It’s been 14 glorious years since Harry Potter was first introduced to the world. I truly loved each of the seven books and enjoyed the eight movies I’ve seen already . I’ve had lots of company — over 450 million books have been sold, and the movies (not counting the film just released) have taken in $6.5 billion in box office revenues. Though the books and movies are classics, this week’s opening of the last movie marks a symbolic end to the magical reign of J.K. Rowling’s imagination.
A young woman named Michelle Viscardi says it beautifully, reflecting in a blog post on her childhood during this last summer before college. A passionate Potter fan since she was four, Michelle wrote this in anticipation of attending the midnight premiere of the last episode in the Potter epic:
With the coming of this evening I can’t help but feel like I’m going to actually lose myself. I feel like I’m going to walk out of that theater and the child in me is still going to be sitting in the seat looking up at the screen in distress. . . . Harry Potter has been and will always be a huge aspect of my life. . . . My whole life has been with this series. . . . It’s been . . . important in making me who I am today. . . . I know some think it’s ridiculous . . . but for everyone out there who has loved and stuck with Harry, and Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna, Dumbledore and the rest, it’s truly sad [to say goodbye]. . . . Hogwarts will always be my home. Harry will always be my friend.
It’s a worthy tribute to an exceptional literary achievement.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 took in $43.5 million at the midnight box office in North America — the biggest midnight opening of all time. Potter earned almost 50% more than previous midnight champion, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which earned $30 million from midnight shows when it was released in June of 2010.
The Harry Potter franchise is estimated to be the most profitable film franchise ever. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the eighth and final film has already grossed more than $100 million at the worldwide box office. If momentum keeps rising, this may be the biggest worldwide opening of all time.