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The Daily Prophet |
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January 2003
Boy, 14, gets £3,200 for COS 1st edition
Harry Potter 2 Reaches #3 Highest Grosser Comingsoon.net: With an estimated international gross of $568.2m, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets has overtaken Jurassic Park as the third highest grossing international release of all time. The family sequel took $7.1m over the weekend and just over one million admissions from 4,000 screens in 53 territories, according to studio estimates. The new total puts it behind second-placed Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone on $649.59m and Titanic, which leads the all-time international box office on $1.2bn. Warner Bros has projected a number one opening in China for Chamber Of Secrets, on a par with its predecessor. New reporting systems in the territory, along with rampant video piracy and poor weather in Shanghai, have delayed accurate figures for China. Tuesday 28th January 2003 Boy,14, sells Potter 1st edition to pay for uni BBC: A boy from Scotland is selling his treasured signed first edition Harry Potter book to help pay for him to go to university. Mathew, 14, has decided to cash in on his JK signed copy of the Chamber of Secrets to start a fund to pay for his university education when he's older. And auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull's think it could sell for as much as £1,500. Matthew said: "I am a great fan of JK Rowling and Harry Potter and I am sure he would approve of me selling the book to pay for my education." Another first edition fantasy epic will also be in the sale, with a first edition of the Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein also in the sale. That's expected to go for around the same money as the Potter, even though it hasn't been signed by the author. Tuesday 28th January 2003 Fifth Potter book 'too pricey' for US libraries BBC: Some American kids might have to wait a very long time to read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Because it's quite an expensive book, and loads of libraries in the US have been forced to cut costs, they can't afford to buy as many copies as they'd like. At New York library, for example, they've only ordered 560 copies of the fifth Potter book, compared to 956 of the Goblet of Fire. "I wish this book had come out two years ago when we had more money," a member of staff said. OOTP has a recommended selling price of £16.99 in the UK when it's released on 21 June, and an equivalent price in US dollars. Although it's already being sold cheaper by some websites which are taking pre-orders. In Clinton, Wisconsin, library staff reckon they'll get at least 100 requests for OOTP on its first day, but their budget has been chopped, and they can't afford to get anywhere near that many. Loads of libraries have been forced to choose between letting down Potter fans by only getting a few copies, or not ordering other kinds of books. The Potter books are the most-asked-for novels in American libraries. Sales of the books are also huge - they've now sold more than 190 million copies around the world. Sunday 26th January 2003 Lupin and innkeeper confirmed for Potter 3 BBC: CBBC Newsround can confirm that an important role in the third Potter film, Prisoner of Azkaban, has been taken by award-winning British actor David Thewlis. Thewlis will play kindly teacher Professor Lupin - who has a mysterious secret. You may have seen him in the recent mini-series Dinotopia, or the fantasy film Dragonheart. He's also famous for dating former soap actress Anna Friel. We can also tell you that Tom, the innkeeper at the Leaky Cauldron, will be played by bald comedian Jim Tavare. Tavare knows Tom looks like a "wizened, toothless walnut," so we're guessing he's not too vain! But there's no firm news yet about who will play Sirius Black. Actor Gary Oldman has been linked to the role. But sources on the film told us that, as of Wednesday afternoon, no one had signed on the dotted line to play Sirius. Filming will begin on Azkaban in the next couple of months, so we'll let you know as soon as we do! Wednesday 22nd January 2003 Chamber of Secrets DVD due out soon! BBC: Potter fans will be able to own The Chamber of Secrets in a matter of months. It looks like the second Harry Potter film will come out on DVD and video on April 11. Cool extra bits on the DVD will include 19 new and extended scenes, where we'll see more of Dobby, the flying Ford Anglia and a scary encounter with the Malfoys. And there'll be interviews with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who tell us about their fave scenes and what it was like on set. There's also exclusive interviews with JK Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves. Magical games will let you into the Forbidden Forest, the Chamber and into Professor Lockhart's classroom, where you can nose around his prized books and photos. The Chamber of Secrets has taken more than £50 million pounds in the UK so far, making it the most popular film of 2002. Tuesday 21st January 2003 Fans rush to join Potter extras school BBC: So you're desperate to be in the Potter movies. But how far would you go for the chance to be in the background? That's what more and more kids are doing in Gloucester. The King's School is next door to the famous Gloucester Cathedral, whose cloisters have been used for Hogwarts corridors in both movies. And when extra actors were not available to fill up the scenes during shooting of the Chamber of Secrets, pupils from the school were drafted in instead. CBBC Newsround has discovered that it's meant that school has seen the number of applications grow by a record level in the past year. Even though most of the extras only saw themselves for a few seconds, but that was enough to make mates jealous! Charlie, 15, was very chuffed with his part in the film: "I saw myself for a few seconds - I just saw my quiff and that was good enough for me. "My friends are quite jealous that I saw my hair on the big screen!" Jessica, 14, also an extra, adds: "All my friends were quite jealous I had been chosen. They would all love to come to this school because they would have the chance to be in the next HP film." Being a pupil at the school doesn't mean you'll automatically get a part. The film-makers only choose a few kids and there's no guarantee they'll go back there for extras in any of the future films. Carol Smith from the school told the CBBC Newsround website: "We've had a steady increase in pupils over the last five years, but Potter has certainly helped." "A lot of parents ask about the filming and lots our pupils are asked if they've been in the movies." But the school insists it's also to do with the "rounded education" pupils get there. Let's hope they don't get carried away and start potions classes! Monday 20th January 2003 Potter lookalikes cause problems in politics BBC: Dobby the house-elf could be taken to court because some people think he looks like the Russian president. They are angry because they think the filmmakers deliberately modelled Dobby on the face of Russia's boss, Vladimir Putin. A Russian newspaper has even reported lawyers are preparing a legal case against the special effects people who created Dobby. But so far there's not been an official comment on the matter from the president. Dobby, who first appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is not the most attractive of characters. He's a funny green colour, skinny and has massive ears. And it's not just in Russia that Potter lookalikes are causing a stir. A top politician in the Netherlands is constantly being teased for looking like Harry Potter himself! Jan Peter Balkenende, who's the leader of the Christian Democrat party, has had to get used to being compared to the boy wizard. He's even posed with a photo of Daniel Radcliffe to show he doesn't mind the jokes. Monday 20th January 2003 Chamber of Secrets breaks £50m barrier BBC: The people making the Harry Potter films may have to look into opening a new vault at Gringotts following the huge success of the wizard's second big-screen outing. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has now taken more than £50m in the UK, making it the biggest film of 2002. It's the first time ever in the UK that two films from the same series have sold £50m worth of tickets. COS is currently the fourth biggest film ever in the UK, behind the first Lord of the Rings movie, the Philosopher's Stone and Titanic. And it's not just here that Potter is making loads of money; all over the world people are going mad for Harry's adventures in Hogwarts - again. The Chamber of Secrets has now made almost £500m worldwide, closing in on the £603.1m that the first film made. Monday 20th January 2003 Yet-to-be-released Potter book storms charts Reuters: Harry Potter fever shows no signs of abating with the fifth book in the series about the boy wizard storming to the top of one book chart months before it is even released. Two hours after "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" appeared in Amazon.co.uk 's catalogue, pre-orders sent the children's and adult's version of the book to number one and two in its sales ranking, the Internet retailer said on Thursday. On Wednesday, publishers Bloomsbury said author J.K. Rowling had delivered the manuscript and the eagerly awaited book would be published on June 21. Amazon said in the 24 hours following the announcement 30,000 Potter fans, who have had to wait three years to get their hands on the latest book in the bestselling series, had ordered their copy. "Order of the Phoenix" is now expected to better Amazon's record pre-order of 65,000 copies achieved by the boy wizard's last outing in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Published in July 2000, "Goblet of Fire" was the fastest-selling book in history on the first weekend of its publication. All four Harry Potter books -- "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," as well as "Goblet of Fire" -- are still on bestseller lists around the world. Movie versions of the series' first two books, which adapted Rowlings' world of witches and wizards living in a world hidden to ordinary humans (known as Muggles) for the big screen, have grossed more than $1.7 billion (1.1 billion pounds). Friday 17th January 2003 Shops see Order-ing of the Phoenix frenzy BBC: The Phoenix-frenzy has already started. It's only 24 hours since the news that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be released on 21 June. But online bookseller Amazon has told CBBC Newsround's website they've already had pre-orders for 30,000 copies. The kid's version has shot to the top of their best-seller list, while the adult version is just behind. Meanwhile, other bookshops told us their phones are red-hot with pre-orders and plenty of people are popping in stores to make sure they don't miss out in June. Borders started taking orders the day the release was announced. And Waterstone's have been letting fans order since last July. We also found out Waterstone's are going to have special activities and "massive in-store events" on 21 June. Thursday 16th January 2003 Another Bafta battle for Potter and Rings BBC: Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings will be going into battle once again at the top film awards in Britain. The Chamber of Secrets and the Two Towers are both in the running for the Orange Film of the Year at the British Academy Film Awards (Baftas) in February. Other films popular with kids are also in the top 10, including Monsters Inc., Attack of the Clones, Spider-Man and Scooby Doo. Rings director Peter Jackson was a big winner last year The 10 nominated films are the ones that made the most money in the UK, and the winner will be chosen by a public vote. Last year the first Lord of the Rings film won five awards at the Baftas, including the one voted for by the people, but Harry Potter didn't win any. The other awards given out on the night are voted for by members of the Academy, and they tend to reward films for older people rather than ones for kids. Thursday 16th January 2003, 17.11 Potter book held at secret location BBC: The only copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is being held under lock and key at a secret location, CBBC Newsround's website can reveal. And it's not being held at Gringotts! In an exclusive interview, the people who will publish the fifth Potter book in the UK - Bloomsbury - told us security surrounding the manuscript was very tight. It is also still being edited by Emma Matthewson, who worked on the last three books in the series. Emma is one of the only two people lucky enough to have the read the story so far. The other is Bloomsbury chief executive Nigel Newton. They share an office in Soho Square, west London. But the manuscript is not there! So where in the world can it be? Work on the artwork for the book's cover is also expected to begin very soon. Then the design will be revealed on Bloomsbury's website. At 768 pages, the new book will be much longer than The Goblet of Fire, which Bloomsbury say is "fantastic". Wednesday 15th January 2003 Potter book five: on sale on 21 June BBC: JK has handed the book over to the publishers The long-awaited fifth Harry Potter book has finally got a release date, and it's Saturday 21 June 2003. On that day, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (the confirmed title) will be in shops in Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia and in the English language in many other countries. As we reveal in a separate story on the CBBC Newsround website, security is now very tight surrounding the new manuscript. But we do know that it will be more than a third longer than the fourth book - which was already pretty big. And as if that isn't exciting enough, the people who publish it - Bloomsbury in the UK and Scholastic in the US - have released some of the text. When you open the book, the first two sentences you will read are: The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive. They also revealed some of author JK Rowling's words from later in the book, giving vital clues to what will happen. Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. The day they've picked - 21 June - is really cool, because it's got the longest amount of daylight of the year, giving you loads of time to get stuck into it. It's been a long wait for HP fans. Book four, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was released two-and-a-half years ago. It became the fastest-selling book of all time, and more than 192 million copies of Potter books have now been sold. Fans have been waiting for book five ever since. But JK Rowling never promised when she would finish writing it, and stories that it had been delayed were false. But now, at last, she is ready to unleash the next instalment of Harry's adventures to the world. Announcing the news, Nigel Newton, head of Bloomsbury, said: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is absolutely superb and will delight all JK Rowling's fans. "She has written a brilliant and utterly compelling new adventure." Wednesday 15th January 2003 Spall is Pettigrew in Harry Potter 3? Comingsoon.net: The Ain't-It-Cool-News website is reporting an unconfirmed story that Nicholas Nickleby and Vanilla Sky actor Timothy Spall has joined the cast of the second Harry Potter sequel. According to the site, Spall will play Peter Pettigrew in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Pettigrew is also called Wormtail in the book. Tuesday January 14th 2003 Potter casting office still checking letters BBC: Loads of questions about casting for Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban have been buzzing around the CBBC Newsround website message boards. Some who have written to the Azkaban casting office, set up in September, have had no response. So they are confused about whether casting for key characters, as well as smaller parts, has been completed yet. A spokesperson for Warners told the Newsround website the casting office is still open and they are checking letters to see if anybody is right for the movie. But they're getting sack-loads of letters everyday, so it's impossible to reply to them all. And anyone still really really interested in trying for a part should only send them a simple letter with a picture. The film-makers really want the movies to be like the books, so only kids in Britain should apply. They also reckon you shouldn't spend too much money on posh photos. Finally, if you don't have an agent, don't panic. They say you don't necessarily need one - just look at Emma Watson! Thursday 9th January 2003 Sirius Black actor rumours are flying BBC: Gary Oldman may play Sirius Black There have been more rumours about the casting for the final roles in the third Harry Potter film, The Prisoner of Azkaban. The British actor Gary Oldman is apparently "in negotiations to join the cast" of the flick. That's according to movie website The Hollywood Reporter who have said Oldman is up for the role of the mysterious and scary Sirius Black. Sirius escapes from Azkaban, the wizard prison, in book three. And the whole wizarding world begins to fear he is coming after Harry Potter! Gary Oldman has been in many films, including Lost in Space, The Fifth Element and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Warner Brothers, the film's makers, told the Newsround website that they weren't commenting on the rumours. Wednesday 8th January 2003, 18.56 Frodo and Harry cause DVD explosion! BBC: Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings have helped double the popularity of DVDs. December saw a total of 20 million discs fly off the shelves and into Christmas stockings across the country. And one out of every four UK homes now has a DVD player. Twice as many discs and players were bought in Britain in 2002 than in 2001, the British Video Association says. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring sold four million copies. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone shifted 3.8 million. And, in third place, animated hit Monsters, Inc sold 2.5 million discs. Some 3.8 million players were also bought - 1.2 million in December alone. Wednesday 8th January 2003 New name linked with Dumbledore role BBC: Michael Gambon could be the next Dumbledore Yet another actor has been linked with the part of Albus Dumbledore in the next Harry Potter film, Sir Michael Gambon. He's been tipped for the role by an American showbiz website E! Online, who claim to have been given the nod by someone close to the production. But Sir Michael isn't the first actor to be named as a potential replacement for Richard Harris, who died after making the first two films. First Lord of the Rings stars Sir Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee were linked to the part, but they both said they weren't interested. In recent years Sir Michael has been in films like Ali G Indahouse and Gosford Park and like many of the older members of the cast in Potter, he is thought of as one of Britain's best actors. The people involved in casting the film, Warners, are off work for the holidays until 6 January, so any casting hints can't be confirmed until then. Thursday 1st January 2003 |