Harry Potter mania grips cinemas

High excitement hung over many movie theatres in China Friday as thousands of Harry Potter fans, not only children but also adults, crowded to watch the fourth instalment of British writer J. K. Rowling's exciting witchcraft series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."

At Beijing's Stellar International Cineplex, one of the best movie venues in China, 100 children dressed up like the bespectacled young wizard attended the premiere held on Thursday night. Similar celebrations were held in theatres elsewhere in the country.

Fans' craze

The craze is not new, of course, as in the past several years, six Harry Potter books and three movies have already cast their spell over the world.

Twenty-two-year-old Li Bonan became a die-hard Harry Potter fan in 2002. He has collected at least three editions of each of the six Potter novels, and watched the previous three Potter films more than 100 times.

"The last time I watched Harry Potter III, it was also the last time the movie was screened in Beijing, and I was the only one in the audience," he recalled.

Li said when he learned that "Goblet of Fire" would premiere in China at the same time as in other parts of the world, he made up his mind that he would attend the Beijing premiere, although the ticket will cost him 60 yuan (US$7.8).

For an authentic look, he ordered a Harry Potter scarf from eBay. He also discussed with other Harry Potter fans on the Internet about how to zap the boy wizard's notorious lightening bolt scar on the forehead.

"I would like to use a knife to chisel the scar as long as it works," some said.

Li is not alone. Chen Nan, 26, owns almost every Harry Potter Lego set.

Another Harry Potter fan whose surname is Zhang has opened an online "Honey Duke's candy store," selling exclusive Harry Potter themed candies she has imported from the United States (Honey Duke is a character in the novel).

Zhang said business was doing well and that she had already received 20 applications for opening an authorized store from other fans.

For the first time, Chinese movie theatres will be selling Potter merchandize. A series of Harry Potter themed watches are available at seven major movie venues including Stellar. The books are up for grabs alongside cola and popcorn.

No box-office hit

However, despite the hype previous Harry Potter movies have not been box-office hits. The first in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," raked in only 60 million yuan (US$7.4 million) in China in 2002 just a fourth of the 2002 hit "Hero" (Yingxiong).

Takings were down to 50 million yuan (US$ 6.2 million) for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," and to 40 million yuan (US$ 4.9 million) for "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

It will be a month before one knows if "Goblet of Fire" will buck this trend.

Seen as the darkest of the series, the latest books tells of how the young wizard, now in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is selected to compete in the Triwizard Tournament against older and more experienced students from rival schools.

He is also forced to confront the evil Lord Voldemort, who is determined to return to power and finish Harry off once and for all.

Portending the danger, the story begins with Harry plagued by an eerie nightmare that leaves his lightning bolt scar searing with pain.

His pain turns to bone-chilling dread at the Quidditch World Cup, where Lord Voldemort's fearsome followers, the Death Eaters, scorch the night sky, publicly heralding their leader for the first time since his disappearance 13 years ago.

"For me, the essence of this story is a thriller," said the director Mike Newell. "There are wonderful set pieces, from the excitement of the Triwizard Tournament to the humour and heartbreak of the Yule Ball, but driving the story is this marvellous thriller in which something truly evil is out to get Harry and only he has the power to do something about it."

The school year will also bring significant changes for Harry's best friends Ron and Hermione, who may finally acknowledge a change in their feelings for each other.

The film has been rated PG-13 in the United States, and rated "unsuitable for under-12s to watch unaccompanied by an adult," for "sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images."

But in China, where a movie rating system has not yet been put in place, there will be no such warnings accompanying the screening of the movie.

Sixteen-year-old Daniel Radcliffe once again reprises the role of Harry Potter.

For Chinese audiences, the movie will hold particular interest because of the Chinese background of the new character Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts and the object of Harry Potter's affectionate gaze.

The role of Cho Chang is played by 18-year-old Katie Leung, an ethnic Chinese growing up in Scotland. She responded to an open casting call in February 2004 where she beat 5,000 girls for the role. She had no prior acting experience or coaching; it was quite by chance that her father saw an advertisement on a Chinese television channel for the casting.

As part of the movie's promotion, Katie will appear in Beijing on November 24.

Source: China Daily