Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter

Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter has released the names of the actors and crew who will be attending the grand opening celebration set to take place on Saturday, March 31, 2012.









They are:
Rupert Grint
Tom Felton
Bonnie Wright
Evanna Lynch
Warwick Davis
David Thewlis
Helen McCrory
George Harris
Nick Moran
Natalia Tena
David Bradley
David Heyman (producer)
David Barron (producer)
David Yates (director)
Alfonso Cuaron (director)
Mike Newell (director)

Today SnitchSeeker got an early peek at the studio tour – be sure and check our Twitter for some cool pics – and we will have our report up shortly. We will also be live on the red carpet at Leavesden Studios next week to cover the grand opening.

(SOURCE: SnitchSeeker)

Harry Potter Wizard's Collection Due for Release in September

The 31-disc Harry Potter Wizard's Collection Blu-ray/DVD box set will be released on Sept. 7 in the U.S. and Sept. 10 in the U.K., it's been announced.

This definitive collection will include all eight Harry Potter films, plus over four hours of never-before-seen footage. The massive box set weighs an impressive 19 pounds, and will also come with "artistic and authentic film memorabilia."

The official Harry Potter website has been updated to reflect the impending release of the Wizard's Collection. An interactive wand gesture game has been added to the site so fans can unlock exclusive previews of the bonus material every week.

This week, Yahoo! has the first exclusive preview which shows a young Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) talking about a rather "unpretty picture" he drew of Alan Rickman (Severus Snape). The clip then shows a present-day Grint and Rickman talking about the drawing. Watch it below!

Harry Potter Wizard's Collection is available for pre-order through Amazon.com for $349. The U.K. edition is priced at £259.99.

New Pictures of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour

We now have some new pictures of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. The images can be seen here in our galleries and feature a look at Dumbledore's office, the Potions classroom, the Gryffindor dorm rooms, Diagon Alley, the Great Hall, the Burrow, and more. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SnitchSeeker. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour will open on March 31st.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Platform 9 3/4 Gets Permanent Location at King's Cross Station

The Platform 9 3/4 display at King's Cross in London finally has a permanent location after being shuffled around for several years while the station underwent major renovations.

According to the Huffington Post, the popular pilgrimage site for Harry Potter fans - which features a sign for the platform and a trolly seemingly going through the wall - will now be located in the Western Departures Concourse. A map of the station, with Platform 9 3/4 clearly marked, can be seen here. The new concourse will be open for travelers (and Potter fans!) beginning March 19.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Pottermore's Magical Quill Challenge Begins July 31

The Pottermore Insider Blog and website have been updated this blog post and link, revealing more about J. K. Rowling's latest project:

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted the hidden link in our 'You ask, we answer' blog post from 19 July, which took you to an interview J.K. Rowling gave in 2000.

In the interview was some interesting information about a Magical Quill, located in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Magical Quill detects the birth of a magical child and writes their name down in a large book. 

Every year, Professor McGonagall checks the book and sends owls to the children who are turning eleven, to inform themthat they have a place at Hogwarts. Each day for seven days, from 31 July to 6 August, we will be placing a clue on the Pottermore homepage to help you locate The Magical Quill. If you find it, you'll have the chance to gain early access to Pottermore.

There will be a new clue every day, and each clue will relate to a different book in the Harry Potter series. On Day 1 the clue will relate to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, on Day 2 the clue will relate to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and so forth. The clues will also vary in difficulty. On Days 1-3 the clues will be harder, and on Days 4-7 the clues will be easier.

To find The Magical Quill, you need to solve the clue and add the answer to the end of the web address. This will lead you to a website where The Magical Quill will be located while early access places are available. The Magical Quill's location will change every day.

Example

Clue: How many books are there in the Harry Potter series? Multiply this number by 10.

Answer: 70

Add this number to the end of the website address. (In this case it would be http://quill.pottermore.com/70)

Hit 'Return' to go to the website where The Magical Quill is located.

Once you have found The Magical Quill, you will be redirected to Pottermore.com. If the registration process is still open for that day, you will be able to submit your details to register to access Pottermore early.

It's important to note that finding The Magical Quill does not guarantee you access to registration, as registration will only remain openwhile the early access places allocated for the relevant day, between 31 July to 6 August, are available.

Don't worry if you don’t manage to register first time. There will be plenty of opportunities to find The Magical Quill as we will be revealing a new clue each day from 31 July to 6 August. For those who miss out on earlyaccess to Pottermore, please note the site will be open to all from October. Keep visiting Pottermore to find out when registration commences.

We won't be telling you when a clue goes live, so you'll need to keep a careful eye on Pottermore.com over the seven-day period. However, we will let you know, via Pottermore.com and the Insider, when registration for a particular day has come to an end.

Finally, please note that we will not be enabling early access to the site straight away. Once The Magical Quill challenge is over, we will send successful early access registrants a Welcome email, letting them know whenthey will be able to access Pottermore. We won’t be able to let everyone into the Beta site at the same time, so please be patient with us. You may have to wait a few weeks for your Welcome email to arrive.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' Hits $1 Billion in Global Box Office

It's the first in the franchise to pass the milestone, doing so only two weeks after its release.

In a fitting farewell to one of the most magical film series in Hollywood history, Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the first film in the franchise to reach the $1 billion mark worldwide.

Deathly Hallows 2 will cross the milestone on Saturday, having grossed $296 million domestically and $630 million overseas through Thursday for a global total of $926 million. Another blockbuster weekend at the multiplex is forecast, allowing the film to easily pass the vaunted $1 billion mark.

The movie, benefiting from being released in 3D, is racing past the milestone in about two weeks, a remarkable achievement. Until now, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone overseas) was the top grossing pic in the franchise, having grossed $974.8 million globally in 2001-02.

The Harry Potter franchise has always been immensely successful internationally, with every title in the series earning substantially more offshore. So far, 68 percent of Deathly Hallows Part 2’s gross has been earned at the international box office, fueled by standout performances in the U.K., Japan, Australia and Germany.

By the end of this weekend, Deathly Hallows Part 2 should surpass Sorcerer’s Stone's domestic gross of $317 million, the best in the series. It also will have surpassed the $659 million earned last year internationally by Deathly Hallows Part 1.

Deathly Hallows Part 2 becomes the 9th movie in history to gross north of $1 billion worldwide, a club that includes Warners’ The Dark Knight ($1 billion), Disney’s Alice in Wonderland ($1.02 billion) and Disney’s 2011 summer tentpole Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($1.03 billion).

Thanks to our Hogwarts mate Sylvia for the heads up on this story!

(SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

Total Film's 50 Greatest 'Potter' Characters: Who is Yours?

With the final film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -Part 2 in theaters now, Total Film released their top 50 characters from the entire 'Harry Potter' series. With so many great characters created by J.K. Rowling, it is very difficult to come up with a complete list without feeling that someone or something got left out.

The list includes the likes of Firenze (50), Nagini (41), Filch (32), Umbridge (15), and Hermione (5) to name a few. Do you think you know who their number one character is? Check them all out here.

Headmistress Denice: Who are your favorite HP characters? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

Universal Orlando Announces 'A Celebration of the Harry Potter Films'

This November Universal is hosting a big three-day event in celebration of all eight Harry Potter films!  From the press release:

This special event will be hosted by Warner Bros. and will celebrate a decade of movie history by allowing fans to share their love for the Harry Potter films. The event will take place from Friday, November 11, to Sunday, November 13, at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, home to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

During this special event, guests can celebrate their favorite memories and stories of Harry Potter with filmmakers, cast members and fellow fans. While all theme park guests will be able to enjoy The Wizarding World of Harry Potter during their visit, only a limited number of guests and those who buy special event packages will have access to exclusive benefits such as:

• A spectacular evening gala in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Autograph signings with stars from the Harry Potter films
• Q&A sessions with Harry Potter filmmakers and cast members, along with the creators of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Screenings of all eight Harry Potter films – including "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" at the AMC Universal Cineplex 20 in Universal CityWalk. Access to the screenings can be added to the vacation packages for an additional fee.

Additional details can be read on Universal's website.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

'Harry Potter' Studio Tour to be Featured at Empire Presents BIG SCREEN

Over the past few months we've been telling you about the Warner Brothers Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter. It will afford you the opportunity to visit the actual sets in the Harry Potter films at the actual studio where they were shot!

More details about the Studio Tour will be revealed at Empire Presents BIG SCREEN in August:

Details for the UK's most highly anticipated visitor attraction will be revealed in a special live showcase at Empire Presents BIG SCREEN event on Sunday, 14th August at 16:30 (GMT) within indigO2 at London's The O2 and will be shared by special guests from the cast and crew from the most successful film series of all time, Harry Potter. The event will culminate with an exciting announcement that both film and Harry Potter fans will not want to miss.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

Happy 22nd Birthday to Dan Radcliffe

Twelve years ago, a young 10-year old actor was cast for the coveted role of the young boy wizard Harry Potter. Today that young man has turned 22, and has grown up in front of our eyes to become one of the finest actors of this generation.

On behalf of MuggleNet, and the fans of the 'Potter' series, we wish you a very Happy Birthday Dan! Thank you for everything, we look forward to watching you in the years ahead.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

'Harry Potter Page to Screen' Official Cover Released, Available for Pre-Order

Harper Collins has released the official cover for Harry Potter Page to Screen.

This book is a follow-up to Harry Potter: Film Wizardry and provides an in-depth look at the entire filmmaking process from Sorcerer's Stone through Deathly Hallows - Part 2.

It includes behind-the-scenes anecdotes, brand-new interviews with cast and crew, as well as hundreds of never-before-seen photos and concept art.

The book is now available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released October 25.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

'Harry Potter' Becomes Top-Grossing Franchise

On Wednesday, Harry Potter edged out Star Wars to become the top-grossing franchise of all time. The eight Potter movies have accumulated $2.223 billion, compared to $2.218 billion for Star Wars. They're also the only two franchises to have crossed the $2 billion mark, though James Bond and Batman would join the party when adjusted for ticket price inflation

Star Wars still trumps Potter in terms of estimated attendance, more than doubling the wizard wunderkind. It even maintains most of that margin when its re-releases are factored out.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 pulled in $12.27 million on Wednesday, down 20 percent from Tuesday. That ranked as the 13th highest-grossing non-opening Wednesday ever. The first Transformers holds the non-opening Wednesday record with $29.1 million, while The Dark Knight made $18.4 million with a 12 percent Tuesday-to-Wednesday drop at the same point. Deathly Hallows Part 1, Goblet of Fire and Sorcerer's Stone all had higher grossing Wednesdays than Deathly Hallows Part 2, but each of those were buoyed by the Thanksgiving holiday.

With a $214.88 million tally, Deathly Hallows Part 2 slotted third among the top-grossing six-day openings, behind The Dark Knight's $222.15 million and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's $214.93 million, but it's still the fastest-grossing Potter, topping Half-Blood Prince's $167.9 million six-day haul and ahead of any Twilight movie. Normalized for ticket price inflation, Deathly Hallows Part 2 would rank ninth on that chart.

Meanwhile, Harry Potter distributor Warner Bros. crossed the $1 billion mark for the year, marking the studio's 11th billion dollar year in a row. Currently, Warner ranks second to Paramount, but the studio was the top grosser of the past three years.

(SOURCE: BOX OFFICE MOJO)

Video: Tom Felton Talks 'Deathly Hallows - Part 2' Video Game

Our own MuggleNet fan Christopher Bratt was lucky enough to be at the EA Bright Light Studios in the UK when he was chosen to interview Tom Felton.

Tom happened to be on location at the EA studios to do voice tracks for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows video game. During the interview, Tom said:

"I never knew what the actors have to do behind the scenes of a game, but quite a lot. There is quite a lot of sounds that you have to make that aren't just so much talking."

To listen to the entire video, click here

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

Google, Pottermore Team Up to Provide Fans Unique Ebook Experience

When Pottermore officially launches in October of this year, Google will allow fans to make the most of their ebook experience.

"Pottermore and Google are teaming up to integrate Pottermore with a number of Google products and APIs. So when the series of Harry Potter ebooks launches on Pottermore.com in early October, these bestsellers will be available in the U.S. via the open Google eBooks platform. When you buy a Harry Potter ebook from Pottermore, you will be able to choose to keep it in your Google Books library in-the-cloud, as well as on other e-reading platforms."

Google eBooks can be read on most devices and Google Checkout will be the preferred third-party payment for all purchases on Pottermore.com.

Additionally, expect more videos to be put on YouTube similar to J.K. Rowling's big announcement on June 23.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

Deathly Hallows Box Office Records So Far

Hello My Fellow Witches and Wizards!

I thought I would post the box office records that Deathly Hallows has broken since its release on Friday, July 15th.

Box office all-time records

As a result of the film's success, it currently holds the following U.S./Canadian box office records:

Box Office Record	Record Details	Previous Record
Opening Weekend[10]	$169,189,427	The Dark Knight (2008, $158 million)
Opening Weekend - IMAX	$15,500,000	Avatar (2009, $9.5 million)
Single Day	$91,071,119	New Moon (2009, $72.7 million)
Widest 3D launch[60]	3,100+ locations	Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011, 2,789 locations)
Highest Gross in Advance Ticket Sales	$32,000,000	Eclipse (2010, $30 million)
Biggest Midnight Release[8]	$43,500,000	Eclipse (2010, $30 million)
Biggest IMAX Midnight Release[54]	$2,000,000	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010, $1.4 million)
Highest 3-Day Gross	$169,189,427	The Dark Knight (2008, $158 million)
Highest 4-Day Gross	$187,232,508	The Dark Knight (2008, $182.9 million)
Fastest to $100 million	2 days	The Dark Knight (2008)
Fastest to $150 million	3 days	The Dark Knight (2008)

It also holds the following international box-office records:

Record	Details
Opening Weekend Worldwide	$481,489,427
Opening Weekend Foreign[51]	$312,300,000
Opening Weekend United Kingdom	$36,000,000
Opening Weekend Australia[54]	$26,700,000
Fastest to 500 Million Worldwide[61]	6 days
Highest Grossing Worldwide IMAX Release[62]	$23,500,000

(SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA)

'Potter' Kids Take the Stage, Have a Ball at LeakyCon 2011

LeakyCon 2011 had many highlights: Open At The Close, an event inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter just for attendees, early screenings of Deathly Hallows - Part 2, a live LeakyMug with both MuggleCast and PotterCast, as well as tons of wizard rock and appearances by Evanna Lynch, Chris Rankin and Scarlett Byrne.

But for some it was the Potter kids that stole the show. One conference-goer had this to say:

"I loved that they so embodied their characters. Not just playing roles, but in a way it really did feel like they walked out of the movie and into the con."

"Young Snape [Benedict Clarke] was walking around at the ball in a Slytherin tie. Young Sirius [Rohan Gotobed] was wearing a shirt that said 'I spent time in Azkaban'. Rose [Helena Barlow] kept answering questions very diplomatically, in a very Hermione-like way. I couldn't get over it. It really felt as though they WERE the characters, not just actors in a film."

Will Dunn [James Sirius Potter] tweeted: Absolutely loved the signings, and the Q&As, fans were awesome, Melissa Anelli and everyone else did a great job :)

Benedict Clarke added: The Q&A and HP trivia, running on stage and dancing with the other actors at the ball, the Chinese Fireball rollercoaster :)

You can follow all the young Potter stars on Twitter:
Arthur Bowen | Benedict Clarke | Will Dunn | Ryan Turner | Ellie Darcey-Alden | Rohan Gotobed

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

Record Breaking Midnight Screenings of 'Harry Potter 7 Pt. 2'!

Warner Bros. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 posts record-breaking North American midnight grosses with an incredible $43.5 million from shows (in 3,800 locs) starting at 12:01am on Friday and running throughout the pre-dawn hours. Sell outs were the norm as excited fans lined up all over the country to see this final installment of the most successful movie franchise ever.

This beats the previous midnight record set by 2010’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse which earned around $30 million for its midnight screenings on Wednesday June 30, 2010 and easily surpasses the midnight gross for Deathly Hallows, Part 1 back on Friday November 19, 2010.

This sets the stage for a massive and potentially record-breaking single-day gross for the film on Friday (which will include these midnight revenues) that could hit $80 million and take the all-time single-day crown worn by The Twilight Saga: New Moon which earned $72.7 million in its debut on Friday, November 20, 2009 after posting the then second best midnight gross of $26,270,000.

Pre-release projections for the total weekend take for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 have varied from $125 million to well over $150 million and beyond and given this amazing midnight performance the film has a real shot at posting the biggest opening weekend of all-time if it beats The Dark Knight’s $158.4 million debut back in mid-July 2008. We will not know the final outcome until Sunday morning’s box-office weekend estimates, but there is no question that this is already one of the most monumental movie events of this or any year.

(SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD.COM)

The Endless Harry Potter

Elizabeth Minkel, of the New Yorker Books Department, has written an great essay about the Harry Potter books. Here's an except below:

If you missed the piece I wrote on class in the series last fall, when I swallowed my pride and came out as a Harry Potter fan, I’ll say it here once more (and hopefully never again): I love these books. It’s a safe bet that I always will, when I force them on my children at some inappropriately young age, or my grandchildren, who will have them zapped directly into their brains. I love the movies as extensions of the books, even the less-than-stellar ones, but I haven’t been looking forward to the final film; I’m not ready for the end of all things.

You can read the entire essay at this link: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2011/07/harry-potter-deathly-hallows-it-all-ends.html#ixzz1SJGkmaA4.

Thanks so much to our Hogwarts mate Sylvia for the heads up on this essay.

(SOURCE: THE NEW YORKER)

Pottermore Launches Official Blog: The Pottermore Insider

Announced this morning on the Pottermore Twitter account, the Pottermore Insider is a new blog being maintained by members of the website's team in order to bring fans the latest news and updates and answer questions.

The first blog post features a photo of the Pottermore sign being unwrapped ahead of J.K. Rowling's announcement last month. The Pottermore Insider will be updated regularly before the site launches into beta mode on July 31. If you haven't already done so, don't forget to register your e-mail at Pottermore.com for a chance to be included in the beta launch!

Excerpt from blog:

Written by members of the Pottermore team, the Insider is here to bring you the latest news and updates on all things Pottermore, and to answer any questions you may have.

We’ll be here with you as we get ready for 31 July, and we’ll be posting fairly regularly, so remember to check back every now and then, or add us to your RSS feed so you don’t miss out on anything.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' Racks Up $32M in Advance Sales

Talk about wizardry: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" has sold more than $32 million in advance tickets. And it doesn't open until midnight Thursday.

Warner Bros. says that's a pre-opening record.

The final installment in the "Harry Potter" series is on a record-breaking binge. It's on more screens than any other "Harry Potter" movie -- more than 11,000 in 4,375 locations -- and according to Warners, the number of IMAX screens, 274, breaks an industry record.

Many of the first shows already are sold out, according to the studio.

The previous seven films in the "Harry Potter" series have grossed a total of $6.37 billion worldwide."

More to come...

(SOURCE: THE WRAP)