If you are exhausted by all the boring action flicks and endless drama series available, check out magic movies on HBO Max.
The selection will keep you occupied all weekend and probably have you sleeping late during the week.
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
Showing now on HBO Max is one movie we won’t get tired of watching. This incredible magical movie was released in 2001.
Directed by the famed Chris Columbus, the movie is known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in some regions such as the United States, India, and the Philippines.
This movie begins the magical journey of Harry Potter and his friends. Based on J.K. Rowling’s novel of the same title, Warner Bros. Pictures distributed it.
The movie stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.
The story follows Harry as he begins his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, he discovers that he is a famous wizard.
This movie will keep you on your toes with thrilling and scary scenes. The synopsis is very brief and self-explanatory.
On his birthday, an eleven-year-old boy learns that he is the child of two powerful wizards and is embedded with his own unique magical powers.
His life would quickly turn around when he is summoned to become a student at Hogwarts.
At Hogwarts, Harry meets several friends who become his closest allies as he discovers the truth about himself and his parents’ deaths.
It made $2.3 million on its opening day before being listed as one of the magic movies on HBO Max.
This magic movie on HBO Max broke records previously held by films such as Star Wars: Episode I and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
This is one of the magic movies on HBO Max, featuring a mixture of magic and action scenes. There are lots of fight scenes to get your soundbars booming.
This movie is a great choice if you want something to fill up your weekend. The One Ring, lost for centuries, holds the fate of civilization’s future.
Destiny has placed the Ring in the hands of a young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins. Despite inheriting the Ring, powerful forces continue to search for it relentlessly.
It now rests on Frodo’s shoulders as the Ringbearer to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom, where it owes its forgery.
The journey to Mount Doom is full of betrayals and surprises. Get your popcorn ready before you watch this movie, as it will leave you glued to your screen.
This will surely be in the top ten when you hear epic magic movies on HBO Max. In 2002, this movie won four Academy Awards from thirteen nominations, and the categories won were Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, and Best Original Score.
Whether you watch it for the tenth time, the thrill and the energy are the same. With HBO Max offering ultra-high resolutions, you will have a cinematic experience even from your mobile phone.
If you love Gandalf, you will be glad the film was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight between Gandalf and Saruman.
3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Harry Potter is not the only novel written by J. K. Rowling. Following the impressive Harry Potter movie adaptation record, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was also adapted. David Yates directs this movie in the first Fantastic Beasts film series installment.
It is the ninth overall movie in the Wizarding World franchise and serves as a spin-off and prequel to other Harry Potter magic movies on HBO Max.
Inspired by Rowling’s 2001 guidebook, the film stars an ensemble cast that includes Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Eddie Redmayne, and Ezra.
Let’s look at a brief outline to give you an insight. In 1926, Newt Scamander had just completed a global excursion to discover and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. He came to New York for a brief detour, hoping to leave without an incident.
However, a No-Maj named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts land Newt in a fix. The beasts’ escape could spell trouble for the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.
At its release, the movie grossed $234 million in North America and $580 million in other countries. Showing in 64 markets and on 24,200 screens, it grossed @219.9 million in its opening weekend. There is no boring scene in this movie.
There is plenty of magical humor to keep you entertained. In addition, there is no lack of magic in the movie. Fans of magic will love this film.
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
This is an entertaining, magical movie in which trees and cars are not left out of the fight. It is for you. Even if you are watching it for the umpteenth time, this film will leave you surprised at every twist and turn.
The film is the second in the Harry Potter series and focuses on Harry Potter’s adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Based on the novel by JK Rowling, an elf tells Harry to prepare for trouble during his second year of art at Hogwarts.
There are thrilling scenes of trees fighting, spiders talking, cars flying, and deadly warnings written in blood on the school’s walls.
Produced by David Heyman and with Steve Kloves as the writer, the movie follows immediately after Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Just when we thought things would go easy for Harry, the Heir of the Salazar Slytherin opens the chamber of secrets, releasing a deadly monster that terrifies the school’s residents.
Stars from the previous movie returned to the set to film this one. This is one of the magic movies on HBO Max that you do not want to miss.
When you watch it, you will want more. Ensure the kids are asleep; otherwise, they will stay awake, scared all night.
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Imagine ghosts fighting and bringing down large armies or our beloved Aragon fighting an orc five times his size.
This film wraps up nearly ten years of work and concludes Peter Jackson’s trilogy based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic novel The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
This movie focuses on the final battle between the forces of good and evil as they fight for control over Middle-Earth’s future.
Hobbits Frodo and Sam have reached Mordor in their journey to destroy the one Ring that rules it all.
Aragorn leads the rest of the good men to the gates of Mordor in a last attempt to distract Sauron from the quest to destroy the Ring. Sauron immediately fell for it as he saw a chance to kill the surviving Heir of Isildur.
Like the other two movies in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Return of the King features one of the magic movies on HBO Max.
There is plenty of fighting and thrills of magic to keep the whole family entertained for hours.
The Return of the King is one of the greatest and most influential films ever produced.
The movie won all 11 Oscars at the 76th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and this record placed it on par with Ben-Hur and Titanic, who share the same number of Oscars.
Besides the original Star Wars Trilogy, the Return of the King is the second movie to win Best Visual Effects for all its entries.
So, get your sofa set and your pillow finely knit, as this epic movie takes you down the lane of magic and sword fights.
6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
This film explores the origins of the ring years before the Lord of the Rings series. It focuses on Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo Baggins, as he leaves his hometown to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor.
Twists and turns abound in this movie. There is much use of magic here, and this film will satisfy every longing you have for those who love magic and quests. Strap in and get your blanket ready for an entertaining, magical journey.
The wizard Gandalf arrives in the Shire and convinces Bilbo Baggins to join a company of dwarves to reclaim their homeland. Bilbo crosses paths with orcs, goblins, and diverse dangers.
To crown it all, he encounters Gollum and a seemingly innocent gold ring that holds the fate of Middle Earth in ways Bilbo cannot fathom. Bilbo keeps the Ring’s discovery to himself as he understands its power.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, directed by Peter Jackson, was released in 2012 as an epic, magical, and adventurous movie. It is the first installment in a three-part movie adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel The Hobbit.
A year later, the Desolation of Smaug was released, followed by The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014. This film packs excitement and thrilling fight scenes, and the storyline is stellar and revealing.
The three movies are prequels to the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The film gently takes you on a peril, fun, tears, and fights-filled journey.
It is one of the magic movies on HBO Max that grossed $303 million in the United States and Canada and earned a total worldwide earnings of $1.017 billion.
7. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
This movie stands out among other magic movies on HBO Max with a mix of emotions and bravery. The fight scene is stellar and appealing to watch a thousand times over. Brace up for one of the most entertaining movies on HBO Max.
Thorin Oakenshield and his company have successfully reclaimed Erebor and the vast treasure from the dragon Smaug. However, Thorin becomes obsessed with the Arkenstone and sacrifices friendship and his honor in search of it.
Neither Bilbo’s warnings nor Smaug’s fiery wrath can deter Thorin from his madness. As the dwarves lose focus, Sauron sends a large army of Orcs in a stealth attack on the lonely mountain.
The Elves, Men, and Dwarves must sheath their differences to unite against their common enemy.
Scott Foundas from Variety said, “The result is at once the trilogy’s most engrossing episode, its most expeditious (at a comparatively lean 144 minutes), and also its darkest—both visually and in terms of the forces that stir in the hearts of men, dwarves and orcs alike.
Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter stated, “After six films, 13 years, and 1031 minutes of accumulated running time, Peter Jackson has concluded his massively remunerative genuflection at the altar of J.R.R. Tolkien with a film that may be the most purely entertaining of any in the collection.”
Andrew Pulver from The Guardian added, “This film is a fitting cap to an extended series that, if nothing else, has transformed Tolkien’s place in the wider culture.” Action-wise, the movie is a pleasant bang.
The magic is subtle enough to stay true to reality, and the fighting stirs your spirits. It is visually appealing and perfectly blends magic, fantasy, and adventure.
8. The Seeker: The Dark is Rising (2007)
Do you sometimes feel left out or feel like you don’t belong? This is how young Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) felt when his family moved from the United States to England, and it was a feeling of a fish out of water.
Soon, Stanton discovers he is the last in a line of warriors known simply as the Old Ones. What an irony for a young boy.
The discovery propels him onto the path of a hero, as he learns that the Old Ones protect the world from dark forces.
To restore the balance between Light and Dark, Will must assume the mantle of the Seeker and use special powers to find the signs hidden throughout the ages. The film explores the advantages and limitations of being young.
It is a straightforward magical flick. Magic movies on HBO Max currently lists this film as one of the magic movies. You can probably tell the end from the beginning. Nevertheless, it is a great movie to pass the time.
The Seeker film is a 2007 American family drama adapted from Susan Cooper’s 1973 children’s fantasy novel The Dark is Rising. Director David L. Cunningham is at the helm of affairs.
The film is the first to be produced in the new partnership between 20th Century Fox and Walden Media.
It features plenty of time travel to keep you on your seat for as long as possible, and the Rider (Eccleston) personifies the Dark.
9. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
Grindelwald plans to raise pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings. He believes wizards are superior and should be in control over the affairs of all humanity.
Albus Dumbledore enlists the help of Newt Scamander, his former student.
Newt soon discovers the dangers as fate tests their love and loyalty. The onslaught in the wizarding world did not spare even closest friends and family.
It is a thrilling movie and a fitting sequel to the first installment, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The film sits high on the list of magic movies on HBO Max, filled with drama and adventure. David Yates directs this 2018 fantasy movie written by J. K. Rowling, which is the tenth overall installment in the Wizarding World franchise.
The film packs a stellar cast, including Eddie Redmayne, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Katherine Waterston, Callum Turner, Jude Law, Kevin Guthrie, and Jonny Depp. Set in 1927, the film follows Albus Dumbledore and Newt Scamander attempting to take down Gellert Grindelwald.
The Crimes of Grindelwald packs a lot of magic. It is adventurous and will take you on a thrilling ride. You will probably pick up your magic wand after watching this movie.
Whether you are watching it alone or in the company of your friends, the entertainment is top-notch.
10. Shazam (2019)
I believe you, and I was probably wondering the same thing. The list of magic movies on HBO Max will not be complete without Shazam. Imagine transforming into an adult superhero by just shouting a word.
This movie inspires every kid’s imagination. We all have a superhero buried within us; all it takes is a bit of magic to bring it out. 14-year-old Billy Batson has to shout the word Shazam to transform into a superhero.
Despite being an adult superhero, Shazam is still a kid at heart and does what every other teen would do. He doesn’t shy away from having fun while testing his newfound abilities.
However, time is not on his side. He needs to master his powers before the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana can take him.
The 2019 American superhero movie is based on a D.C. Comics character of the same name. The film is co-produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, and The Safran Company in association with Seven Bucks Productions and Mad Ghost Productions.
Warner Bros. Pictures distributes the film, the seventh installment in the D.C. Extended Universe (DCEU). David F. Sanberg directs the movie, which stars Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan, and Djimon Hounsou.
Magic movies on HBO Max are one of history’s best collections of magical films. Check them out for an entertaining, thrilling, and mystical journey. Please share this article with your friends; they deserve magical fun.
Loved this list! I had forgotten about ‘The Prestige’ and it’s back to the top of my watchlist. Can’t wait to binge the others too!