The first Harry Potter movie is “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (released in 2001), known as “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in the United States and a few other regions.

Quick Scoop

  • The film is the first installment in the Harry Potter film series and introduces Harry’s first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
  • It stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.
  • In most of the world, the movie kept the original book title “Philosopher’s Stone,” but the U.S. release changed it to “Sorcerer’s Stone” for marketing reasons.

In short: if you are in Europe or most English‑speaking countries, the first Harry Potter movie is “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”; if you are in the U.S., you will see it titled “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

Title name variants

  • Original UK and international English title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
  • U.S. theatrical and home release title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
  • Both titles refer to the exact same 2001 film, with only minor dialogue changes to match the on‑screen title.

Extra context for fans

  • The story follows Harry discovering he is a wizard, going to Hogwarts, and uncovering the mystery of the powerful Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone that Voldemort is trying to obtain.
  • This movie kicked off the eight‑film franchise that adapts J.K. Rowling’s seven‑book series.

TL;DR: The answer to “which one is the first Harry Potter movie” is “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (aka “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in the U.S.) , released in 2001.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.