their place.
Then again, director Chris Columbus supported putting out the three-hour version of Sorcerer’s Stone. We can probably chalk up this divergence to creative differences.
Harry Potter Extended Editions
If you want to watch extended editions of Harry Potter, you can, but it will probably occur through a streaming service today. The first two movies were put out on DVD and Blu-Ray, but the rest were not.
Some of the creators thought that the films would be too long and take away from the story. Fans seem to disagree and like the extended versions.
Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan who has expanded into writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has written about recent shows such as The Mandalorian and Andor and classic topics like Darth Vader, the Jedi, and Boba Fett. His recent articles include the MCU’s Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Todd is the author of a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.