Claim: Albus Dumbledore works at a school for students.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 2002 British-American fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. . Pictures . It is based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling . The film , which is the second instalment in the Harry Potter film series , was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman . The story follows Harry Potter 's second year at Hogwarts as the Heir of Salazar Slytherin opens the Chamber of Secrets , unleashing a monster that petrifies the school 's denizens .   The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter , alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry 's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger . The film is also the last film to feature Richard Harris as Professor Albus Dumbledore , due to his death that same year . It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone and is followed by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban .   The film was released on 15 November 2002 in the United Kingdom and North America . It was very well received critically and commercially , making US$ 879 million worldwide . It is the seventh-highest-grossing film in the Harry Potter series and the 45th-highest-grossing film of all time . It was nominated for three BAFTA Film Awards in 2003 .