Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
85%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
17 wins & 69 nominations total
Though perhaps more enchanting for younger audiences, Chamber of Secrets is nevertheless both darker and livelier than its predecessor, expanding and improving upon the first film’s universe
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is like a rollercoaster ride that takes you on a journey filled with magic, adventure, and danger. The film is darker and funnier than its predecessor, and the pacing is much better. Although some critics found it repetitive, I found it to be a technical and visual masterpiece that kept me on the edge of my seat. The supporting characters may be annoying, but they add to the humor and family-friendly fun of the film. Overall, it’s a brilliant sequel that’s perfect for a teenage audience and anyone who loves a good dose of magic and mystery.
Production Company(ies)
K T C A Minneapolis Kartemquin Films, Sprockets Music
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some scary moments and mild language
Year of Release
2002
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX 12-Track Digital Sound IMAX 6-Track
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 41m
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Language(s):English, Latin
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 15, 2002 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 11, 2003
Genre(s)
Fantasy/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, directed by Chris Columbus, written by Steve Kloves, J.K Rowling, Fantasy, Adventure, PG, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Namrata Joshi, Sukhdev Sandhu, Lizzie Rusbridger, Sam Adams, Philip Kerr, Joe Morgenstern, David Nusair, Film Companion Staff, Mike Massie, Leigh Paatsch, Debbie Lynn Elias, Guillem Martinez Oya, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby Stereo, Dolby SR, SDDS, DTS, Warner Bros Pictures, Harry Potter, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, dark force, Gilderoy Lockhart, Nearly Headless Nick, Rubeus Hagrid, Tom Riddle’s diary, death, blood-action packed
Worldwide gross: $1,017,713,119
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,715,140,162
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 27
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 187,038,186
US/Canada gross: $318,886,962
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $537,416,513
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 59
US/Canada opening weekend: $90,294,621
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $152,172,482
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 30
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $125,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $210,661,056
Production budget ranking: 93
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $113,440,979
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,391,038,127
ROI to date (est.): 429%
ROI ranking: 307
Rupert Grint – Ron Weasley
Emma Watson – Hermione Granger
Kenneth Branagh – Gilderoy Lockhart
John Cleese – Nearly Headless Nick
Robbie Coltrane – Rubeus Hagrid
Chris Columbus – Director
David Heyman – Producer
Steve Kloves – Writer
J.K. Rowling – Writer
Director(s)
Chris Columbus
Writer(s)
Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling
Producer(s)
David Heyman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
17 wins & 69 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (238) | Top Critics (64) | Fresh (196) | Rotten (42)
This time, the adventures of the world’s most famous young wizard come mixed with a stiff dose of the menacing.
January 4, 2019 | Rating: 2/4
Namrata Joshi
Outlook
TOP CRITIC
Director Chris Columbus has pushed the envelope farther, made a sequel that is pacier and more swashbuckling. Yet it still feels cautious and reined-in.
December 6, 2014
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is darker, funnier and finer than its forerunner Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
December 6, 2014
Lizzie Rusbridger
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Columbus’ pacing is still murderously slow, his ideas as pedestrian as the worst TV.
December 6, 2014
Sam Adams
Philadelphia City Paper
TOP CRITIC
Apart from a rather pointless cameo from Kenneth Branagh and a rather peaky-looking Richard Harris, in truth there was nothing in HP2 that we hadn’t already seen in HP1.
December 6, 2014
Philip Kerr
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
This new Harry Potter has its flaws, but it’s better, as well as darker, than the first.
November 26, 2013
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
…a watchable (and impressively faithful) adaptation that never quite becomes as captivating or engrossing as one might’ve hoped…
November 25, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Rather than better or worse, the films were almost an extension of the books, wonderfully bringing to life JK Rowling’s fantastical Wizarding World as the definitive franchise an entire generation grew up with.
October 27, 2020
Film Companion Staff
Film Companion
This time around, the humor and family-friendly fun can’t overcome the annoying supporting characters and repetition from the previous picture.
September 29, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Brilliant stuff.
June 18, 2020 | Rating: 4.5/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
At 162 minutes, this sounds like a long film, but the time passes quickly…almost too quickly. A technical and visual masterpiece.
November 13, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
Good film directed for a teenage audience in which not only is magic taught but also how stereotypes affect it while the film itself recreates some British stereotypes. [Review in Spanish]
July 11, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
Guillem Martinez Oya
Cinematismo…
Plot
This is the tale of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), an ordinary eleven-year-old boy serving as a sort of slave for his aunt and uncle who learns that he is actually a wizard and has been invited to attend the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is snatched away from his mundane existence by Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), the groundskeeper for Hogwarts, and quickly thrown into a world completely foreign to both him and the viewer. Famous for an incident that happened at his birth, Harry makes friends easily at his new school. He soon finds, however, that the wizarding world is far more dangerous for him than he would have imagined, and he quickly learns that not all wizards are ones to be trusted.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny comment about the film in the Fresh Kernels database.
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