Hogwarts Herald

Yesterday at midnight fans turned out in record numbers to see the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, at midnight at theaters across the United States. The movie earned $22.2 million yesterday just from midnight showings of the movie based on the 6th book in the Harry Potter series. The revenue was earned from showings on over 3,000 screens across the country. The previous record holder for earnings from midnight releases was The Dark Knight, which earned $18 million from midnight showings on its release day last summer. The $22.2 million figure is also almost twice as much as the last Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, made in midnight showings, as that movie made $12 million with midnight showings.

This afternoon we went to the first showing that we knew about here in the middle of nowhere Georgia where I am currently on my summer long cross country baseball trip. I am not disappointed to have gone and seen Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the first day in the theater, however, I was appalled at how different it is than the book. Click read more below for my sort of spoiler review. DO NOT Click if you do not want to spoil seeing the movie for yourself without already knowing some of the differences between the book and movie.

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Tomorrow, July 10, 2009, begins another Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family as the release of the next movie in theaters approaches (quickly or slowly depending on your view). The Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family includes showings of the first 4 Harry Potter movies (see below for the line up) as well as extra content. The extra content includes never before seen footage and interviews with some of the cast of the sixth movie (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). The cast interviews include ones with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy).

Friday, July 10th, 2009

7:30pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

12:30pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

4pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

8pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Sunday, July 12th, 2009

12:30pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

4:30pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

7:30pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The movie soundtrack for the latest Harry Potter movie is being released on July 14, 2009, which is a day before Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes to theaters on the 15th of July. The soundtrack features 28 tracks, which offers over 60 minutes of music from the movie. The score for the 6th movie was done by Nicholas Hooper, who also worked on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This release is the first Harry Potter film soundtrack that is an enhanced CD. This means that it comes with a free digital download of the soundtrack as well as exclusive bonus content.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is being released in regular theaters on July 15, 2009, however it is not being released as an IMAX movie until July 29, 2009. The reason for the delay is related to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen having a contract for four weeks of being an exclusive release in IMAX theaters (i.e. no other major theatrical release movies being shown and probably just those non-fiction type movies can be shown). Originally the two movies were not supposed to overlap, as the contract was made when Harry Potter was still supposed to come out in November 2008.

The wait might keep some from seeing it as they want to see it right away and now wait for the IMAX version and also do not want to pay to see it when if first comes out and then again later for the IMAX version, which is usually more expensive to see in the first place. It sounds like the IMAX version might be work waiting for or at least going to see as a second time seeing the movie. It is supposed to have some IMAX 3D parts. I for one am definitely seeing the movie on July 15 and will wait until closer to the date to decide if I will see it as an IMAX as well.

The release date changing for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is nothing new, as it was majorly delayed and changed once before. Yet, again the release date has changed as if to keep us on our toes as we await it coming. At least this time the change is only a few days and actually brings the release date sooner. It is now expected to hit theaters on Wednesday, July 15, 2009, instead of Friday, July 17, 2009 date.

This change actually works way better for me. I already have the whole summer planned out almost to the hour due to my All the Ballparks trip and the July 17, 2009 release date left me with no easy way to work seeing the movie into the summer schedule until August. The July 15 date happens to go with the down time of the summer because it is baseball’s All Star break. We originally planned to do some historic Civil War sites in Georgia and Tennessee that day, but now will probably be seeing Harry Potter with those being moved to if we have time status.

A beach in South Pembrokeshire is expected to be used as a film location for the Deathly Hallows movies (or at least one of them). The shooting on location is expected to take place early summer 2009, as the studio has made accommodation and self catering arrangements in Pembrokeshire already. The location will be used for the seaside scenes related to the fictional village of Tinworth in Cornwall, which is where the Shell Cottage that Harry, Ron, and Hermione take shelter in is located (I cannot really remember, but I think this scene comes early enough that it would be in the first part of the movie). The exact filming location has not been released. It sounds like most of the shooting is taking place at the studios at Leavesden and that the Pembrokeshire location will be one of the main on location shooting sites.

The 25 year old stunt double, David Holmes, for Daniel Radcliffe (a.k.a. Harry Potter) was injured during the rehearsal for flying shots for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movies back in January 2009. The accident caused a spine injury. Since the accident he has been unable to move his legs, arms, or hands. It has been reported that the doctor’s say he has only about a five percent chance of regaining the ability to move his arms and legs. Thus it is very unlikely that he will ever walk again. According to a friend, if there is ever a chance that David can walk again he believes that David will do it. It is a sad thing to happen, but at least it seems the stuntman may be handling it well.

This weekend, March 6 through March 8, 2009, ABC Family is having another Harry Potter weekend. I am not really sure whether there will be any new sneak peeks, but I believe at least the ones from the Harry Potter weekend in December 2008 will be shown if there are not new ones. Either way it can be fun to watch the movies on television because they usually show mostly the Director’s Cut versions with the deleted scenes included in movie rather than just as separate special features on the DVDs.

The line up includes Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on Friday, March 6, 2009, at 7:30pm Eastern Time and mini marathons on Saturday, March 7, 2009, and Sunday, March 8, 2009. The Saturday marathon includes Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at 12:30pm, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at 4pm, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at 8pm. The Sunday marathon includes Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at 12:30pm, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at 4:30pm, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at 7:30pm.

You may be wondering why the marathon does not include Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The inclusion of the fifth movie would make the marathons more complete and make a good lead up to the upcoming sixth movie. I do not think they are intentionally leaving it out to do another marathon closer to the release date, as I have heard some suggest. I think the reason is that ABC Family does not have the rights to show it, yet, as I believe HBO still has the cable television rights to the fifth movie.

Warner Brothers has announced the date for the final Harry Potter movie, which will be part 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The date is currently set at July 11, 2011. Feel free to mark your calendars, but do not be too surprised if it moves, as the current upcoming release ended up quite delayed. The second part of the movie still does not have an exact name. I really hope they put some originality into it and do not just call the Deathly Hallow moves Part 1 and Part 2. Honestly, I think both of them should have different names, as it just does not seem appropriate to be calling a movie based on only the part of the book the name of the book, especially since they know they are going to do a movie to cover the left out part. The name for the movie/DVD release Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows should be saved for when the final one comes to DVD and they do a special edition with both movies based on the final book packaged together. At least that is my opinion on how I would like to see it done.

Remember to comment this month and get an entry in the Hogwarts Herald February 2009 Contest to win a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

This Saturday, February 21, 2009, the latest MTV Spoilers episode is premiering. The 30 minutes show is a quarterly show that gives sneak peeks at some upcoming movies. This latest edition will include some info on the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie, which is still about 5 months away from release with its release date of July 17, 2009. The MTV Spoilers episode is supposed to give more info on the scene added to the movie that they first announced last year. This scene is not from the book and the rumors going around have been that it seems to be a scene involving Death Eaters attacking the Burrow, which is thought by many to be a bad add on since something similar happens in Book 7 and is totally belongs on screen in the first of the Book 7 movies, but many now not happen or may not seem as important as it should. Anyways the MTV Spoilers episode is to include an exclusive visit to the UK filming set for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The episode will also include the director David Yates, Daniel Radcliffe (plays Harry Potter), Emma Watson (plays Hermione), and Rupert Grint (plays Ron) talking about the darker theme of this movie compared to the prior movie releases.

This MTV Spoilers episode also has some stuff related to some other movies, so the Harry Potter part might not be that long, however, it seems it might be one of the longer is not longest segments. The other movies with sneak peek stuff in this episode include Watchmen, Star Trek, Land of the Lost, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

By the way filming for the movies based on the 7th book begin today, February 19, 2009.

Remember to comment this month and get an entry in the Hogwarts Herald February 2009 Contest to win a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Recently three teaser poster images have been going around the Internet for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie. Two of the posters have Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince written at a slant with the release date of 07/17/09 (the slashes are actually in the shape of lightning bolts on the poster) underneath. One has Harry Potter with his wand raised in a rainy scene. The other one has Albus Dumbledore with his wand in the same sort of rainy scene.

The third poster is also the rainy scene style. It is not slanted like the other posters, though. It has Harry Potter looking straight out and is just a head shot. Albus Dumbledore is seen as a reflection in both sides of Harry Potter’s glasses. This one simply says HP6 in the right hand bottom corner. It also says “Once again I ask too much of you, Harry.”

Also, I recently read about the possibility of there being a clip of the new movie at the end of the Oscars.

Remember to comment this month and get an entry in the Hogwarts Herald February 2009 Contest to win a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

At select Regal Theaters there is a special preview of the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie. The special includes new footage, clips, and interviews with some of the cast. The interviews are to include Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), and the producer David Heyman. The interview part certainly sounds new, but from the description of the clips including some of it seems old (i.e. I have seen it in trailers before), although also some new stuff at least.

This site describes the following scenes as being in the preview: “Bellatrix on top of a table in the Great Hall throwing a spell (extended), Hermione throwing birds at Ron, Hermione’s jealousy of Ron and Lavender (”Excuse me, I have to go vomit”), Dumbledore levitating items in the Dursley house, a couple of new lines from Dumbledore, new shots of the Inferi, and the “She Thinks You’re the Chosen One” scene (extended).”

Remember to comment this month and get an entry in the Hogwarts Herald February 2009 Contest to win a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The set where Harry Potter stunt double for Daniel Radcliffe, David Holmes, was injured on doing a flying sequence involving an explosion on January 26, 2009, has been reopened. They still have released very minimal details about the incident besides the fact that David Holmes is recovering at a hospital (sounds like he is paralyzed from the waist down) that specializes in spinal cord injuries (Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, in Stanmore, north west London to be exact). The investigation of the accident is an ongoing on being carried out by the Health and Safety Executive. They have finished the aspect of going over the stage, though, and have released the scene for use again. I do not think the closing of the stage has affected the shooting of the 7th movie, as they were only doing test shots so far and only the one particular set was closed.

Remember to comment this month and get an entry in the Hogwarts Herald February 2009 Contest to win a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The shooting for the movies based on the seventh Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, appears to have truly started this week and already there has been an injury on set. Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double was seriously injured doing one of the stunts yesterday. I think this week is just test shots, but the test shots include some stunts and as always stunts do have a bit of a danger to them. Actually, I can imagine the test shots being when things go wrong the most, although, not usually quite so wrong.

The double injured was Daniel Radcliffe’s (i.e. Harry Potter’s) 25-year-old stunt double. The accident happened during rehearsing for a flying scene that also involved an explosion. He obviously was using a harness to fly, but the explosion did not act as they thought and caused him to plummet to the ground. He was not knocked unconscious, but it has been reported that he did say he could not feel his legs when he landed. No further information seems to have been released yet out of respect for the family besides saying he was taken to the hospital by paramedics.