Washington, Aug 8 : 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2' has now come at par with James Cameron's biggest box office films 'Avatar' and 'Titanic'.
The final chapter of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series has grossed over 1.3 billion dollars at the box office worldwide since its release, Contactmusic reported.
The movie, starring Daniel Radcliffe, has made director David Yates' project the third biggest box office success story ever after Cameron's big hits.
Cameron's 3D extravaganza 'Avatar' made 2.7 billion dollars in 2009, while his romantic tale 'Titanic' earned 1.8 billion dollars back in 1997.
Los Angeles, July 22 : "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2" has had a record breaking run in the first week - the eight and the last instalment of the boy wizard story has already earned USD 640.2 million and with that, the franchise has crossed the USD 7 billion mark worldwide.
The film earned $214.9 million at the US box office and $425.3 million at international ticket windows.
"It is an extraordinary privilege for everyone at Warner Bros to share in this piece of cinema history. We are extremely grateful to the Harry Potter fans who have remained loyal to the movies for more than a decade," deadline.com quoted Jeff Robinov, president, Warner Bros Pictures Group, as saying.
Authored by J.K. Rowling, the first "Harry Potter" book came out in 1997 and became a rage, and four years later its movie version starring Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson hit the screens. The movie was equally successful.
"We also want to congratulate the amazing roster of actors and filmmakers, whose artistry and talent is evident in every frame of every film. But special thanks must go to the woman whose incomparable imagination literally changed the world, Rowling," Robinov added.
Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution of Warner Bros. Pictures, said: "Becoming a $7 billion-plus franchise is a stunning achievement, which is shared by everybody involved in any or all of the Harry Potter films.
"On the domestic side, the studio is also thrilled to have reached the billion dollar benchmark for an unprecedented eleventh year in a row. We thank everyone at Warner Bros whose hard work and dedication have contributed so much to our success."
London, July 10 : Veteran actress Julie Walters has revealed that she suffered wand arm after filming fight scenes in 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2'.
The 61-year-old, who plays Ron Weasley's mother Molly, fought with villainess Bellatrix Lestrange played by actress Helena Bonham Carter in the action-packed sequences.
"We had to film the fight scenes several times, it was fantastic, but after a while I suffered wand arm," the Daily Express quoted her as saying.
"After filming we had to be treated, Helena and I, because wielding a wand really does put a strain on the muscles. I was instructed by the doctor to rest it for a few days.
"Towards the build-up to the fight scenes Helena and I got a bit carried away and we would practise even when the cameras weren't rolling. It was hilarious," she said.
Emma Watson's first crush was on her 'Harry Potter' co-star.
The actress – who started as character Hermione Granger in the film franchise ten years ago, when she was aged 11 – admitted to fancying her co-star Tom Felton, who played her on-screen nemesis, Draco Malfoy.
Emma told Seventeen magazine: "For the first two movies, I had a huge crush on Tom Felton. He was my first crush."
The star - now 21 – said it didn't make things awkward on set, and she is able to laugh about it with Tom, who is now 23.
She added: "He totally knows. We talked about it - we still laugh about it. We are really good friends now, and that's cool." Emma – who has recently been romantically linked to her 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' co-star Johnny Simmon, and has previously dated One Night Only singer George Craig – admitted she is not very good at playing hard to get with boys she likes.
She added: "I'm a terrible game player. I'm so impatient – it's one of my worst traits!"
"I'll pretty much say to a guy, 'I like you – let's go hang out.' But my friends are like, 'You can't do that! You have to string this guy along.'
"And I'm just like, 'No! I won't! I just want to go on the date!' – I definitely haven't figured it out yet."
New Delhi, June 24 : J.K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter, has launched Pottermore -- a website which builds an exciting online experience around the reading of successful HarryPotter books -- in partnership with her worldwide publishers,Bloomsbury, a statement said Friday.
Rowling has written extensive new material, nearly 18,000 words, about the characters, places and objects in the much-loved stories, which will inform, inspire and entertain readers as they journey through the story lines for the books on the site.
At a press conference at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London Thursday, Rowling revealed some of key features of the website.
She described how she has brought to life the Sorting Hat experience from her books for the first time on Pottermore, by revealing the questions asked by the "Sorting Hat" -- a magic hat which places newcomers into their respective houses at Hogwarts, the school of magic that Harry attends. She has also brought to the site an interactive module on the magic behind the Wand Chooser that finds the right wand for each user from over 33,000 possible combinations.
From October 2011, Pottermore.com will incorporate an online shop where people can exclusively purchase all seven of the Harry Potter e-books.
"I wanted to give something back to the fans who have followed Harry so devotedly over the years, and to bring the stories to a new digital generation. I hope fans and those new to Harry will have as much fun helping shape Pottermore as I have.
"To add to my input into the website, everyone will be able to join by submitting their own comments, drawings and other content in a safe and friendly environment - Pottermore has been designed as a place to share the stories with your friends as you journey through the site," Rowling said.
Sarah Odedina, publisher & international editor-in-chief of Bloomsbury children's books, said the initiative brings the books and the digital age together in an innovative and unique way.
The site will be open to all users in October 2011.
Washington, June 22 : Tom Felton has revealed that he and several cast members of ‘Harry Potter’ feared being axed from the franchise when they heard that studio bosses were planning to cast new actors for some of the roles.
The Brit has enjoyed a decade-long stint as villainous wizard Draco Malfoy alongside the likes of Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.
"We all feared that after the fourth film that (sic) they were going to get rid of us and start again with new kids,” Contactmusic quoted him as saying in an interview for his website FeltBeats.com.
“So yeah, we''re very proud to have made it all the way through, so to speak,” he added.
Harry Potter fans are on the edge of their seats waiting for the final film installment of the book series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Fortunately they’ve just gotten a taste of what is to come with the release of the movie trailer on April 27, which features a number of tantalizing glimpses of the climactic final battle between Harry and his longtime nemesis, evil Lord Voldemort.
The film will be the first in the series to be shown in 3D – though rumor has it all the movies will be re-released in 3D at some point – and it is currently scheduled for release on July 15. The latest film takes up where Part 1 left off. With Voldemort having broken into Dumbledore’s tomb and stolen the Elder Wand, Part 2 will begin with Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione planning to break into Gringotts Bank to recover another horcrux, Helga Hufflepuff’s cup.
The end of the Harry Potter series will be bittersweet for fans and for the actors as well. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter in the films, told Katie Couric in an interview last month that he “wept like a child” when filming ended. Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, said the movies had been an “emotional journey” for her, and when it was over it felt like someone “dying.” Even so, both are moving on with their careers. Radcliffe is currently starring in a Broadway production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” and Watson is taking a semester off from her studies at Brown University not because, as has been widely reported, she was bullied at school, but because she wants to take courses elsewhere that are not offered at Brown.
Interestingly, a number of websites have recently speculated on how the new movie’s box office may benefit from the recent demise of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at the hands of the US military. As Gawker put it, “Why? Well, because there’s the whole epic story of an evil villain and his network of loyal terrorists and of course the [SPOILER ALERT, BUT NOT REALLY, I MEAN COME ON GUYS] inevitable vanquishing of said villain.” It’s a thought-provoking parallel that may or may not end up increasing the movie’s popularity, but the comparison certainly can’t hurt. Not that the final movie will need any help. It promises to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer.
The final chapter of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series has grossed over 1.3 billion dollars at the box office worldwide since its release, Contactmusic reported.
