I've visited every official Harry Potter attraction in the world and saw how the franchise ballooned into an empire raking in billions

It's been 20 years since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter hit the big screen for the first time, eventually becoming the third-highest-grossing film series of all time and creating a fan base like no other.

Devout Potterheads, as they came to be known, have followed the franchise for over two decades as 10 movies and a Broadway musical brought the story of an orphan wizard to life.

Since JK Rowling's release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997, the story has exploded into a worldwide brand with video games, real-life Quidditch tournaments, Hogwarts cosplay, and hundreds of specialty merchandise pieces, like wands, clothes, puzzles, and stuffed dragons.

Harry Potter book seriesmohd kamarul hafiz/Shutterstock

Since JK Rowling's release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997, the story has exploded into a worldwide brand with video games, real-life Quidditch tournaments, Hogwarts cosplay, and hundreds of specialty merchandise pieces, like wands, clothes, puzzles, and stuffed dragons.

As a Potterhead who proudly identifies with the Slytherin house, I made it my mission to visit every Warner Bros-made Harry Potter attraction in the world, like the life-size creation of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida…

Hogsmeade at Universal Studios in Hollywood, California, and Osaka, Japan…

The studio tour in England where the actual sets and props from the movies are housed…

The Harry Potter film concert series with a live orchestra...

The three Harry Potter stores in England at London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport, and Kings Cross Station...

And the giant flagship Harry Potter store in New York City that opened in June 2021.

After visiting the NYC shop, it was obvious that the love for "the boy who lived" is still going strong as Warner Bros continues to build the world and rake in billions from adoring fans.

The NYC flagship store is the latest addition to the collection of worldwide experiences and the three-level building was bigger than the one at the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London, making it clear that there is always more room to grow.

The shop has the largest collection of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts products in the world, offering unique products like the Golden Snitch Wand and a section to personalize robes and trunks.

Walking around the store I was happy to find a cafe to purchase butterbeer, though the tiny beverage ran me about $11, which wasn't surprising. The store is one of the few places in the world fans can try the drink and Warner Bros knows they'll pony up for it.

Despite its price tag, the drink was delicious, though I wish there was less foam and more drink.

Also in the store were two unique virtual reality experiences, one for flying broomsticks and one for exploring Hogwarts. While I did not try either experience during my visit, I spoke with one of Warner Bros consultants about their popularity. Vishal Balani is a consultant with Integrating Insights who partners with the company to get feedback from customers about the shop.

According to Balani, the virtual experiences are popular but limited because they can only host about eight guests per hour. He also explained that while virtual reality is a draw for many guests, the merchandise and unique design of the store are what bring people in.

I visited on a Tuesday afternoon around 4 p.m. and was surprised to be able to walk right in with minimal crowds, but Balani assured me that was normal because of the day and time. He said the store is typically packed after 7 p.m. on weekdays and even more so on weekends.

On weekends, Balani and other employees I spoke to said the line is wrapped around the building and people wait anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours to get in. Fortunately, the company offers a virtual queue option to manage capacity.

"When you get a notification to enter you actually have a full hour to get here, so it's good because people can explore this area where there are a lot of restaurants and activities," Balani said. "It works pretty well."

Balani said he's spoken to hundreds of visitors since the store's opening in June, and many people have the shop at the top of their NYC bucket list, with the furthest person coming from Switzerland.

"They were on a Harry Potter tour around the US and the store in NYC was the main reason for visiting the city," he said.

He also spoke to a family from Stony Brook, New York. "They came to the store as a day trip, which is a solid two-hour drive each way," Balani explained.

After hearing about fans waiting in long lines or traveling for hours just to visit the flagship store, it's no wonder the Wizarding World of Harry Potter continues to expand and maintain its billion-dollar empire after two decades.

In 2019, worldwide Harry Potter stores earned over $26 million in revenue. Merchandise is a huge part of the brand's earnings, with book sales accounting for over $7.7 billion and toys and games making over $7.3 billion.

Harry Potter store at London's Heathrow airportHeathrow Airport

Source: The Numbers, The Telegraph, Forbes, CNBC

In 2019, worldwide Harry Potter stores earned over $26 million in revenue. Merchandise is a huge part of the brand's earnings, with book sales accounting for over $7.7 billion and toys and games making over $7.3 billion.

Source: The Numbers, The Telegraph, Forbes, CNBC

Meanwhile, the original eight films alone made over $9 billion in the worldwide box-office and the studio tour in England made £306.8 million ($408 million) in profits from 2012 to 2019.

Harry Potter was also a saving grace for the Universal Studios theme parks in Florida. Before the company opened Harry Potter's Hogsmeade in 2010, the park's attendance was low and Universal had nowhere near the popularity of its rival Walt Disney World.

However, that changed after the opening of the new land. In the first three months after opening Hogsmeade, attendance at Islands of Adventure, one of Universal's two parks, was up 36% from 4.6 million in 2009 to 5.9 million in 2010. That number jumped to 7.6 million in 2011.

"It saved the theme park industry," theme-park historian and author Sam Gennawey said in his book Universal vs. Disney. "Disney is still trying to catch up."

Though Harry Potter's story ended with the Cursed Child book adaptation of the stage play, the love for the iconic wizard isn't going away anytime soon.

The franchise continues to grow with the Fantastic Beasts movie series, which has grossed about $1.5 billion since 2016, and fans will soon be able to enter the Wizarding World and create their own character in a role-playing console video game set for 2022.