Southern Maryland “Harry Potter” fans will get a chance to see the franchise back on the big screen next month as Warner Bros. Discovery relaunches its annual “Back to Hogwarts” celebration around the 25th anniversary of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” with tickets for a weeklong theatrical re-release going on sale July 31.
All eight “Harry Potter” films will screen in theaters worldwide from Aug. 27 through Sept. 3, giving fans a chance to revisit the full series on the big screen. “Sorcerer’s Stone,” the franchise’s first film, will also include 12 minutes of previously unreleased behind-the-scenes footage during its run, part of a broader celebration marking a quarter-century since the movie’s original November 2001 debut. Warner Bros. has confirmed that AMC, Regal, Cinemark, Megaplex, Harkins and Marcus Theatres are participating chains, though scheduling and specific dates vary by individual theater.
For local moviegoers, the closest options are likely to include AMC’s location at St. Charles Towne Center in Waldorf — Southern Maryland’s only regional mall multiplex — along with theaters in California and Prince Frederick, though exact participation and showtimes had not been confirmed for those specific locations as of this week. Regal, which has confirmed participation nationally, has previously run its own “Back to Hogwarts” marathon format screening one film per day across an eight-day stretch; the chain’s nearest locations to Southern Maryland are in Waugh Chapel and Kingstowne, Virginia. Fans are encouraged to check Fandango or a specific theater’s website closer to the release date to confirm local showtimes.
The celebration is timed to Sept. 1, the date on which students traditionally board the Hogwarts Express in the books and films — a fictional detail Warner Bros. has turned into an annual real-world marketing tradition uniting fans across cinemas, retail, gaming and social media. This year’s event carries extra weight given the approaching debut of HBO’s live-action “Harry Potter” television series, which is set to premiere its first season, adapting “Philosopher’s Stone,” this Christmas.
Beyond the theatrical re-release, Back to Hogwarts 2026 includes a slate of international live events, including a London celebration offering fans new glimpses of the HBO series, a mass wand lesson at the Gardens of the Château de Versailles in Paris, and themed activations in cities including Madrid, Sydney, Berlin and across China. Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood are running their own 25th-anniversary programming from Aug. 1 through Sept. 1, including limited-edition merchandise, themed food and the return of the Hogwarts Always projection show at Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Hogsmeade.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, the official Making of Harry Potter attraction, will mark the celebration with an 11 a.m. announcement broadcast throughout the tour on Sept. 1, along with themed food, animatronic Hagrid demonstrations and a contest offering winners a personalized Hogwarts trunk signed by cast members Bonnie Wright, Mark Williams and James and Oliver Phelps. Entries for that contest close Aug. 12.
The “Harry Potter” film franchise, based on J.K. Rowling’s book series and launched with “Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2001, went on to gross more than $7.7 billion worldwide across eight films, becoming one of the highest-grossing movie franchises in history and turning previously unknown child actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint into global stars. The franchise’s ongoing commercial reach — spanning theme parks, a stage production, mobile games and extensive merchandising partnerships with brands from LEGO to Hallmark — has made anniversary events like this year’s celebration a significant annual promotional push for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Fans looking to track updates on participating theaters and events can visit HarryPotter.com, where Warner Bros. says it will continue updating screening information as additional theater chains and locations confirm their schedules. The company’s Back to Hogwarts Showcase, featuring franchise news and announcements, streams live from the official Harry Potter YouTube and TikTok accounts on Sept. 1.
Warner Bros. is also reminding fans that no official event, countdown or announcement will take place at London’s King’s Cross Station — home to the franchise’s fictional Platform 9¾ — on Sept. 1, and has advised against traveling there expecting festivities, a notice aimed at heading off the large informal gatherings the station has drawn during past anniversaries.
