Pumpkins with Plumage: All Eight “Harry Potter” Films to Stream on Peacock for Halloween
After what will be a six-week stint on HBO Max, all eight Harry Potter films will be heading back to NBCUniversal’s streaming service just in time for Halloween. On October 15, the magical film franchise will be departing HBO Max and begin streaming once again on Peacock for its upcoming “Peacocktober” lineup of Halloween-themed content.
Since the inception of HBO Max in May 2020, the Potter movies have bounced back and forth between HBO Max and Peacock so much that it’s often left fans scratching their heads, unsure of which streaming service to tune in to when they’re interested in diving back into the wizarding world. This is due to a preexisting contract between Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal that granted the latter the streaming rights to the beloved film franchise. Therefore, this latest switch is yet another expected but no less baffling change in the streaming home of the Potter flicks.
Starting on October 15, all eight “Harry Potter” movies will be streaming on Peacock as part of its Halloween lineup, called “Peacocktober.”
Over the last year, Warner Bros. has managed to wrangle the film series back for various occasions such as the large-scale Back to Hogwarts event that took place earlier this month. While HBO Max managed to stream the franchise to celebrate this very specific occasion, in exchange, it seems Peacock will retain the Potter flicks for a much more mainstream holiday like Halloween. Based on the Potter franchise’s movements between the two streamers over the last few months, it’s safe to predict that the movies will remain with Peacock through the first week of November before heading back to HBO Max in time for the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
After that, it’s hard to guess where it will land for the winter holidays since both streamers could benefit greatly from hosting the Potter series during the Christmas season. The agreement between the two entertainment giants grants NBCUniversal the streaming rights to the Potter films through 2021, so it would seem to be in Peacock’s best interest to hold on to the franchise as an ornament on its plumage before the terms expire.
However, considering the fact that Warner Bros. managed to finagle the movies back to HBO Max multiple times throughout the year, it remains to be seen if Peacock would willingly relinquish the streaming rights considering how intermittent it has been. There’s a very strong possibility this epic Harry Potter ping-pong match could persist for longer if the two companies can continue to amicably share the streaming rights.
All speculation aside, we know without a doubt that fans can expect the Boy Who Lived to be carving pumpkins with the Peacock this Halloween, starting October 15.
Do you believe that the streaming home for the Harry Potter film franchise will be settled soon? Have we discovered through this article that the Potter flicks are perfect for any and all occasions? Let us know what you think in the comments.