When the тιтle character of Harry Potter first arrives at Hogwarts, he discovers many fantastical things, and one of his favorites is Quidditch. In the wizarding world, Quidditch is a popular sport played by witches and wizards as they fly on broomsticks and attempt to catch the Golden Snitch while avoiding Bludgers and other hazards. Quidditch teams have several position players, including three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper, and a Seeker. Harry becomes a star Seeker for Gryffindor, while Ron and Ginny Weasley also have triumphant moments playing the sport.

However, there is one problem with the beloved Harry Potter sport. While it remained popular in the book series and even saw real Quidditch teams set up in fandoms worldwide, it disappeared from the movies. This was a huge disappointment to fans of Quidditch and people who wanted to see Harry and Ron enjoy their most prestigious accomplishments at Hogwarts. The movies cut out the Quidditch Cup in two installments that could have provided some much-needed joy for the young wizards.

Harry Wins The Quidditch Cup In Prisoner Of Azkaban

Harry Potter’s Big Win Was Not Shown In The Movie

Quidditch appears in five Harry Potter movies but is only a substantial part of the first two films. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry is the youngest Quidditch player in over 100 years. However, the season ends with Harry in the hospital, and Ravenclaw beats Gryffindor with him out of action. The next movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, focuses somewhat on the Quidditch Cup, but only so far as the fact that the finals end up canceled due to the attacks on Muggle-both students.

It seemed like the film series was leading to the big moment for Harry in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The book allows it to play out beautifully, with team captain Oliver Wood letting everyone know this is his last year at Hogwarts, and if they don’t win that year, he will leave school without ever winning the Quidditch Cup. However, movie Harry never gets his moment in the sun for several reasons. Mainly, new Harry Potter director Alfonso Cuarón came aboard, and the franchise grew quickly.

This was disappointing for Harry Potter fans expecting to see the Quidditch moments finally pay off. In the books, after losing in his first year thanks to injury and not competing in the second year because of the match’s cancellation, Harry finally becomes a hero in his third year, leading Gryffindor to victory and ensuring that Oliver wins before leaving school. It could have made for exciting movie moments, between the Dementor attack in an earlier match and the fact that Harry captures the Snitch ahead of Draco Malfoy to win the Quidditch Cup.

Ron Wins The Quidditch Cup In Order Of The Phoenix

Ron Weasley’s Inspirational Moment Was Also Cut From The Movie

Thanks to the Triwizard Tournament, there is no Quidditch Cup during Harry’s fourth year. However, it returns in his fifth year, and this is the Quidditch Cup that the movie franchise should have made every attempt to include. That is because Harry was suspended during this season and couldn’t compete. However, this helps someone else step up and become the hero when Ron Weasley makes the team as the new Keeper following Oliver Wood’s graduation.

This is one of Ron’s best story arcs in the books, as he comes from a family that is great at Quidditch, with the twins on the team that won with Harry in the last Quidditch Cup. However, Ron knows the expectations are high, especially since he replaces a legend in Oliver. He is anxious and nervous, and he loses confidence in himself. Ron fears failure, which causes him to struggle, especially when Slytherin begins mocking his attempts. However, he was meant for greatness.

When Dolores Umbridge abuses her power and suspends Harry, Fred, and George from the team, Ginny is added, which turns into greatness for her as well in the future. However, Harry secretly helps Ron overcome his doubts and find faith in himself. In the season’s final game, Ron pulls himself together and plays a great match while Ginny beats Cho Chang to the Snitch to give Gryffindor its second straight Quidditch Cup. In the movies, Ron never has this moment.

The Later Harry Potter Films Basically Drop Quidditch

The Movies Ignored Quidditch, But The Max Series Can Make Up For It

In the later Harry Potter movies, the Quidditch storylines were mostly dropped. It admittedly makes sense when for the films’ runtimes and their overarching plotlines. The battle against Voldemort, the infiltration of the school, the creation of Dumbledore’s Army, and all the political machinations that almost destroyed Hogwarts were more important than showing the students playing a sport. However, this also stripped the characters of more uplifting stories that could have helped them find happiness amidst the pain.

Harry never got his moment to win the Quidditch Cup in the movies, which was disappointing after two installments of Gryffindor falling short. After setting it up in the first two films, that story arc never paid off in the sequels. Ron’s big moment could also have been huge because he is a punching bag for so much of the film series and lost out on this triumph. Even more disappointing was Ginny Weasley, who is one of the best Quidditch players in Hogwarts history, and, as with most of her storylines, her exploits were ignored by the filmmakers.

However, there is still hope for all the fans who remember reading these great Quidditch moments in the Harry Potter novels and mourned not seeing them on the big screen. The Harry Potter streaming series coming to Max will have seasons dedicated to each book, which means more of the stories left out of the movies have a chance to come to life on the small screen. This could include the Quidditch moments, and it could help Harry, Ron, and Ginny finally get their moments to shine.

Harry Potter

Created by

J.K. Rowling

First Film

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

First TV Show

Harry Potter

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Enoch, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Robert Pattinson, Warwick Davis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, David Thewlis, Katie Leung, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jamie Campbell Bower, Timothy Spall, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Mads Mikkelsen

TV Show(s)

Harry Potter

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