Harry Potter world coming to Japan

TOKYO: Fans in Japan of boy wizard Harry Potter will soon be able to explore the magical world of Hogwarts when Universal Studios Japan expands its theme park with a half-billion dollar investment.

The company is going to boost the footprint of its park in Osaka, western Japan, by one fifth, with an area devoted to the Harry Potter phenomenon that is slated for opening in 2014, a spokesman said Thursday.

"We will build several attractions, including a school for wizards," he said.

James and Oliver Phelps, who played the Weasley Twins in the Harry Potter movies, will be on hand later Thursday for the official unveiling of the plan, the spokesman said.

The blockbuster series has been a huge success in Japan, sparking long queues of costume-clad fans at bookstores every time the Japanese translation of a new novel was released.

Cinematic releases of each instalment have also proved wildly popular.

The operator of Universal Studios Japan, which opened in 2001, is a private firm licensed by the US Universal group.

It has attractions featuring Sesame Street, Peter Pan's Neverland, and the Land of Oz, among others. (AFP)

Harry Potter finale crosses $1 billion mark

The boy wizard is going out with a bang as 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2,' the eighth and final movie in the series, has surpassed $1 billion in worldwide sales.

The ninth film to reach the billionaire club, it now ranks along with box office sales for movies such as "Titanic" and "Avatar," Warner Bros. Pictures said in a statement Sunday.

It also tied the record for the fastest climb -- after its July 15 release, it soared to $1 billion on Sunday. The meteoric rise is among other records broken by Potter, including highest one-day ticket sales ($92.1 million) and midnight premier sales ($43.5 million).

The film has now earned an estimated $318.46 million domestically and an estimated $690 million on the international side, according to Warner.

"To say that the global response to the film has been extraordinary would be an understatement. We are so proud that this last film in the series has not only reached such heights but has reached them in record time. It is now Warner Bros.' most successful release ever," said Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, Warner's president of international distribution.

In the finale, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reprise their roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as the now young-adult wizards band together in a battle of good versus evil in the wizard world.

The movies are based on J.K. Rowling's series of novels about the adventures of the orphan Potter, who discovers he has magical powers. The books are a global phenomenon and available in 69 languages.

Over the weekend "Deathly Hallows" was fourth in North American box office ticket sales, with "Cowboys & Aliens" taking the number one spot in its debut and raking in $36.4 million.

"The Smurfs" also had a big debut weekend as it landed in the second spot with $35.6 million followed by "Captain America: The First Avenger" in third with $25.5 million. (AFP)

Harry Potter franchise crosses $7 bn at global box office

BURBANK: With “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” still in the first week of its record-breaking run, the Harry Potter film franchise has now crossed the $7 billion mark worldwide, and counting. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” has earned an astounding $640.2 million worldwide in its initial week, encompassing $214.9 million domestically and $425.3 million at the international box office.

In addition, the success of the movie has propelled Warner Bros. Pictures’ combined 2011 domestic box office past $1 billion for an eleventh consecutive year, which is an industry record.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” is the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series. In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reprise their roles as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. (Reuters)

Harry Potter rocks at the box office

LOS ANGELES: The final Harry Potter movie shattered the record for an opening weekend at the North American box office, industry trackers said Monday.

Muggles – non-magical people – of all ages handed over a collective $169.2 million as they flocked to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” the eighth and final film about the boy wizard.

The haul is $11 million more the previous opening weekend record of $158-million set in 2008 by the Batman film “The Dark Knight.”

“DH-2” had already raked in a record $92.1 million in opening day sales, smashing the previous record held by “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” which took $72.7 million in 2009.

In the finale to one of the most successful film franchises of all time, released in both 2D and 3D versions, Harry takes on evil Lord Voldemort in a climactic showdown at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It is the second of two movies based on the final book in the wildly successful coming-of-age Potter series by British author J. K. Rowling.

“DH-2” covers the final third of the last Potter book and is a fast-paced adventure that follows the scene set in “DH-1.” It is also the best-reviewed movie of the series.

Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros., told the LA Times newspaper he believes “DH-2” will break the $1 billion mark in worldwide ticket sales.

The series on the adventures of the orphan who discovers he has magical powers are a global phenomenon, with the books available in 69 languages.

More than 400 million copies of the books have been sold since Rowling, a one-time struggling single-mother on welfare, published the first instalment in 1997.

Rowling has a personal net worth of a billion dollars, reportedly making her richer than the British queen. The Harry Potter brand alone has an estimated worth of some 15 billion dollars.

The first Harry Potter film was released in 2001 and the first seven movies earned over 6.4 billion dollars (4.4 billion euros) worldwide, making multi-millionaires out of young stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

'Harry Potter' seeks box office magic one last time

Harry Potter has conjured up a tidy sum from the first overseas debuts of his final film on its way to a potentially record-shattering opening weekend.

Distributor Warner Bros. says "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" took in $43.6 million in 26 countries outside the United States on its first day Wednesday.

Studio executives said Thursday the franchise finale had the biggest opening day ever in several countries, including Australia with $7.5 million, Italy with $4.6 million and Sweden with $2.1 million. In France, the studio said "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" had the biggest Wednesday opening ever at $7.1 million.

In the countries where the film opened Wednesday, total revenues were 82 percent higher than they were on the first day for "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" last November, according to Warner Bros.

The finale got a boost from the franchise's first 3-D installment. Admissions for 3-D screenings, which cost a few dollars more than 2-D showings, accounted for 65 percent of revenues, the studio said.

"Deathly Hallows" continues opening worldwide Thursday and Friday.

In the United States, the film is expected to put up franchise-record numbers as it debuts just after midnight Friday. "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" had the franchise's biggest opening weekend domestically with $125 million.

"The franchise record, you can consider that history. That we're going to do. It's not a question," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., which also holds Hollywood's all-time record for domestic debuts with a $158.4 million weekend on 2008's "The Dark Knight."

"The only question is 'Dark Knight,' whether we can put that together. My feeling at this time is that it's very, very do-able."

The 3-D price advantage for the "Harry Potter" finale will help, given that "The Dark Knight" and other top domestic debuts, including "Spider-Man 3" at $151.1 million and "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" at $142.8 million, played only in 2-D.

If fan frenzy is strong enough, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" could become the first of the eight "Harry Potter" films to top $1 billion at the box office worldwide.

The record-holder remains the franchise's first film, 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," with $974.8 million globally.

By splitting the film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's seventh "Harry Potter" adventure into two parts, Warner Bros. essentially is doubling its box-office revenue. The first installment of "Deathly Hallows" pulled in $955.4 million worldwide.

"Deathly Hallows: Part 2" picks up where the first film left off, as young wizards Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) return to Hogwarts school for a final showdown against dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

The finale generally has earned glowing reviews from critics. (AP)