Happy Birthday Harry and J. K. Rowling

As it is now July 31st in the UK, it is the day where we send our birthday wishes to author J. K. Rowling and her literary creation, Harry Potter.  Please join us at Leaky in wishing these two remarkable people a happy, wonderful and, above all, fun birthday.  Cheers to you, Jo and Harry.  And thank you.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

Happy Birthday, Neville Longbottom!

As per J.K. Rowling's calendar, today marks the 31st birthday of Neville Longbottom. Join us in raising a mug of butterbeer to this brave Gryffindor and saying Happy Birthday, Neville!

(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)

Alan Rickman Discusses the 'Potter' Series and Snape's Twisting Path

In a new interview with RTE, Alan Rickman discusses his years spent filming the 'Harry Potter' series and his pure admiration for the storytelling of J.K. Rowling.

On understanding the character of Severus Snape as the series moved on, he stated:

"...you're never quite sure what the agendas are, so there's as big a question mark over my head as I'm reading it and playing it as there is over everybody else's, until it's resolved. You know that the stakes are always very high for him, whatever the outcome proves to be."

On the last film's themes and how they resonate, he stated:

"The last film is about resolution and new beginnings. It's a springboard to the real future of these three young people and the lives they're going to lead. So, yeah, words like redemption and loyalty and what do you believe in and what are your values, they're all like great neon signs over their heads as they send their kids off to Hogwarts."

Read the entire interview right here.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

'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)

Daniel Radcliffe Records Video Message for Military Families As Part of Joining Forces Campaign

First Lady Michelle Obama recently enlisted the help of actor Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) to thank military families who were invited to a special screening of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2."

The screening was part of Joining Forces, "a national initiative that gives our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned."

A video of Mrs. Obama at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana's Summer Youth Camp and Mr. Radcliffe's accompanying video message was released by the White House and can be seen below.






A transcript of Mr. Radcliffe's speech:

Hi there everybody at the Naval Air Station Oceana. I'm Daniel Radcliffe and I'm thrilled to be here to introduce part of the screening for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" in conjunction with Mrs. Obama's Joining Forces campaign. I just want to say that I hope you enjoy the film. I've a few friends in various branches of the British military so I know how hard you guys work and the tremendous courage it takes to do what you do, and the commitment you've shown to your country and the discipline in your lives. It's amazing. Though I play a hero on screen, there is very little heroic about me in real life, and you guys, I will leave that all to you. Thank you very very much, and I hope you enjoy the film.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

'Harry Potter' Hits $900M Worldwide in Record Time

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 crossed the $900 million worldwide mark on Wednesday, its 15th day in release. That made Harry's last stand the fastest movie ever to reach that milestone, breaking Avatar's 18-day record.

On Wednesday, Deathly Hallows Part 2 brought in $24.7 million worldwide ($5.2 million from domestic and $19.5 million from foreign), lifting its total to $906.8 million. It climbed to 19th place on the all-time chart, jumping past Goblet of Fire's $896.9 million final haul.

The first Harry Potter, Sorcerer's Stone, still ranks as the top-grossing with $974.8 million, while only Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Transformers: Dark of the Moon slot higher for 2011 with $1.03 billion and $926.1 million, respectively. Deathly Hallows Part 2 is on course to join the $1 billion club by early next week.

Domestic alone, Deathly Hallows Part 2's business was down 58 percent from last Wednesday to $5.2 million, falling harder but grossing more than the previous July Potters, Half-Blood Prince and Order of the Phoenix, at the same point. With a $291.7 million tally in 13 days, it also edged out the final gross of Goblet of Fire ($290 million) and will eclipse Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows Part 1 on Thursday (though it will still rank last in estimated attendance).

Captain America: The First Avenger topped the Wednesday domestic box office with $5.8 million. With an $86.4 million tally in six days, the Marvel Comics adaptation extended its lead over the summer's other superhero movies through day six. Thor had $80.7 million by day six, and its latest total was $180.3 million.

Two new 'Deathly Hallows - Part 2' Posters Tout Positive Film Reviews

In France at least, Warner Brothers has released two new posters for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 which include great new stills from the film:

- Battle-stricken Ron and Hermione

- Battle-stricken Harry

The posters included short reviews of the film (in French).

We can definitely imagine seeing these images in America when WB begins to push the film for Oscar nominations.

(SOURCE: MUGGLENET)

Dan Radcliffe Interviewed by GQ

We now have scans of a new interview with Dan Radcliffe (Harry Potter) featured in GQ magazine here in our galleries. This interesting interview spans Radcliffe's last few months on the set of "Deathly Hallows," to filming "The Woman in Black," to performing in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Page one of the interview is here, page two is here, page three is here, and page four is here. There is some strong language in the article, so please be forewarned.

(SOURCE: THE LEAKY CAULDRON)

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)

Box Office Report: ‘Harry Potter’ Nabs a Record-Breaking $481.4 Mil in Worldwide Debut

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the previous crown holder at $394 million; Deathly Hallows Part 2 earns a staggering $312 million at the international box office, and $169.2 million domestically.

Talk about some major magic.

Warner Bros.’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 grossed a massive $481.4 million in its worldwide debut, by far the best showing of all time.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the previous crown holder at $394 million.

Deathly Hallows 2’s opening overseas clocked in at $312 million, while it earned $169.2 million in North America.

Earlier this summer, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides scored the biggest debut of all time at the international box office when opening to $262 million. Deathly Hallows safely beat that number as it rolled out in 59 countries.

Domestically, Deathly Hallows raced past the $158.4 million opening of The Dark  Knight to score the top three-day weekend debut of all time.

“The phenomenal result is a true testament to the universal and timeless appeal of J.K. Rowling's beloved books. Whether in German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese or any other language, fans everywhere have embraded the finale," Warner Bros. president of international distribution Veronika Kwan-Rubinek said.

"We thank the filmmakers, cast and crew for this amazing film, as well as our teams and partners in exhibition for bringing this epic story to its conclusion on big screens all over the world," she continued.

(SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

Harry Makes History

Working its final movie mojo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 soared into the record books with the highest-grossing opening weekend ever. The series finale drew an estimated $169.2 million on around 11,000 screens at 4,375 locations, dethroning The Dark Knight's $158.4 million.

Deathly Hallows Part 2's first weekend flew past the previous franchise high of $125 million, posted by Deathly Hallows Part 1 last November, and it topped the franchise in terms of estimated attendance as well. While its opening gross also out-distanced The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 3 ($151.1 million), The Twilight Saga: New Moon ($142.8 million), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($135.6 million) and the first Spider-Man ($114.8 million), Deathly Hallows Part 2's estimated opening attendance was less than those titles, ranking sixth overall.

After conjuring the opening day record of $92.1 million on Friday (buoyed by a record-shattering $43.5 million midnight launch), Deathly Hallows Part 2 saw the steepest Friday-to-Saturday drop on record for a non-holiday first weekend, falling 53 percent to an estimated $42.85 million. Its Saturday slotted ninth among the top-grossing Saturdays of all time. Distributor Warner Bros. projected a 22 percent Saturday-to-Sunday decline to $33.6 million, which would rank eighth on the all-time Sunday grosses chart.

Deathly Hallows Part 2 marked Harry Potter's first foray into 3D, and it made a splash with the broadest 3D launch ever (3,100-plus locations, including 274 in IMAX). However, the majority of moviegoers still opted to see the movie in the standard ("2D") format. 3D accounted for 43 percent of the gross, which was a lower share than Transformers: Dark of the Moon's 60 percent at the same point but in the ballpark of most of this summer's other big movies. Still, at an estimated $72.5 million, that translated to the second biggest-grossing 3D opening yet, behind Alice in Wonderland (2010)'s $81.3 million. In IMAX alone, Deathly Hallows Part 2 delivered the top-grossing start ever, generating $15.5 million versus Alice's second-place $12.2 million.

According to Warner Bros., 54 percent of Deathly Hallows Part 2's audience was female, compared to 57 percent for the last movie, and 45 percent was under 25 years old, compared to 56 percent for the last movie.
As a franchise, Harry Potter has now grossed $2.177 billion, and it's on the brink of eclipsing Star Wars' $2.218 billion to become the top-grossing franchise in history. In terms of estimated attendance, though, the eight Potter movies have had 57 percent of the impact of the seven Star Wars movies. Star Wars even wins on this front when just its initial releases are counted. However, Harry Potter has earned its place in the pantheon with remarkably consistent blockbuster performances. After Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the sequels' maximum attendance difference was less than 20 percent. That first movie, though, should remain the best-attended, even as Deathly Hallows Part 2 becomes the top-grossing entry.

(SOURCE: BOX OFFICE MOJO)