After getting hammered on X and following that viral AI video, HBO’s Harry Potter trailer is also getting hit on YouTube, where the official teaser is sitting at 26k likes and 241k dislikes after only 12 days.
The video also has over 9.7 million views, which shows just how much attention the reboot is getting as the reaction keeps building.
4/12 – Update: The trailer now has 309k dislikes.
Previously:
YouTube reaction is almost split down the middle
The near-even split between likes and dislikes stands out because it comes less than two weeks after release. The reaction points to a fandom that is heavily divided, not just a few loud posts on X.
The comments section tells the same story. A lot of the top comments are not praising the teaser. They are joking about the casting, comparing the new series to the original films, and making Black Snape the center of the backlash.
Snape is still driving the backlash
Paapa Essiedu’s Snape continues to dominate the conversation.
One of the top comments says, “This is so book accurate!” followed by “Snape pops up,” which pulled 37,000 likes.
Another says, “Is that a Black Snape?” and drew 10,000 likes. A separate comment asking why HBO gave Snape dreads also made the top reactions.
Other comments leaned into jokes about how the Philosopher’s Stone storyline now plays differently, with fans mocking how quickly Harry suspects Snape in the first book.
One of the biggest examples says, “Black Snape walks by. Harry: I don’t trust him for some reason,” which has 15,000 likes.
Alan Rickman comparisons are everywhere
A lot of the YouTube reaction is also tied to Alan Rickman.
Fans are posting comments like “I miss you, Alan Rickman,” while others say nobody will ever play the role the same way. Another popular comment says not casting Adam Driver as Snape “needs to be a crime,” which pulled 27,000 likes.
That tracks with the broader reaction already taking shape online. For many fans, this is not just about a new actor. It is about HBO touching one of the most iconic roles from the films and doing it in a way many viewers think clashes with both the books and the version Rickman made famous.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone premieres this Christmas on HBO.
