IT is no longer the beginning of the end, it is the end.
Next week the final Harry Potter film from the last Harry Potter book arrives on cinema screens, bringing to a close a remarkable 10-year run. To mark the event, The Herald charts the impact of the franchise on British cinema and beyond.
Harry Potter and the ... Box Office
Cinema chains fell in love with the boy wizard from the first queues that formed to see Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001. By then, the books had a ferociously loyal fan base and a lot was riding on whether they could be successfully translated from page to screen. The casting process for the director made the hunt for an actress to play Scarlett O’Hara seem small beer. The job went to Chris Columbus, director of blockbusters Mrs Doubtfire and Home Alone, the production budget was £77 million and the film went on to gross more than £600m worldwide. In total, the Potter films have earned almost £4 billion worldwide (figures: Box Office Mojo), making it the world’s most successful film franchise. That’s a lot of popcorn bought and a lot of jobs secured, not least in the British film industry.
Harry Potter and the ... Boosting of Children’s Literacy
With 450m copies of the novels sold worldwide, JK Rowling has more than done her bit to get books back in children’s hands. Particularly in the case of boys, Potter made reading cool again. In a 2005 survey for Waterstone’s, nearly 60% of 1000 youngsters asked thought the books boosted reading skills. Teachers were similarly impressed, with more than 80% awarding the series a gold star.
Harry Potter and the ... Tourist Industry
The Potterati can already visit locations featured in the books and films, from King’s Cross Station in London to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. Visit Scotland’s Jacobite Tour (www.visitscotland.com) includes the chance to “cross the Harry Potter viaduct” on a steam train. The big event for film fans will be the opening of the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London next spring, featuring sets and props from the movies (wbstudiotour.co.uk) and a tour of the Leavesden studios where all the films have been produced.
Harry Potter and the .... Creation of Young Multi-millionaires
In bank balance terms alone, being cast as Harry, Hermione and Ron was the equivalent of being blessed by a good fairy at a christening. As the series has gone on, the pay packets of the three leads, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, have grown accordingly. One estimate by Vanity Fair magazine put Radcliffe’s earnings for the Deathly Hallows two parter alone at £13m a film. In 2010, working from records at Companies House, newspaper reports put Radcliffe’s wealth at £28m. Another report guesstimated Watson’s wealth at £12m, boosted further by modelling contracts, and Grint’s at £7m. Money is said to have gone into property and investments rather than magic beans and wand manufacturing.
Harry Potter and ... Battle of the Directors
Just as with its young stars, being chosen to direct a Potter movie is like winning one of Willie Wonka’s golden tickets. After American director Chris “Safe Hands” Columbus helmed the first two films, Mexico’s Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men) turned up the gothic levels for the Prisoner of Azkaban. Britain’s Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) came in for Goblet of Fire, paving the way for the David Yates era. Helmer of the last four films, Yates has continued the tradition of making each film edgier than the last, staying true to the stories but delivering satisfyingly cinematic movies as well. The pressure is on him to make the franchise go out in style next week.
Harry Potter and the ... Future
Not just for Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, but for family franchise movies as a whole. Potter will leave an extremely big gap in the market which many have already tried and failed to fill. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, The Last Airbender, almost every comic book inspired superhero movie since – the search for the next big franchise continues. So far, only the rebooted Star Trek franchise under JJ Abrams looks close to having anything like the goods, though the second film isn’t out till next year. As for Radcliffe, he’ll be seen again next year in The Woman in Black (adapted by Kick-Ass, X-Men writer Jane Goldman). He is currently appearing on Broadway in the musical How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Watson’s next film is My Week With Marilyn, where she plays a wardrobe assistant on The Prince and the Showgirl. Reports suggest she will be heading to Oxford in the autumn to read English, having previously attended Brown University in Rhode Island, USA. Grint has no fewer than four films coming out. Roles include playing British ski jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards.
Harry Potter and the ... Big Unknowns
Who will have the last word before the end credits roll? Will all the favourite characters, from Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid to Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black, make a return? Will Ralph Fiennes’s you-know-who get his comeuppance? All will be revealed next week (if you haven’t already read the final book ...). If you can’t wait till daytime next Friday, Cineworld at Renfrew Street, Glasgow, has the first screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 at 00.05 on July 14.
l Read Alison Rowat’s review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in The Herald on Friday.
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