It might be the end for Harry and friends, but it's only the beginning of box office glory for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2.
The final film in the hugely successful series took $447 million (US$476 million), smashing records to become the highest opening weekend ever at the global box office (including 59 countries). That's a mighty lot of Potterites packing the multiplexes!
Australia alone recorded $26.7 million over the weekend, with $7 million of that earned just on its opening day. The eight-film series is the highest-grossing franchise of all time, an achievement reached way back at the fifth film's release, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Take that, Star Wars!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 is forecast to tip over the $1 billion mark, beating the first film's taking of $912.05 million.
Source:http://www.yourmovies.com.au/news/?i=215752&action=news
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
A teen's take on the Harry Potter finale
Megan Fukamaki
Contra Costa Times Teen Correspondent
Posted: 07/15/2011 04:25:58 PM PDT
After 10 years, seven best-selling novels and eight box-office smashes, the epic tale of Harry Potter has come to a close. And in my opinion, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is, by far, the best film of series.
Part 2 picks up right where the previous installment left off. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) struggle with the seemingly impossible task of hunting down Horcruxes, pieces of the evil Lord Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) soul magically concealed within objects.
Will they destroy the rest of the seven Horcruxes before Voldemort destroys them? It all leads up to the final showdown between Harry and the Dark Lord, between good and evil.
The final installment was certainly the most action-packed of the eight movies. Visually, every bit of the film was sensational and tremendously well done.
The sight of a Hogwarts in ruins was simply breathtaking. Emotions were skillfully built up at just the right moments; many times, I felt my heart racing as our heroes narrowly escaped death. And I found myself tearing up when a beloved character died. Moreover, the film is nicely balanced with comic relief throughout, provided by charming Ronald (Grint), the heroic Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), an unsinkable Professor McGonagall (Dame Maggie Smith), and the stupendous Helena Bonham Carter as raving Bellatrix Lestrange.
Overall, the plot rarely strayed from the book, and was well-paced to include almost every part of author J.K. Rowling's original story. For those who haven't read the books, some of the twists added to certain characters' stories, particularly the loathsome Professor Snape (brilliantly portrayed by Alan Rickman), may come as a shock.
But it was seeing how much our central characters and the young adults who portray them have transformed physically and personally from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (the first installment) to this film that made me realize just how big an impact the saga has had on my life.
Like many of my generation, I grew up with these characters, as both a devoted reader and a loyal fan in the audience. Though these kids are witches and wizards in a fictional world far beyond our own, it's almost as if they are real people. Hermione (Watson) is my favorite character, because of the amazing self-confidence that allows her to do anything and everything she sets her mind to. Rarely will you see Hermione let others' opinions get the best of her.
Her honesty and loyalty make her trustworthy and dependable, the kind of person I'd love to be friends with. When the movie ended, I felt like I had said goodbye to each of them personally. But the biggest impact Harry Potter had on me was the lessons I took from the books and movies. As a devoted fan, I learned the importance of loyalty to friends from our main trio, and of courage.
I also saw what it means to choose between doing what's right and taking the easy way out. I learned about fighting for what we believe in and appreciating what we have. Harry Potter has inspired me to take chances. The series fueled my imagination and motivated me to write. It has also helped me to fully appreciate the meaning of love and the power it holds. Along the way, in learning the importance of these values and virtues, I made powerful emotional attachments to characters that I will never forget.
Even though the saga is now complete, I know I'll never forget the magical world of Harry Potter, and everything it's meant to me.
The Life in Perspective board is made up of teens who write columns and features for TimeOut. Megan Fukamaki attends Dublin High School. Reach her at lip@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Contra Costa Times Teen Correspondent
Posted: 07/15/2011 04:25:58 PM PDT
After 10 years, seven best-selling novels and eight box-office smashes, the epic tale of Harry Potter has come to a close. And in my opinion, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is, by far, the best film of series.
Part 2 picks up right where the previous installment left off. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) struggle with the seemingly impossible task of hunting down Horcruxes, pieces of the evil Lord Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) soul magically concealed within objects.
Will they destroy the rest of the seven Horcruxes before Voldemort destroys them? It all leads up to the final showdown between Harry and the Dark Lord, between good and evil.
The final installment was certainly the most action-packed of the eight movies. Visually, every bit of the film was sensational and tremendously well done.
The sight of a Hogwarts in ruins was simply breathtaking. Emotions were skillfully built up at just the right moments; many times, I felt my heart racing as our heroes narrowly escaped death. And I found myself tearing up when a beloved character died. Moreover, the film is nicely balanced with comic relief throughout, provided by charming Ronald (Grint), the heroic Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), an unsinkable Professor McGonagall (Dame Maggie Smith), and the stupendous Helena Bonham Carter as raving Bellatrix Lestrange.
Overall, the plot rarely strayed from the book, and was well-paced to include almost every part of author J.K. Rowling's original story. For those who haven't read the books, some of the twists added to certain characters' stories, particularly the loathsome Professor Snape (brilliantly portrayed by Alan Rickman), may come as a shock.
But it was seeing how much our central characters and the young adults who portray them have transformed physically and personally from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (the first installment) to this film that made me realize just how big an impact the saga has had on my life.
Like many of my generation, I grew up with these characters, as both a devoted reader and a loyal fan in the audience. Though these kids are witches and wizards in a fictional world far beyond our own, it's almost as if they are real people. Hermione (Watson) is my favorite character, because of the amazing self-confidence that allows her to do anything and everything she sets her mind to. Rarely will you see Hermione let others' opinions get the best of her.
Her honesty and loyalty make her trustworthy and dependable, the kind of person I'd love to be friends with. When the movie ended, I felt like I had said goodbye to each of them personally. But the biggest impact Harry Potter had on me was the lessons I took from the books and movies. As a devoted fan, I learned the importance of loyalty to friends from our main trio, and of courage.
I also saw what it means to choose between doing what's right and taking the easy way out. I learned about fighting for what we believe in and appreciating what we have. Harry Potter has inspired me to take chances. The series fueled my imagination and motivated me to write. It has also helped me to fully appreciate the meaning of love and the power it holds. Along the way, in learning the importance of these values and virtues, I made powerful emotional attachments to characters that I will never forget.
Even though the saga is now complete, I know I'll never forget the magical world of Harry Potter, and everything it's meant to me.
The Life in Perspective board is made up of teens who write columns and features for TimeOut. Megan Fukamaki attends Dublin High School. Reach her at lip@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Friday, November 12, 2010
“Harry Potter” Premiere Casts Box Office Magic
It hardly comes as a surprise, but the final Harry Potter film has cast a spell over movie-going audiences and already broken its first record. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ set the record for midnight box office last night pulling in a staggering $43.5 million in ticket sales.
The old record was held by “Twilight: Eclipse” which did $30 million from midnight showings last year. To put that $43.5 million figure in perspective, “Kung Fu Panda 2″ — one of the hits of the summer – only sold $47 million worth of tickets its entire first weekend of release. Potter did that much in just its first hour of release.
Analysts saw this one coming several days ago. On Thursday, online ticket sellers reported over 6000 midnight screenings were sold out. “There is a theater near me with 16 screens,” said Boxoffice.com’s Phil Contrino. “I went on Monday to buy a ticket for the midnight shows and they were all sold out.”
In fact, many theaters, including expensive IMAX theaters, reported so much demand for midnight tickets that they added a series of 3am showings of the film. Talk about your all-night parties!
The question now becomes if “HP 7.2″ set the all-time weekend record. The current record holder is “The Dark Knight,” which pulled in a staggering $158.4 million when it opened in July of 2008.
“It has a shot,” says Contrino. “There are two keys here. First, those die-hards who went to see it at midnight, how many of them will want to see it again on Saturday or Sunday. Secondly, it needs to bring in the casual fans – folks who maybe have not read all the books or seen all the movies. There are signs this is turning into an event where people want to be there to see the end of this epic story. If that happens, we could see ‘Dark Knight’’s record fall.”
Most box office analysts were forecasting an opening around $145-$150 million before the Friday numbers came out, so it is clear that Potter has the potential to threaten “Dark Knight.” If “HP 7.2″ does manage to break ‘The Dark Knight”’s weekend record, it may not be able to celebrate for too long. Next summer, a new film comes along to threaten the mark. That film is “The Dark Knight Rises.”
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Leaky's Daily Quotedown to Deathly Hallows: 16 Days
DH Film
Posted by: Edward
November 03, 2010, 03:00 AM
There are now only 16 days left until "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" hits theaters! We are posting a quote from the first half of the book every day in celebration and to give us a chance to discuss and ponder the final book as it goes to film. Here is today's quote!
He was about to go home, about to return to the place where he had had a family. It was in Godric's Hollow that, but for Voldemort, he would have grown up and spent every school holiday. He could have invited friends to his house. . . .
He might even have had brothers and sisters. . . . It would have been his mother who had made his seventeenth birthday cake. The life he had lost had hardly ever seemed so real to him as at this moment, when he knew he was about to see the place where it had been taken from him.
Posted by: Edward
November 03, 2010, 03:00 AM
There are now only 16 days left until "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" hits theaters! We are posting a quote from the first half of the book every day in celebration and to give us a chance to discuss and ponder the final book as it goes to film. Here is today's quote!
He was about to go home, about to return to the place where he had had a family. It was in Godric's Hollow that, but for Voldemort, he would have grown up and spent every school holiday. He could have invited friends to his house. . . .
He might even have had brothers and sisters. . . . It would have been his mother who had made his seventeenth birthday cake. The life he had lost had hardly ever seemed so real to him as at this moment, when he knew he was about to see the place where it had been taken from him.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
New Pictures for Deathly Hallows
Check out just three of the new posters released for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I!
In addition to the posters, we have a ton of new behind-the-scenes pics below too!
Our pals over at SnitchSeeker just posted a bit of their set visit on their site and got to chat with Daniel Radcliffe about the seven Potters scene.
Dan shared, “Basically we filmed it each time in seven different places. That was a bit of a half-baked explanation but it got the point across. That was how it was done, but at the end of the day we were then shown the very primitive version of what it was going to look like eventually.
After 95 takes, you’re crawling up the walls anyway. It was the most gratifying thing to see how good it looked because it really does look great.”
Read more: http://justjaredjr.buzznet.com/2010/10/07/harry-potter-deathly-hallows-behind-the-scenes-pics/#more-340848#ixzz11er7biyq
In addition to the posters, we have a ton of new behind-the-scenes pics below too!
Our pals over at SnitchSeeker just posted a bit of their set visit on their site and got to chat with Daniel Radcliffe about the seven Potters scene.
Dan shared, “Basically we filmed it each time in seven different places. That was a bit of a half-baked explanation but it got the point across. That was how it was done, but at the end of the day we were then shown the very primitive version of what it was going to look like eventually.
After 95 takes, you’re crawling up the walls anyway. It was the most gratifying thing to see how good it looked because it really does look great.”
Read more: http://justjaredjr.buzznet.com/2010/10/07/harry-potter-deathly-hallows-behind-the-scenes-pics/#more-340848#ixzz11er7biyq
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Another Harry Potter book? J.K. Rowling says she could write eight, ninth book
By John Dorian | October 5, 2010 2:50 PM AEST
Just when fans brace themselves to say goodbye to Harry Potter, as the two-part finale will hit the theaters this year and the next, author J.K. Rowling shines a beam of hope for fans as she reveals that she might write another book for the Harry Potter novels.
Talking to Oprah in an interview, Rowling revealed that she could write one or two more book in the seven-novel Harry Potter series, and even if she thinks she is done, she does not close her door to writing a new book.
"I could definitely write an eighth, a ninth book... I think I am done, but you never know," said Rowling.
Rowling was in Oprah's show late last week where she talk about her mother and how her death had inspired her to write the Harry Potter books.
Rowling said: "The books wouldn't be what they are if she hadn't died... I mean, her death is literally on every other page in the 'Harry Potter' books."
"At least half of Harry's journey is to deal with death, what it does to the living, what it means to die, what survives death....If she hadn't died, I don't think it is too strong to say there wouldn't be Harry Potter. The books are what they are because she died."
Rowling has recently founded a medical research facility in memory of her mother, The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic . Whether she will write another book in the Harry Potter series has no definite answers as of now, but as Rowling herself said, "you never know."
Just when fans brace themselves to say goodbye to Harry Potter, as the two-part finale will hit the theaters this year and the next, author J.K. Rowling shines a beam of hope for fans as she reveals that she might write another book for the Harry Potter novels.
Talking to Oprah in an interview, Rowling revealed that she could write one or two more book in the seven-novel Harry Potter series, and even if she thinks she is done, she does not close her door to writing a new book.
"I could definitely write an eighth, a ninth book... I think I am done, but you never know," said Rowling.
Rowling was in Oprah's show late last week where she talk about her mother and how her death had inspired her to write the Harry Potter books.
Rowling said: "The books wouldn't be what they are if she hadn't died... I mean, her death is literally on every other page in the 'Harry Potter' books."
"At least half of Harry's journey is to deal with death, what it does to the living, what it means to die, what survives death....If she hadn't died, I don't think it is too strong to say there wouldn't be Harry Potter. The books are what they are because she died."
Rowling has recently founded a medical research facility in memory of her mother, The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic . Whether she will write another book in the Harry Potter series has no definite answers as of now, but as Rowling herself said, "you never know."
University to run Harry Potter course
Durham Times
2:34pm Friday 13th August 2010
DURHAM University is to run a Harry Potter course.
The university will offer a second-year undergraduate module entitled Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion from the next academic year, which begins in October.
The course is the idea of Dr Martin Richardson, head of the education department and director of the education studies degree.
Dr Richardson says study of the social and moral issues raised in the children’s book series has great relevance to today’s society and the course was conceived in response to demand from students.
Writing in the Times Higher Education Supplement, he says: “Whichever side of the fence one stands... Harry Potter is hard to ignore.
“The optional module has had to meet the same rigorous academic standards as any other and has the approval of the external examiner.
“It is only fitting that a university such as Durham responds to new developments in our academic and wider social and cultural environment to develop new modules such as this.
“Surely, higher education must explore issues relevant to today’s society. Some of the universal themes covered in the works of JK Rowling certainly bear analysis, whether in English departments or outside.”
Harry Potter has also been studied at Edinburgh, Yale and Kansas State universities
2:34pm Friday 13th August 2010
DURHAM University is to run a Harry Potter course.
The university will offer a second-year undergraduate module entitled Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion from the next academic year, which begins in October.
The course is the idea of Dr Martin Richardson, head of the education department and director of the education studies degree.
Dr Richardson says study of the social and moral issues raised in the children’s book series has great relevance to today’s society and the course was conceived in response to demand from students.
Writing in the Times Higher Education Supplement, he says: “Whichever side of the fence one stands... Harry Potter is hard to ignore.
“The optional module has had to meet the same rigorous academic standards as any other and has the approval of the external examiner.
“It is only fitting that a university such as Durham responds to new developments in our academic and wider social and cultural environment to develop new modules such as this.
“Surely, higher education must explore issues relevant to today’s society. Some of the universal themes covered in the works of JK Rowling certainly bear analysis, whether in English departments or outside.”
Harry Potter has also been studied at Edinburgh, Yale and Kansas State universities
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)