Potter fans eagerly await magic
2005-11-17 08:08
London - British fans of the schoolboy wizard Harry Potter were itching with excitement waiting for the Friday release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth film in the fantasy series.
Some cinemas across the country were to show special midnight screenings for fans unable to wait for their dose of Potter magic, with many of the best seats booked up well in advance.
Novelist Joanne "JK" Rowling's tales of the British teenager's exploits at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have enchanted children and adults alike. And the new film is sure to drive fans into a frenzy once more.
Leicester Square in central London, surrounded by cinemas and the traditional venue for premieres, was decked out with Hogwarts livery on the tree trunks ready for an expected run of sell-out screenings.
Given the reaction to the world premiere in the square, Potter maniacs could once again pack out the cinemas to watch the scariest movie in the series so far - and the first with some romantic plotlines for the film's hero.
Scary movie
Leicester Square hosted the world premiere on November 6, when about 5 000 screaming fans from all over the world turned up to catch a front-row glimpse of the actors under the glare of a fire-breathing dragon.
Following the plot of Rowling's novel, the series takes a darker turn as Potter is tormented by his evil nemesis Lord Voldemort and enters a dangerous multi-wizardry school competition.
Fans aged under 12 will have to be accompanied by an adult if they want to watch the film, due to scenes of "moderate fantasy violence, threat and horror" - including a graveyard battle with a gang of hooded Death Eaters.
The previous three Harry Potter movies had all been given a PG rating by the British Board of Film Classification, enabling children of any age to watch without parents at their side.
Cast members
Sixteen-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, again stars in the title role, assisted by sidekicks Emma Watson, 15, as school swot Hermione Granger and Rupert Grint, 17, as his hapless red-headed friend Ron Weasley.
The film also sees Potter's first love-interest arrive on the scene: Cho Chang, played by 18-year-old Katie Leung.
Briton Mike Newell, who directed Four Weddings and a Funeral and Donnie Brasco, handles the action this time.
The previous instalment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, smashed British box office records, becoming the first ever film to take more than £5m in a single day.
But while most critics agree Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the darkest yet, it has been given mixed reviews.
Financial success
Overall, though, "Pottermania" shows no signs of abating.
In popularity terms, he is the greatest screen fantasy hero of all time, according to a poll of 1 500 people by UK Sci-Fi Channel published last month.
But the measure of the brand's success is overwhelmingly financial.
According to British book retailer Waterstone's "Harry Potter Report" - which was set up to assess the scale of the boy wizard's popularity - more than 17 million copies of the first five books were sold in Britain alone, at a cost of more than £100m.
Worldwide, more than 265 million books have been sold in some 200 countries, and translated into 62 languages.
And so far, the three films have taken a combined income of £1.35bn at the box office.
Whatever the critics say, the cash tills look set to continue ringing from Friday.