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Four people have directed Harry Potter movies. That includes the Fantastic Beasts movies, because they have all been directed by one of the guys who directed movies from the original, Harry-focused series. Those four directors are, in chronological order, Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, and David Yates. Aside from their Potter films, how do their directorial careers stack up? Here is our ranking.
4. David Yates
Yates’ movies have made a ton of cash. The problem for him here is that he has effectively only directed Potter films. He directed the last four Harry Potter films and all three Fantastic Beasts films. His other three movies include two most people have never seen or heard of: 1998’s The Tichborne Claimant and 2023’s Pain Hustlers. His other movie? A woeful and forgotten Tarzan film from 2016.
3. Chris Columbus
In terms of box-office success, Columbus crushes it. The dude directed the first two Home Alone movies and Mrs. Doubtfire. However, there is a lot of dreck in his career. Bicentennial Man, Pixels, the second “Kurt Russell is Santa Claus” movie from Netflix. He’s an inert director, the kind of guy you hire to be a solid dude and stay out of the way. None of his movies are good beyond crowd-pleasing elements. The best thing Columbus ever did cinematically is write Gremlins.
2. Mike Newell
The last movie Newell has directed is a 2018 film called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which just reeks of, “This guy’s career is over.” There are a few solid films in the mix for him, though. Four Weddings and a Funeral is considered a classic by many, and Donnie Brasco is a good mob movie. His highs are higher than Columbus’, and his lows aren’t as bad.
1. Alfonso Cuaron
Look, Cuaron has only directed eight films. It doesn’t matter. He directed Children of Men, which is so good. Gravity and Roma both won him Best Director Oscars. Also, a lot of people think his Potter movie, Prisoner of Azkaban, is the best. That tracks, given he is the best director of these four in a walk.
