‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ Opens Today: Go!
Two years have elapsed since “Harry Potter” mania was temporarily put to rest. It was 2007 and both the seventh and final book of the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” and fifth movie, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” were released mere weeks apart and the world was in love with “Harry.”
Then, last summer, Warner Brothers delayed the 6th movie, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” because its 2009 schedule looked so weak. Fans were outraged. Protests were organized. Boycotts discussed. Nothing really came of it. But everyone wondered, was the “Harry Potter” hype really over?
The answer is, unequivocally, no.
“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” was officially released at midnight last night and sold out shows, lines around the block and people riding broomsticks were reported from coast to coast. (It shattered the all time midnight box office record with $22 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter.) What all those legions of Potter fans got was a movie made specifically for them. A fantastic adaptation of the dark 6th book, complete with oodles of hilarious character moments and fantastic action and pacing. It’s the best film in the series by far.
However, if you don’t know Gringotts from a galleon, audiences will probably be totally lost in this film. It really hinges all its hopes on the fact that you have at least seen all the movies or, preferably, read all the books.
But if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?
Fans won’t have to wait as long for the next installment in the movie franchise. The seventh movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is currently being filmed and will be split into two parts. Part one will be released November 19, 2010 with part two following on July 15, 2011. That’s two years from today.
And for even MORE on “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” read my piece over at our sister site, Kidglue. Click here.
