All About HARRY POTTER, Worldwide Box Office and Meet His Children

Albus Severus W. Potter

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quest to overcome the evil dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aim is to conquer the wizarding world and subjugate non-magical people, and who seeks to destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry himself.

Lily Luna W. Potter

Since the 30 June 1997 release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (re-titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stonein the United States), the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide.The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern for the increasingly dark tone. As of June 2011, the book series has sold about 450 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages, and the last four books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.

A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age (with elements of mystery, thriller, and romance), it has many cultural meanings and references. According to Rowling, the main theme is death, although it is primarily considered to be a work ofchildren's literature. There are also many other themes in the series, such as love and prejudice.

James Sirius W. Potter

English-language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia, and Raincoast Books in Canada. By 2010, the first six books have been made into films by Warner Bros. Pictures; it is the highest grossing film series of all time. The seventh book has been split into two films: Part 1 was released on 19 November 2010 and the series finale on 15 July 2011.The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth in excess of $15 billion.

ALL-TIME WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE

9.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone(2001)

$968,657,891

11.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

$946,080,434

12.	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix(2007)	$937,000,866
13.	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince(2009)	$933,956,980

17.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

$892,194,397

21.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(2002)

$866,300,000

30.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(2004)

$795,458,727

THE BUZZ: Yes, it's taken ten years (!) and eight (!!) movies to reach the final climax to the Harry Potter film series, so let's take a moment to reflect upon the unprecendented achievement made by the filmmakers, cast, crew and studio, and the commitment everyone has made for the past decade to get this body of work made. Children have grown into adults, directors have come and gone, and still, the myth and legend remains as potent as ever....

HOGWARTS School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

There, are you done reflecting yet? Now onto the real meat of it: director Yates is going to need to pull out the stops on this one to make it the showstopper everyone wants it to be. Most everyone still thinks the series peaked with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, so it'll take some doing to get J.K. Rowling's rather, erm, lugubrious ending into fine cinematic form. Bonus points for making it suspenseful when practically the entire world knows how it ends!

P.S. We will indeed miss Harry being a presence in our film lives and part of almost every major feature we've done for the beginning of this young century. And if we're a mite melancholy, imagine how Warner Bros. must feel, their golden boy finally graduating!