Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth fantasy adventure film in the popular Harry Potter film series, based on the novel of the same name, by J. K. Rowling. It was directed by David Yates. The screenplay was written by Michael Goldenberg, who replaced Steve Kloves, writer of the first four films. Warner Bros., the distributor of the film, scheduled a UK release date of 12 July 2007, and a U.S. release date of 11 July 2007, both in conventional and IMAX theatres. Live action filming finished in the end of November, and post-production on the film continued for several months afterwards.

Rowling wrote on her website on 19 December 2006 that she was given a 20-minute preview of the film, which "looks fantastic"; after seeing the final product, she evaluated the film as "the best yet". Unlike some authors, Rowling has consistently offered her praise for the film adaptations of her works.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger enter their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Much of the wizarding community has shunned Harry and Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, who claim that Lord Voldemort has, after 14 years, regained a body and been restored to full power, and are instead influenced by the propaganda of The Daily Prophet and the intentional ignorance of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Fudge appoints a new Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, who begins to steadily take over Hogwarts through the support of the Ministry.

Umbridge refuses to acknowledge that Voldemort has returned, and when Harry insists that he has, she gives him painful and torturous detentions. Her teaching is sorely inadequate with textbook lessons devoid of actual magic. To fight back, "Dumbledore's Army" (the D.A.) is founded, an underground organization with Harry as leader, to prepare twenty-seven of his schoolmates in case of a battle with Voldemort.

Meanwhile, Harry has been seeing into Voldemort's mind through his dreams. In one, he sees Arthur Weasley, Ron's father, being attacked in the Department of Mysteries by Nagini, Voldemort's snake. Harry then begins lessons with Professor Snape to close his mind in the event that Lord Voldemort should become aware of the connection between Harry's mind and his own. During the course of these gruelling sessions Harry accidentally enters Snape's mind and has an uncomfortable vision of his own father bullying the loner Snape when they were students at Hogwarts. Enraged, Snape puts an end to the sessions.

Harry is also going through a complicated relationship with D.A. member Cho Chang. He breaks up with her after she apparently informs Umbridge of the D.A., who are put in detention with Umbridge. Later, Harry learns that Umbridge put Cho under the influence of a truth potion; Harry does not make attempts to reconcile with her.

Harry, who still have not managed to close his mind, has a vision of his godfather Sirius Black being tortured by Lord Voldemort in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic, prompting Harry to launch a rescue attempt. Harry and Hermione lure Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest, where she is taken away by a centaur herd after insulting them. Hagrid's half-brother, Grawp, a giant, assists Harry and Hermione. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, with D.A. members Ginny Weasley (Ron's sister), Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood, fly to the Ministry of Magic on Thestrals. Deep in the Department of Mysteries in the fabled Hall of Prophecy, Harry and his friends discover a small glowing ball with Harry's name on it. When Harry retrieves it, it recites a prophecy about he and Voldemort. Lucius Malfoy then appears and explains that Sirius is not there — the vision was a trap set so Harry could retrieve a prophecy for Voldemort concerning the two of them.

A fierce battle throughout the Department of Mysteries erupts. Harry and his friends stun the Death Eaters, but their spells cause the shelves of prophecies to collapse. Harry and the others run through the door and into the Death Chamber. The Death Eaters, Voldemort's supporters, arrive and capture Harry's friends, and Lucius Malfoy appears in front of Harry and threatens to kill his friends if he doesn't hand over the prophecy. After a moment of hesitation Harry gives it to him. As Lucius turns around, he is punched by Sirius who has arrived with the rest of the Order. As Lucius falls, he drops the prophecy, causing it to smash on the floor. Harry's friends are freed, and the battle continues. Sirius pulls Harry aside and tells him to take his friends and leave. Harry refuses, as Sirius says that he's done beautifully but the Order must take it from here. Harry and Sirius then duel Malfoy and his Death Eater accomplice. This fight ends with Harry stunning the Death Eater and Sirius knocking Malfoy back into a wall. Immediately after, Sirius' cousin Bellatrix Lestrange appears and casts the killing curse upon Sirius. He smiles at Harry before falling into the veil and disappearing.

Harry pursues Bellatrix to the Atrium of the Ministry and encounters Voldemort. Harry attempts to attack him, but Voldemort disarms him. Before Voldemort can kill Harry, Dumbledore appears. They duel, ending in a draw, as Bellatrix escapes. Voldemort then attempts to possess Harry. After an agonising internal battle, Harry says that it is Voldemort, not he, who is weak and that he will never know love or friendship, and for that Harry feels sorry for him. Voldemort is ultimately forced from Harry's body and mind, prompting him to state that Harry "will lose everything" due to the profound amount of love that resides within him.

Fudge arrives just seconds before Voldemort disapparateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_%28Harry_Potter%29#Apparition_and_disapparition, following Bellatrix who had fled minutes before. The Ministry is forced to acknowledge its error, and Dumbledore and Harry are vindicated. Dumbledore then discusses with Harry the contents of the prophecy Voldemort wanted so badly, which states that "either must die by the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives"; therefore, Harry must kill or be killed. The film ends with Harry telling Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna, that they have something that Voldemort does not - something to fight for.

David Yates was chosen to direct the film after Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell turned it down. Mira Nair was offered the project, but also turned it down. Yates thinks he was approached because of one of his previous projects, the television drama Sex Traffic, and because the studio saw him fit to handle an "edgy and emotional" film with a "political backstory". Steve Kloves, the screenwriter of the first four Potter films, had other commitments, and thus Michael Goldenberg wrote the script for the film; however, Kloves will return for the next film, Half-Blood Prince.

Rehearsals for Order of the Phoenix began on 27 January 2006. Filming began on 6 February, and finished around November or December 2006. The film's budget is reportedly between GB£75 and 100 million (US$150 and 200 million).

Nicholas Hooper was the composer for the soundtrack of the film, following John Williams, who scored the first three films, and Patrick Doyle, who did the fourth. In the new score, Hooper has incorporated variations on "Hedwig's Theme", the series' theme originally written by Williams for the first film and heard in all subsequent ones. In March and April of 2007, Hooper and the London Chamber Orchestra recorded nearly two hours of music at Abbey Road Studios in London. The score, like the film and book, is darker than previous instalments in the series. To emphasise this, the two new main themes reflect the sinister new character Dolores Umbridge, and Lord Voldemort's invasion of Harry's mind. A Japanese Taiko drum was used for a deeper sound in the percussion. The soundtrack was released on 10 July 2007, the eve of the film's release.

Mark Day is the film editor, SÅ‚awomir Idziak is the cinematographer, Jany Temime is the costume designer, John Richardson is the special effects supervisor, Tim Burke is the visual effects supervisor, and Nick Dudman is the creatures special effects supervisor. A new character in the film, Grawp, Hagrid's giant half-brother, came to life by a new technology called 'Soul Capturing,' developed by Image Metrics.

Choreographer Paul Harris, who has also worked with David Yates several times, was brought in to create a physical language for wand combat and to choreograph the wand fighting scenes.

Stuart Craig returned as set designer, having also designed the first four films' sets. The atrium in the Ministry of Magic is over 200 feet in length, making it the largest and most expensive set yet built for the Potter film series. Craig's design was inspired by early London Underground stations, where architects "tried to imitate classical architecture but they used ceramic tile", as well as a Burger King on Tottenham Court Road in London, where "there's a fantastic Victorian façade which just embodies the age".

The set used for Igor Karkaroff's trial scene in Goblet of Fire was doubled in size for Harry's trial in this film, while still protecting its symmetry. The set of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place contains the Black family tapestry spread across three walls; when the producers mentioned to Rowling they wanted to visualise the details of each name and birthyear, she faxed them a complete copy of the entire tree. The set of the Hall of Prophecies is entirely digitally built. This is because, during a fight scene which occurs there, prophecies crash to the ground and break. Had it been an actual physical set, the reset time would have been weeks.

Though the producers explored options to film outside of the UK, Leavesden Studios in Watford was again the location on which many of the interior scenes, including the Great Hall, Privet Drive and Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place were shot.

Locations in England included the River Thames, for when the Order of the Phoenix fly to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, a sequence also including landmarks such as the London Eye, Canary Wharf, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the HMS Belfast. Filming at Platform 9¾ took place at King's Cross Station, as it has in the past. A telephone booth near Scotland Yard was used as Harry and Arthur Weasley enter the Ministry, while the crew closed the Westminster tube station on 22 October 2006 to allow for filming of Arthur Weasley accompanying Harry to his trial at the Ministry of Magic. Other scenes were filmed in and around Oxford specifically at nearby Blenheim Palace in Woodstock.

Various locations around Scotland were used for exterior shots. Fort William was used to show 'snow-capped mountains and glens' vital for the opening sequence of the film. In Glenfinnan, the Hogwarts Express crosses a viaduct, as it has in the past films. Aerial scenes were shot in Glen Coe, in Clachaig Gully, and Glen Etive, which, at the time of filming, was one of the few places in Scotland without snow, making it ideal for a backdrop. However, according to an article by The Scotsman, Scotland took in as little as GB£50,000 in 2006 from the production of films on Scottish territory.

Several locations were used which do not appear in the final cut of the film. In Virginia Water, scenes were shot where Professor McGonagall recovers from Stunning Spells, and Burnham Beeches was used for filming the scene where Hagrid introduces his fifth-year Care of Magical Creatures class to Thestrals. Harry skips stones in front of Bonnie Prince Charlie's Monument in Glenfinnan in another cut scene.

Kreacher, the Black family's house-elf, was cut from the film in one draft of the script. However, after Rowling prodded the filmmakers to include him, saying, "You know, I wouldn’t [cut him] if I were you. Or you can, but if you get to make a seventh film, you’ll be tied in knots", he was added back into the script. Timothy Bateson voices the character in the film.

On 1 April 2006, Helen McCrory, who was slated to play Bellatrix Lestrange, announced that she was three months' pregnant and had to withdraw from the film. On 25 May it was announced that Helena Bonham Carter would play the role instead.

Evanna Lynch beat over 15,000 other girls at the open casting when she won the role of Luna Lovegood, waiting in a line of hopefuls a mile long.

Young Remus Lupin was once rumoured to be played by the unknown Stuart Hastings, though it was denied by WB, on 27 March 2006, that anybody was cast in the role. On 25 May it was announced that James Utechin had won the role and will play young Lupin. James Walters, who won the role of young Sirius Black, also tried out for the role of young Lupin. It was reported for over a year prior to the release of the film that Susie Shinner would play the role of Young Lily Evans (who later marries James Potter) in a flashback scene that occurs during Snape's Occlumency lessons with Harry.

The family of footballer Theo Walcott made a cameo role in the film. Theo himself was due to appear as well, though his commitments to Arsenal forced him to pull out.

Tiana Benjamin was scheduled to return for the film in the role of Angelina Johnson, but she had to withdraw due to commitments to playing Chelsea Fox in EastEnders. The character was ultimately cut from the film. She has, however, recorded sound clips for the Order of the Phoenix video game.

At the U.S. premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), series producer David Heyman said that Gilderoy Lockhart, played by Kenneth Branagh in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), was in the first draft of the script for Phoenix. However, neither Branagh nor the character of Lockhart appear in the final version.

Timothy Spall appears as Peter Pettigrew in the photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix. It is unclear whether this was constructed from stock footage of Spall, as he did not receive a credit in the movie.

The first trailer was released on November 17, 2006, attached to another WB film, Happy Feet. It was made available online on November 20th, at the Happy Feet website. This trailer can also be seen at the WB official Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix website. The international trailer debuted online on April 22, 2007 at 14:00 UTC. On May 4, 2007, the domestic trailer was shown infront of Spider-Man 3.

Two posters released on the Internet that showed Harry accompanied by six classmates, including Hermione Granger, generated some controversy by the media. They were essentially the same picture, though one advertised the IMAX release. In one poster, the profile of Hermione, played by Emma Watson, was made curvier as the outline of her breasts was enhanced. Melissa Anelli, webmistress of noted fan site The Leaky Cauldron, wrote:
Emma Watson is playing a 15-year-old girl, and she herself is under 18. I get the full heebie jeebies thinking about the person who sat there thinking, 'Now, if we cinch her waist a bit, and inflate her bust a bit, and give her some dramatic lighting and more blonde hair, this would be a much better picture.'

Representatives for WB later wrote about the poster under fire, "This is not an official poster. Unfortunately this image was accidentally posted on the IMAX website".

The video game version, designed by EA UK, was released June 25, 2007, about two weeks before the film was released.

The film was the third Harry Potter film to be given a simultaneous release in conventional theatres and IMAX. The IMAX release featured the full movie in 2-D and the final 20 minutes of the film in 3-D. According to estimates in March 2007, by Warner Bros., the film would debut on over 10,000 theatre screens in the summer.

The film was released in most countries in a two-week period starting 11 July 2007. WB has tried to stick with day-and-date releases for most countries "except in the Middle East and a few minor markets, because most are going to be in holidays at that point". The set of summer releases, even though the films are typically released in the winter, "really maximises our opportunity," said a representative for WB.

Previews of the film began in March 2007 in the Chicago area. Under tight security to prevent piracy, WB had security guards patrol the aisles, looking for cell phone cameras or small recording devices, at a preview in Japan. The world premiere took place in Tokyo, Japan on 28 June 2007. MySpace users could bring copies of their online profiles to gain free admission to sneak previews in eight different cities across the country on 28 June 2007. The UK premiere took place on 3 July 2007 in London's Odeon Leicester Square, during which author J. K. Rowling made a rare public appearance. The U.S. premiere took place on 8 July in Los Angeles. After the premiere, the three young stars of the film series, Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson, were honoured with a ceremony where their handprints, footprints, and "wand-prints" were placed in the cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

The film was released on the following dates in these major English-speaking countries:
Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Philippines, United States — 11 July
Puerto Rico, Singapore, United Kingdom — 12 July
Republic of Ireland — 13 July

Originally, Warner Bros. set the Australian release date as 6 September 2007, nearly two months after the majority of other release dates. However, after complaints from the Australian Harry Potter community, including a petition garnering 2,000 signatures, the date was pulled forward to 12 July 2007. The release date was then once again pulled forward by another day to July 11. The release dates of the film in the UK and U.S. were also moved forward, both from 13 July, to the 12th and 11th, respectively.

Even though the book is the longest in the series, the film is 138 minutes long, the shortest in the entire film series. In the motion picture rating system, it was rated the equivalent of the U.S.'s PG-13, the UK's 12A, and Australia's M. Reasons for the ratings were variations on "fantasy violence" and "dark themes".

Reviews of the film are generally positive. As of 30 July 2007, the film holds a 77% "certified fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Telegraph headlined their review "Potter film is the best and darkest yet". The New York Daily News gave the film four out of four stars, calling it the best Potter film yet and wrote that "die-hard Potter addicts will rejoice that Yates has distilled J. K. Rowling's broad universe with care and reverence". The Sunday Mirror, giving the film four out of five stars, called it "a dark and delicious delight [and] a must-see movie". The Miami Herald gave the film three stars out of four and wrote that the film "is the first installment in the soon-to-be series-of-seven that doesn't seem like just another spinoff capitalising on the money-minting Harry Potter brand name. Instead, Phoenix feels like a real 'movie'."

Imelda Staunton's performance as Dolores Umbridge and Helena Bonham Carter's as Bellatrix Lestrange were widely acclaimed; Staunton was described as the "perfect choice for the part" and "one of the film's greatest pleasures", "com[ing] close to stealing the show". Bonham Carter was said to be a "shining but underused talent". Variety praised Alan Rickman's portrayal of Severus Snape, writing that he "may have outdone himself; seldom has an actor done more with less than he does here". Newcomer Evanna Lynch, playing Luna Lovegood, also received kudos from a number of reviewers including the New York Times who declared her "spellbinding".

Rolling Stone also lauded the three principal actors' achievements, especially Radcliffe: "One of the joys of this film is watching Daniel Radcliffe grow so impressively into the role of Harry. He digs deep into the character and into Harry's nightmares. It's a sensational performance, touching all the bases from tender to fearful." Rolling Stone's review also classified the film as better than the previous four installments in the series, by losing the "candy-ass aspect" of the first two and "raising the bar" from the "heat and resonance" of the third and fourth.

The Times of London expressed disappointment that the three main actors were not able to fully advance the emotional sides of their respective characters, weakening the film. The San Francisco Chronicle complained about a "lousy" storyline, alleging that the first twenty minutes of the film, when Harry is put on trial for performing magic outside of school and threatened with expulsion, but is cleared of all charges, did not advance the plot. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Phoenix is "quite possibly the least enjoyable of the [series] so far," and that despite "several eye-catching moments", "the magic – movie magic, that is – is mostly missing." The review also criticised the underuse of the "cream of British acting", noting the brief appearances of Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson, David Thewlis, Richard Griffiths, and Julie Walters. IESB.net, which gave the movie a very positive review, took the opposite view and wrote, "cameos are used effectively throughout the film", noting stand-out performances from Bonham Carter, Thompson, and Rickman. The review also praised Radcliffe, saying that he added "a new dimension to Potter".

In the US, tickets for hundreds of midnight showings of the film, bought from online ticket-seller Fandango, were sold out, making up approximately 90% of the site's weekly ticket sales. In the United States and Canada, midnight screenings - July 10th and 11th - brought in $12 million from 2,311 midnight exhibitions making the showings "the most successful batch of midnight exhibitions ever." Phoenix is behind only Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) in one-night earnings, which had debuted four hours earlier on its date. Phoenix earned an additional $32.2 million on Wednesday, post-midnight showings, making it the biggest Wednesday single-day gross in box office history with a total of $44.2 million. That amount tops Sony Pictures' Spider-Man 2, which had held the record since 2004 with its $40.4 million take on a Wednesday. It is also the fifth-biggest opening day for a movie in history, surpassing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End's $42.9 million. It earned $1.9 million from a record-breaking 91 IMAX screens, the highest opening day ever for any IMAX day of the week, beating Spider-Man 3's $1.8 million. In the U.K. the result was similar. The film made £22 million on the day of release, including the £6 million made from midnight screenings that began on July 10th, breaking U.K. box office records for the biggest 4-day opening weekend. The film made $77.1 million during its opening weekend, bringing its U.S. total to $140 million, after five days.

Phoenix's Domestic gross is at $242 million, and has grossed $450 million overseas, bringing its worldwide gross to $692 million, after 19 days.

Before it was released, Order of the Phoenix was nominated in a new category at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, "Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet". All films nominated in the category lost to Transformers.