Accio remote control, grab a handful of Bertie Botts’ Every-Flavour Beans and a few pints of Butterbeer and sit back and watch 1,178 minutes of Harry Potter on BINGE.
In very magical news, you can watch all eight films on the streaming service. From the greatest friendships to the epic battles of good against evil, leave muggledom behind and escape to the world of witches and wizards.
The films, which were previously available to watch on Netflix and Stan, have departed the two streaming services on January 14, and are now exclusive to BINGE.
It makes sense for them to be housed there as Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts was exclusive to BINGE and the upcoming Hogwarts Tournament of Houses will also be premiering on the streaming service. Other movies from the wizarding world such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, are also available to stream on the platform.
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint — alongside a myriad of very famous muggle actors — the films have banked more than $25 billion in revenue.
However, it turns out, that the franchise would not have starred Daniel if it wasn’t for a chance meeting. In fact, The Boy Who Lived may have been played by a different actor altogether.
According to producer David Heyman in a newly surfaced interview from 2009 with Los Angeles Times journalist, Geoff Boucher, a 10-year-old Radcliffe sat behind him in a theatre in London in the summer of 2000.
“There sitting behind me was this boy with these big blue eyes. It was Dan Radcliffe,” Heyman said.
“I remember my first impressions… He was curious and funny and so energetic. There was real generosity too, and sweetness. But at the same time, he was really voracious and with a hunger for knowledge of whatever kind.”
Heyman was also responsible for casting both Grint and Watson as Potter’s best friends, and recalled it being “one of the best show-business decisions over the past decade”.
Before finding the boy who would become the most famous wizard in the world, the production team had been in a seven-month-long search.
At the time, Radcliffe had already starred in the 1999 BBC series David Copperfield, playing the child version of the titular character, and his parents almost declined the offer (if you can believe it) due to the fact he would need to film in LA for six months.
Luckily, we all know how this story ended and as JK Rowling said: “Having seen Dan Radcliffe screen test, I don’t think (director) Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry,” we can’t imagine Harry Potter without him.
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