Some things just go together: peanut butter and jelly, books and rainy days, and Wizarding World fans who profess their hatred of J.K. Rowling while simultaneously loving the original Harry Potter films. After Netflix UK recently made all eight Harry Potter films available to stream, Potterheads immediately celebrated by making Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or should we say Philosopher’s Stone — this is Netflix UK after all) trend in the streaming service’s Global Top 10.
It’s been notoriously difficult to stream all eight of the Harry Potter films in the same place and now Netflix UK subscribers at least can finally have a Harry Potter marathon with ease. In a way, fans professing their love for the original film adaptations feels like protest against the recently-announced Max adaptation of the series, an announcement fans responded less than kindly toward. As J.K. Rowling continuously does her best to turn her old fanbase against her by doubling down on hateful anti-trans rhetoric, she’s proven time and time again that boycotts don’t seem to bother her in the slightest.
While fans have made their distaste clear (and some of the film’s stars have spoken out against Rowling’s opinions, despite receiving their own hate in turn), they also haven’t stopped eating up all the Wizarding World has to offer. When Hogwarts Legacy dropped earlier this year, the game shot to the top of the Steam charts with rave reviews despite the controversy it generated. Potterheads are divided on whether it’s okay to continue consuming Wizarding World content or if doing so enables Rowling’s hate speech. While fans continue to debate the morality of supporting Rowling’s creations, one thing is clear: there’s still a lot of love for Harry Potter, or at least the original adaptations.