The hunt begins November 19 as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger are forced to flee the protection that they have had the past six years at Hogwarts. They must now survive on their own, with no one to turn to except each other. Being in only each other’s company grows tense as they journey to find the five objects that will guarantee Voldemort’s much needed downfall.
Audiences and fans everywhere have been anticipating this epic event for almost a decade since 2001 when the first Harry Potter movie was released. They are now mere days away before the first half of The Deathly Hallows is scheduled to premiere. A little over a year ago, fans learned that the movie would be separated into two parts, in order to include everything that author J.K. Rowling had included in the novel. The seventh and final book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out July 21, 2007 and sold a record 8.3 million books in the United States the first day alone. Winning many awards, including the 2008 Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award, being named one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books, and named one of its Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association, the book is extremely well known and highly regarded.
When the first official movie trailer came out in July of 2010, it was announced that both parts would be presented in both 2D and 3D. This announcement caused mixed feelings among fans. “I wasn’t bothered by it too much because it will be good whether it is in 3D or not” commented Meghan Aukerman, a senior who has read the novels several times. Regardless, it seemed to be a positive addition to the already anticipated Potter movie.
In mid- October, Warner Brothers announced a change of plans. Instead of viewers having the option of 3D, it would now only be shown in 2D. Warner Brothers had fallen behind in converting the film to 3D. According to Harry Potter news website Mugglenet.com, Warner Brothers made the statement, “We do not want to disappoint fans who have long-anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey, and to that end, we are releasing our film day-and-date on November 19, 2010 as planned. We, in alignment with our filmmakers, believe this is the best course to take in order to ensure that our audiences enjoy the consummate ‘Harry Potter’ experience.”
Director of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows David Heyman stated, “This decision, which we completely support, underscores the fact that Warner Bros. has always put quality first.”
Although the news itself disappointed some fans who prefer movies in 3D, it comforted others with the fact that Warner Brothers would rather release a quality movie, rather than releasing a sloppy movie while also making more money on the 3D. Junior Ally Bair agreed commenting, “I was fine with it; I don’t think 3D is all it’s cracked up to be.”
Regardless of this miniscule disappointment, audiences everywhere are eagerly anticipating the release and are already pre-ordering their midnight showing tickets. Junior Emily Puleo is anticipating the movie because “I love the books and have read the entire series twice. Especially the seventh book, I have read that three times!” After calculating their ticket sales so far, Fandango made a statement saying that they have sold out almost 500 shows in advance for the Potter film.
The movie trailers, equipped with funny excerpts, dramatic quotes from characters and quick flashes of intense moments from the movie are driving fans crazy with excitement. Meghan Aukerman said, “I love how they (the trailers) are suspenseful and how they show just enough information to make you want to see it.” Clearly, this is going to be a movie that everyone is going to want to see again and again.
