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The Daily Prophet |
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November 2001
ABC Has Rights to Harry Potter
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Harry Potter might be weaving his magic around the world, but 60 Australian Seventh-Day Adventist schools have banned books about the boy wizard for fear they could encourage children to delve into the occult. "We have a library policy that excludes any book acquisition about the occult or which could encourage children into the occult," John Hammond, Seventh-Day Adventist education director in Australia, told Reuters on Thursday. "We have not banned anyone from buying one at home, that's fine, but they do not meet our school criteria," Hammond said. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" opened in a record 476 cinemas around Australia on Thursday, with some schools taking all their students to the movies. Sydney's Rose Bay Primary School cancelled classes to take its 142 students to the first screening of the film, released elsewhere as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". Principal Peter Porteous said students were studying Harry Potter books and staff believed the movie would assist them. "It's a fine piece of literature and it deals with a lot of warmth, humour, emotions," Porteous said. "Its a good role model for children. It shows children there is a lot of care in their lives and that they can care for one another," he said. The movie about the boy wizard has set box office records around the world, taking $83.5 million (59 million pounds) in the United States and Canada in first five days and more than $188 million in 10 days. LORD OF THE RINGS The Seventh-Day Adventist Church said it had not targeted the boy wizard as its book policy existed before Harry Potter books put children around the world under their spell. Hammond said the church applauded human ingenuity and imagination. Hammond said that although he had not read J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", which is poised to become another Christmas blockbuster, he believed that it had a central all powerful being, God, so it would pass the church's book criteria. "I understand that it talks about one supreme power which we should deal with as ordained in scriptures and that is God," Hammond said. Tolkien's classic fantasy about hobbits, trolls, elves and wizards takes to the silver screen on December 19. "The Fellowship of the Ring" is the first in a trilogy of films bringing Tolkien's masterpiece to life. Not all Christians see Harry Potter as a door to evil. Some believe it may spark a renewed interest in Christianity. "Evil isn't glossed over. It's depicted as being undertaken by choice," said John Murray, associate professor of English at the Australian Catholic University. "The idea that good eventually prevails over evil, speaking the truth -- all of those are, I suppose, perfectly consistent with Christianity," Murray said. "This is an opportunity now to raise a whole lot of questions about good, evil, violence, justice," he said. Thursday 29th November 2001 Pottermania Boosts Books Sales LONDON (Reuters) - Harry Potter author JK Rowling is continuing her reported progress towards becoming the world's first billionaire author with her books about the boy wizard comfortably dominating the book charts. No competitors have managed to topple Rowling's series, with all four books plus a special edition holding fast to the top five positions, according to Whitaker BookTrack on Wednesday. The Potter books have held firm to the top five for three weeks, cashing in on the success of the first Harry Potter movie. British media have reported that Rowling is on track to become the world's first billionaire author through royalties from the three more planned Potter books as well as future film and merchandising revenues. This week, the series' second book, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", moved into the number one position, switching places with the celebratory edition of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", which slipped into third. The top-ranked "Chamber of Secrets" sold 51,189 copies in the past week. The regular edition of the first Potter novel, "Philosopher's Stone", retained its number two spot while the fourth and third books in the series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", held fast to their fourth and fifth positions. There was little movement elsewhere in the top ten as Jamie Oliver kept a firm grip on sixth position with his "Happy Days with the Naked Chef". Likewise, Pamela Stephenson's biography of her husband Scottish comedian Billy Connolly and the "Guinness World Records:2002" maintained their seventh and eighth rankings. Rounding out the top ten were Ian Rankin's "Falls" and "Beano Book:2002" by DC Thomson. Elsewhere in the charts, Pottermania surfaced again with the Harry Potter box set jumping 32 spots into 16th position. Wednesday 28th November 2001 TOKYO (Reuters) - In the end, all that was left was a broom. More than 100,000 people jammed a six-day exhibition in Tokyo that offered a glimpse into scenes for the smash hit movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", while snapping up a range of goods linked to the bespectacled orphan with magical powers. Wizard hats, capes and brooms flew from the shelves. By the final day, only a few brooms were left. "We didn't think this many people would come," Toru Hayakawa, chief sales promotion manager at Isetan Co Ltd department store in Tokyo, told Reuters. "I think sales from the goods will be around 100 million yen." About six million translated copies of J.K. Rowling's books have been sold in Japan, where the movie opens on Saturday. "I want to be like Harry because he can use magic," said 11-year-old girl Sae Yamaguchi. Sumiko Mikami, a 38-year-old housewife, is already charmed by Harry. "I have read the books and I enjoyed it. I just can't wait until December 1 when the movie is released here." Less than two weeks into its U.S. screening, the film, produced by Warner Bros Pictures, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc, has already raked in nearly US$190 million at the North American box office. Tuesday 27th November 2001 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" kept movie audiences spellbound over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend, holding on handily to the No. 1 spot at the box office. The movie about the boy wizard grossed $83.5 million (54 million pounds) in the United States and Canada for the five days beginning on Wednesday, taking its 10-day total to more than $188 million. The film smashed box office records in its opening the previous weekend, grossing $93.5 million in the United States and Canada in its first three days of release. Despite the strong performance by "Harry Potter," this year's Thanksgiving weekend box office take for the top 12 films fell nearly 13 percent to an estimated $203 million from last year's all-time high of $232 million, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. Last year, the most popular Thanksgiving movie was "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas." The movie starring Jim Carrey in heavy green makeup grossed $73.5 million over the five-day holiday period of 2000. Based on the first of four wildly popular children's books by author J.K. Rowling, the hugely hyped "Harry Potter" has been one of the most widely anticipated films of the year, and box office analysts predict it could end up as one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Some experts say the film stands a good chance of beating the 13-day record set in 1999 by "Star Wars: Episode I - the Phantom Menace" as the fastest film to gross $200 million at the box office. By then, the movie will have more than earned back the $165 million it reportedly cost Warner Bros to produce and market the film in North America. Walt Disney's animated "Monsters, Inc." held steady at the No. 2 spot on the box office chart, taking in $33.1 million over the long holiday weekend. "Monsters" has grossed $193 million in four weeks of release. New entries "Spy Game" and "Black Knight" came in third and fourth at $30.5 million and $16.1 million, respectively. "Spy Game," released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Vivendi Universal, stars Robert Redford as a veteran CIA officer and Brad Pitt as his protege. In "Black Knight," Martin Lawrence plays a worker at a medieval theme park who gets knocked on the head and wakes up in real medieval times. "Shallow Hal," a comedy starring Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit, slipped from third to fifth place, followed by "Out Cold" a new comedy, this one about snowboarding, that took in $6.9 million and the No. 6 box office position for the five-day period. The John Travolta drama "Domestic Disturbance" (Paramount) dropped to No. 7 from No. 4 in its fourth week with $5.5 million. Its total is $40 million. "Heist" (Warner Bros.), a thriller starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito, took in $4.3 million, slipping to No. 8 from No. 5. It has grossed $20.3 million in total. Sunday 25th November 2001 HONG KONG (Reuters) - Pirated versions of the smash hit Harry Potter movie have magically appeared in back street stalls around Hong Kong, weeks before the film about the boy wizard is due to open in the territory. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" will not hit the silverscreen in Hong Kong until December 12. But street peddlers in the teeming Wanchai district were already offering counterfeit copies of the smash hit for around HK$20 (1.61 pounds) each, a fraction of what moviegoers will pay. The blockbuster produced by Warner Bros Pictures, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc, has left fans in both the United States and Britain spellbound after its release on November 16. It grossed US$100 million in the U.S. box office in just five days, tying a record set in 1999 by "Star Wars: Episode I -- Phantom Menace". Despite a crackdown on copyright piracy by authorities in Hong Kong in recent years, the problem has persisted. Illegal vendors have managed to find ways to carry on business as usual, often offering sneak previews of Hollywood blockbusters before their public release. Because of the government's new vigilance, VCD stalls in some shopping arcades are left unmanned, with a shoe box at the door containing small change saying "take your own change". Customers dutifully pay after helping themselves to discs of their choice. Customs officials insist, however, that the problem has vastly improved from days when the territory was on a piracy watchlist issued by the U.S. government. Hong Kong was taken off the list in 1999, when U.S. officials said they were satisfied that Hong Kong had toughened measures to stop the problem. Selling counterfeit goods can lead to a maximum penalty of four years in jail and a HK$50,000 fine per fake item sold. Some 880,000 pirated VCDs were confiscated by customs during the first six months of the year and a total of 1.53 million discs were seized in 2000. Most raids focus on illegal manufacturing plants where copies of smash hit titles can be churned out en masse at extremely low production costs. Sunday 25th November 2001 LONDON (Reuters) - Move over boy wizard Harry Potter -- here comes Frodo Baggins the intrepid Hobbit. For the second time in a month, film fans around the world are being invited on a magical mystery tour through a weird and wonderful world of wizards. First came "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," reincarnating JK Rowling's tales of a young wizard that have sold 100 million copies in just four years. Now it's the turn of "The Lord of the Rings," J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy that has sold 100 million copies in half a century and was voted the book of the 20th century in many millennium polls around the world. Lord of the Rings moviemaker Peter Jackson, who gives the first film "The Fellowship of the Ring" its world premiere in London on December 10, has insisted there is no wizard rivalry. "Everybody paints this sort of competition between Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings. It's sort of crazy because I just wish Harry Potter all the best," the New Zealander said. But inevitably fantasy fans will compare notes and film critics watch to see who wins at the box office. Making the trilogy amid the picturesque splendours of New Zealand was a mammoth 274-day undertaking for Jackson and his army of actors, designers and special effects wizards. The $300 million series is billed as the first time a director has made three films at once. The movies are to be released one at a time over the next three Christmases. December 19 is the first release date. And the film production notes on Friday revealed how Jackson tried to climb inside Tolkien's mind to create a fantasy world that is so real to literary fans worldwide. "When there was a question about how to proceed, I would just shut my eyes and imagine the characters in my head, the same way a million readers around the world have shut their eyes and seen these books come alive as personal movies in their heads," he said. "We had to shoot it as one big story because that is what it is," he said. "I look forward to the day when audiences can sit down and watch all three films in a row because it is one big story and adventure." And the films looks set to make an international star of 20-year-old American Elijah Wood who plays the pivotal role of Frodo Baggins, the shy but intrepid hobbit at the heart of the tale. Wood loved the location: "New Zealand is Middle Earth. It has every geological formation and geographical landscape you can imagine and some you couldn't." And he is given solid backup by Ian McKellen as Gandalf who the British actor described as "the archetypal wizard. He is related to Merlin and maybe Prospero but is very much his own man." Friday 23rd November 2001 LONDON (Reuters) - Millions have read the books and thousands more have seen the film, but fans of the world's favourite wizard Harry Potter will have to wait at least another six years before they can see him bring his magic to the stage. "The dramatisation rights are not yet licensed and are subject to a contractual holdback until 2007," a spokeswoman for author JK Rowling's agent Christopher Little said on Thursday. She said there were regular inquiries from all over the world about the stage rights but they were all met with a polite but firm refusal. But girls' school North Foreland Lodge in Hampshire, south of London, slipped through the net last year when Rowling gave permission for the pupils to perform a stage adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" penned by English teacher Heather Morland. Single mother turned multi-millionaire superstar Rowling has already penned four highly successful novels about the boy wizard and has promised another three to take him up to the end of his days at Hogwarts school. Thursday 22nd November 2001 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - What do the boy wizard Harry Potter and pint-sized Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker have in common? They are both young heroes of the only two movies in history to gross $100 million in just five days. Maintaining momentum as it heads into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" has tied the five-day record set in 1999 by "Star Wars: Episode I -- Phantom Menace" as the fastest film to reach the $100 million (62.7 million pounds) box office mark. "Harry Potter" grossed a whopping $90.3 million during its first weekend in U.S. and Canadian theatres -- the biggest movie debut ever -- and added $14.3 million on Monday and Tuesday combined to bring its cumulative tally in five days to nearly $104.6 million, distributor Warner Bros. said. That sum is actually $1 million below the $105.7 million racked up by "Phantom Menace" in its first five days, beginning May 19, 1999. But "Phantom Menace" opened on a Wednesday, so its five-day total included ticket sales from two weekdays -- Wednesday and Thursday -- that typically are busier than the Monday and Tuesday counted in "Harry Potter's" tally. Based on the first of four wildly popular children's books by author J.K. Rowling, the hugely hyped "Harry Potter" has been one of the most widely anticipated films of the year, and box office analysts predict it could end up as one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Some experts say the film stands a good chance of beating the 13-day record set by "Phantom Menace" as the fastest film to gross $200 million at the box office, and could come close to doing so by the end of the upcoming holiday weekend. By then, the movie will have more than earned back the $165 million it reportedly cost Warner Bros. to produce and market the film in North America. Wednesday 21st November 2001 LONDON (Reuters) - Author JK Rowling is her own worst enemy in the bookshop. The spectacularly successful creator of the Harry Potter series is battling it out with herself for the top five spots of the British book charts, according to Whitaker BookTrack. There was shuffling last week in the first three chart positions as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was nudged out of the number one slot to number two by the celebratory edition of the novel. Buoyed by the November 16 release of the movie of the same name, the special edition of the first Potter novel sold 46,696 copies in the past week. In third position was Rowling's second tale of the boy wizard, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". Holding firm to their fourth and fifth slots were "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", the fourth and third books, respectively, in the series. How long can we expect the orphan wizard to wield his magic on book charts? It's impossible to predict with a series whose books have held chart positions for up to four years. "Harry is always surpassing everyone's dream in terms of sales," a spokeswoman for publishers Bloomsbury Publishing told Reuters on Wednesday. "Right now, we're looking at the movie release and Christmas -- the combination is fantastic." Outside the world of Pottermania, kitchen whirlwind Jamie Oliver continued his reign as the only chef to maintain a place in the top 50, with his sixth-ranked "Happy Days with the Naked Chef". Ian Rankin's "The Falls" was knocked from seventh to tenth place by Pamela Stephenson's biography of her husband Scottish comedian Billy Connolly. Rounding out the top ten were the "Guinness World Records:2002" and Terry Pratchett's "The Truth". Readers seemed to crave pop idol confessionals during the week, with heartthrob Robbie Williams' autobiography, "Robbie Williams: Somebody Someday", rising from 21 to 15 and Posh Spice Victoria Beckham's memoirs, "Learning to Fly", moving from 23 to 20. The BookTrack list is based on a data of weekly book sales from about 6,000 British outlets and Internet retailers. The chart is published at www.booktrack.co.uk. Wednesday 21st November 2001 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Harry Potter may very well charm his way into Hollywood's exclusive $400 million (281.7 million pound) club but the schoolboy wizard is likely to run out of magic before he can sink "Titanic" as king of the box-office world, according to movie analysts. Propelled by robust repeat business from its young target audience, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (the Scorcer's Stone in the U.S.) is expected to become only the second movie ever to gross $100 million (70.45 million pounds) in its first five days, as "Star Wars: Episode I -- the Phantom Menace" did in 1999. But the Warner Bros film about a plucky boy wizard stands a good chance of doubling that sum in record time, beating "Phantom Menace's" 13-day dash to the $200 million (140.9 million pound) mark, box office watchers said. Given its early trajectory, "Harry Potter" could be closing in on $200 million after 10 days in release, the analysts said. "There's definitely going to be a lot of families passing up the turkey for a first or second viewing of 'Harry Potter,'" said Adam Farasati, an analyst for box office research group Reel Source. He predicted that other big films opening over the weekend, such as "Black Knight" and "Spy Game," would end up "forced to feed on 'Harry Potter's leftovers." Based on the first of four wildly popular children's books by author J.K. Rowling, "Harry Potter" grossed a whopping $90.3 million (63.6 million pounds) during its first weekend in U.S. and Canadian theatres -- the biggest movie debut ever -- and added $6.6 million (4.65 million pounds) to its tally on Monday, the studio said. The long-term outlook for any film is hard to predict, but most experts agreed "Harry Potter" is a sure candidate for blockbuster status. "I don't see any scenarios in which it will be less than $300 million (211 million pounds), and it will probably do better than $400 million (281 million pounds)," said David Davis, a box office analyst for investment banking service Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin. With three more big movie-going weekends in the next two months, Farasati said he would not be surprised to see "Harry Potter" hit $400 million by year's end, making it one of the top five biggest-grossing movies in history. But most analysts said they doubted "Harry Potter" had enough stamina to reach the rarefied box office waters of "Titanic," which opened rather modestly in December 1997 but turned into a solid performer week after week, well into 1998, ultimately grossing an all-time record $600 million (422.7 million pounds) in the U.S. and $1.8 million (1.27 million) worldwide. Films with gargantuan debut audiences, like "Harry Potter," generally are harder to sustain, experts said. "It's like a firecracker. They tend to burn out faster," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. Davis said a theatrical run of more than three or four months may even prove contrary to Warner Bros' strategy in developing "Harry Potter" as a franchise. The studio, a unit of media and online services giant AOL Time Warner, has the rights to the first four "Harry Potter" books. "They don't want to overexpose it," Davis said. "This is a very important franchise for all parts of AOL Time Warner. ... There's a long-term franchise strategy that Warner already is evolving, which I expect will include getting the video out as soon as it can." The studio dismissed any suggestion that "Harry Potter" distribution would be cut short. "This movie will play in theatrical release as long as people are paying to see it," said Dan Fellman, president of theatrical distribution for Warner Bros Pictures. "We have no agenda to move into any other ancillaries until its time is right." Wednesday 21st November 2001 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" has bewitched moviegoers of all ages in North America and Britain over the weekend, smashing industry records in the process. According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the film about a boy wizard has grossed $93.5 million (65 million pounds) in the United States and Canada in its first three days of release. It surpassed the three-day record of $72.1 million set four years ago by Steven Spielberg's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park." In Britain, where it also opened on Friday, the film conjured up 16 million pounds, beating the record of 10 million pounds attained by George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" in 1999. "To be up there with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, what an honour," said "Harry Potter" producer David Heyman, adding that he was smiling from "ear to ear." Based on the bestselling children's books by author J.K. Rowling, "Harry Potter" follows the exploits of a bespectacled orphan with magical powers who attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Newcomer Daniel Radcliffe played the title character. The box office data were provided by executives at Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of AOL Time Warner. Rival studios said the North American estimate appeared generous, with their own tallies averaging about $89 million. One studio reportedly put the opening as low as $83 million. Final figures will be released on Monday. Either way, the film dominated the box office. Walt Disney Co.'s animated "Monsters, Inc." slipped to No. 2 with $23.0 million, followed by Twentieth Century Fox comedy "Shallow Hal" with $12.7 million. The top 12 films grossed $157.1 million, up 35 percent from last weekend and up seven percent from the year-ago period, when "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" opened at No. 1. HARRY A "WIN-WIN" "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which reportedly cost Warner Bros. $125 million to produce and an additional $40 million to market in North America alone, played on more than 8,200 screens at a record 3,672 theatres. Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman said exit polls were "spectacular" and the film played broadly to both parents and children, readers and non-readers. "It's just a win-win all the way around for us," Fellman said. The film's Saturday haul of $32.9 million becomes the highest single-day gross in movie history, beating the opening day of "Phantom Menace" ($28.5 million). Its respective Friday and Sunday tallies of $31.6 million and $29 million also set new records for those particular days. The only major record that hangs in the balance is the race to $100 million. "Phantom Menace" took five days, and Fellman hoped "Harry Potter" could get there on Monday, in four days. He expected business to remain very strong over the week, boosted by the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. Heyman said principal photography on the sequel, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," will begin on Monday. Director Chris Columbus will return to shoot the film. Warner Bros. hopes that Harry Potter will become a huge franchise along the lines of the "Star Wars" and James Bond films, and its corporate parent is using the muscle of its other businesses, such as its America Online flagship, to get the word out. "MONSTERS" PASSES $150 MILLION Elsewhere at the North American box office, "Monsters, Inc." has grossed $156 million after three weekends, two of them at No. 1. Disney partnered on the film with Pixar Animation Studios Inc.. "Shallow Hal," starring Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit, has hauled in $41.3 million after 10 days. The film should end up with $65 million-$70 million, said an executive at Fox, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc.. The John Travolta drama "Domestic Disturbance" (Paramount) held steady at No. 4 in its third week with $5.6 million. Its total is $33.9 million. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc.. Also unchanged from last week was fifth-ranked "Heist" (Warner Bros.), a thriller starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito, with $4.7 million. Its 10-day total is $15 million. The top 10 contained one other new entry, "The Wash," an urban comedy starring rappers Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. The Wednesday release bowed at No. 8 with $3.0 million for the weekend and $3.9 million to date. The $4 million-budgeted film attracted blacks aged 18 to 24, said a spokesman for Lions Gate Films, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.. Monday 19th November 2001 LONDON (Reuters) - Devoted Harry Potter fans can now follow their wizard hero around Britain on a magic trail. The British Tourist Authority, eager to cash in on the worldwide popularity of JK Rowling's creation, on Monday published a guide to the key locations used in the film "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." The cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral in western England provide an impressive backdrop for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where Potter learns to weave his magic. The northern castle of Alnwick in Northumberland was the location for the spectacular mid-air game of Quidditch in the film that has already smashed box office records in his first weekend on release in Britain and the United States. "The sheer Britishness of the film and variety of locations it covers is a fantastic opportunity to promote Britain overseas," said British Tourist Authority manager Seren Welch. The Potter map is being distributed in English, Dutch, Italian, German and Spanish. Monday 19th November 2001 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Harry Potter has cast his magic at the North American box office, whipping up a record $93.5 million (65 million pounds) in the first three days after its release, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," as it is known in the U.S, surpassed the three-day record of $72.1 million held by 1997's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park." The film reportedly cost Warner Brothers Pictures $125 million to produce and an additional $40 million to market in North America alone. Based on the bestselling children's books by author J.K. Rowling, "Harry Potter" opened on Friday in 3,672 theatres across the United States and Canada, and also in Britain where it is known as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." Warner Brothers distribution president Dan Fellman said exit polls of North American moviegoers were "spectacular" and the film played broadly to both parents and children, readers and non-readers. "It's just a win-win all the way around for us," Fellman said. Warner Brothers is owned by AOL Time Warner, which used other units such as its flagship America Online business to promote the film. "Harry Potter" follows the exploits of a bespectacled orphan with magical powers who attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Newcomer Daniel Radcliffe played the title character. The cast also including noted actors such as Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and Richard Harris. Chris Columbus ("Mrs Doubtfire") directed. Warner Bros. was scheduled to begin shooting a sequel on Monday, with hopes that Harry Potter will become a huge franchise along the lines of the "Star Wars" and James Bond films. Sunday 18th November 2001 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Flying motorcycles and lightning bolts and dragon eggs and phoenix feathers may be keeping some people out of movie houses this weekend. Not everyone likes bubble, bubble, toil and trouble and they wish they could swing a magic wand and make the new kid flick "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" disappear like magic. Early estimates indicate the much-awaited film based around literature's most famous boy wizard has been breaking box office records on both sides of the Atlantic since opening Friday. By most accounts the movie, based on stories by J.K. Rowling, is a healthy fantasy about good versus evil that could prompt meaningful discussions between children and their parents. While the film has also prompted criticism among some witches for improperly depicting correct broomstick riding technique (bristles must be pointed forward not backward) real life believers in paganism and witchcraft are pleased with the film's positive depiction of witches and believe it could raise their much-maligned profile. But the film is also prompting criticism, especially in some conservative Christian circles, which believe the tale of a young boy's exploits at the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft might lure children into the occult world. On Friday a middle school in Fargo, North Dakota, cancelled a field trip to see the film after parents complained about the movie's depiction of witchcraft. In Memphis, Tennessee, at least two Catholic schools said they were keeping the series of Harry Potter books off shelves because of their witchcraft content. There have even been reports of church groups burning Harry Potter books. Some ministers are asking parents to shield young children from the movie, which contains battle scenes and other violence, and urging them to decide for themselves whether to expose their older children to the film's supernatural elements. "There's something wonderful about childhood fantasy and that's something you really don't want to take away from children but at the same time when witchcraft is put in a favourable light that's of concern," the Reverend David Anderson, rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Newport Beach, California, said, adding: . "That's because witchcraft is alive today in North America and it's a very sinister force. That sends a confusing message to children as they grow older." Lindy Beam, a youth culture analyst for the Christian-oriented Focus on the Family website, (http://www.family.org), warned that the movie may also subtly erode moral values. The Harry Potter character often lies, cheats or breaks rules in order to save the day. But since the Bible also tells Christians they must engage the culture, sometimes on its terms so people can understand the message of Jesus Christ, some evangelists believe Harry Potter may be a powerful evangelism tool. "Obviously it's tapping into universal themes such as the realities of good versus evil ... what is true and what is not true ... and that's what the Gospel is about," said the Rev. Martyn Minns of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia. "For me it gives the Christian community a tremendous opportunity to talk to kids about things that really matter," Minns said. "The film reflects a tremendous spiritual hunger in the culture. ... We don't need to be afraid of imagination." Connie Neal, a California-based former youth pastor who wrote the book "What's A Christian To Do With Harry Potter?" said people should not be afraid of the movie and that she has shared the Harry Potter books with her own children as a way to teach them right from wrong and how to tell the difference. "We have freedom in Christ to interpret literature, even literature that deals with pagan sources," Neal said. Meanwhile real life witches have praised the Harry Potter stories as painting their practices in a good light and raising their oft-maligned profile. Ruth Shelton, 43, of New York, has been a practising witch for 27 years. She first read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," while fixing her 13-year-old son Evan's computer and loved its literary style and British humour. She said some members of her coven, which meets "for circle" about three times a month, have bought advance tickets. However she balks when asked if Harry Potter's world of Hogwarts bears any similarities to her own. "(Witches) don't have quite the same array of fantasy characters or live in a world completely apart from the mundane world," she said. But are they realistic? "She has treated all of the fantasy realm and the magic she works with the utmost respect," Shelton said. Shelton is also curious about Rowling's own practice and says that members of her coven think that the books "can open people up to alternative practices, that have rich lore, history and morality." "We are all happy with the entire phenomenon." Saturday 17th November 2001 FARGO, North Dakota (Reuters) - A witchcraft controversy brewing in a North Dakota town has forced a local school to cancel a field trip to a screening of the new Harry Potter film. About 100 children from Agassiz Middle School in Fargo were due to attend the opening day of the widely anticipated film, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," which revolves around the adventures of a young wizard in a world of non-magical mortals known as muggles. All the students, mainly aged between 12 and 15, had parental permission to attend the trip to a local cinema during school hours on Friday. But a few concerned parents and one local radio personality successfully killed the trip after raising concerns about the movie's depiction of witchcraft. The fact that some consider witchcraft a religion, the protesters said, meant that the school-led trip to the cinema would constitute a violation of the separation of church and state and possibly lead to legal action. "It's a little bizarre," said Fargo School Superintendent David Flowers, who supported the field trip. "We believe that we were on firm ground in letting the kids go. But (the school) made the decision ... that they would just as soon not be embroiled in a controversy." Meanwhile, in Memphis at least two Catholic schools said they were keeping the series of "Harry Potter" books by author J.K. Rowling out of their libraries because of the witches and wizardry content. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", as the film is called in the U.S., opened on Friday throughout the United States and Britain and was widely expected to break box-office records. Friday 16th November 2001 Film Hits Screens Today LONDON (Reuters) - After months of anticipation, the day fans of literature's most famous boy wizard have been yearning for has finally arrived -- Harry Potter mounted his broomstick and flew into town on Friday. Early indications suggest that "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", the most eagerly awaited film of the year, will break box office records on both sides of the Atlantic. In previews across Britain last weekend the film grossed 6.6 million pounds. The biggest UK opener of all time was the 1999 "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace", which took 9.5 million pounds, including previews. Cinemas across the UK and United States have reported their biggest advance bookings ever and an unprecedented number of screens are being dedicated to the film. And it is hardly surprising, given the bandwagon of hype and glowing media reviews that have travelled before it. "The film is more than two hours long, yet it flashes past in delicious form," Daily Telegraph reviewer Andrew O'Hagan wrote on Friday. "(Chris) Columbus has made a film with enough imaginative power and sheer entertainment value to outstrip and outlast all the cynicism." The Times' Barbara Ellen said the film was "a cinematic wish-fulfilment. The world of Harry Potter has everything a child-like imagination could hope for." Dominic Mohan, writing in the Sun tabloid, called it "a Willy Wonka for the new Millennium with special effects that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up". But the glowing reviews have also been peppered with concern about some of the more frightening scenes in the film. Ellen talked of the "dark, noisy, third part of the film...where the movie started looking more like adult horror than a child's fantasy". The film is already being touted as a future classic, but regardless of how much money it takes this weekend, the true judge of Harry Potter's success will be whether it is repeated time and time again on television on public holidays. "The Wizard of Oz, Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. All those classic movies have passed the only cinematic test worth passing -- the test of time," Ellen wrote. Friday 16th November 2001 Don’t Buy an Owl for Christmas LONDON (Reuters) - Parents eager to please their Harry Potter-mad children who want owls like the boy wizard's pet Hedwig should think twice before buying them for Christmas, bird experts have warned. They are worried that the flurry of excitement over "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", which hits British and American cinema screens on Friday after months of hype, will drive demand for pet owls through the roof. "In one sense the timing of this film is unfortunate," said Ray Lowden, of the Kielder Bird of Prey Centre in Northumberland. " An owl will top many a child's wish list this season, and already we're being left with the unwanted ones." Jenny Wray, owner of an agency that keeps track of more than 20,000 birds of prey, said she had received many calls from people interesting in finding breeders who sell snowy owls, rare Arctic birds portrayed in the Potter film. "We've got children ringing up and asking for snowy owls," she said. "They're not particularly bright, not sociable. They're being bought for their looks." Angela Roberts, head keeper at Screech Owl Sanctuary in Cornwall, said children often asked if the shelter had 'a Hedwig'. Because snowy owls do not breed prolifically, they usually cost between 150 and 200 pounds each. But prices will definitely go up due to soaring demand, Wray said. "I guarantee that in about four to six months, I'll be finding homes for snowy owls," she said. Bird experts said owls of all species require much attention and specialised care. They must live in cages the size of small rooms, fly regularly outside aviaries and eat small mammals. Many owl owners were annoyed that film trailers showed Harry carrying Hedwig in a parrot cage that was too small. They said owls would not be able to stretch their wings. Vincent Jones, director of the Barn Owl Centre in Gloucestershire, said owls eat rats, mice and day-old chickens: "They must eat fur and bone, or they'll die." Although owls have high maintenance needs, they offer little in return as pets and can be dangerous for children to handle. Snowy owls can grow to two feet in height and have strong talons. "The only reason an owl flies back to a human is because it's hungry, not because of affection," Wray said. "It's cupboard love." Carolyn Screech, owner of Screech Owl Sanctuary, said: "Many children may quickly become bored of their new acquisitions, especially when they realise how frequently they have to clean out the aviary, and that they can't be cuddled." Friday 16th November 2001 Ready to Break Records Tomorrow LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - With Warner Bros set to release "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in more than 3,500 U.S. theatres this week, the movie is poised to break weekend box office records, industry experts have said. The exact theatre count was not available by midday, Wednesday, but the movie about the boy wizard could surpass the $72.1 million (50 million pound) three-day opening of record holder "Jurassic Park II: The Lost World" in 1997, experts said. Advance ticket sales are strong, and the recent box office success for Disney animated film "Monsters Inc." could be a harbinger for "Harry Potter," because typically strong showings by movies only draw more people into theatres, they said. Still, several cautioned that "Jurassic Park" opened over the U.S. Memorial Day holiday, which is one of the biggest moviegoing periods of the year, while "Harry Potter" debuts on a normal weekend just ahead of the Thanksgiving Day holiday. "Let's put it this way. 'Harry Potter' is going to be one of the biggest openings of all time. We just don't know how big, yet" said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations in Los Angeles. The record for the widest release belongs to 2000's "Mission: Impossible 2," which debuted in 3,653 theatres, also on the Memorial Day holiday weekend. This past summer's "Shrek" holds the record for the most theatres overall, 3,715, but that was after the movie had expanded from its original 3,587. Warner Bros, a unit of entertainment giant AOL Time Warner, has tried to keep expectations low to avoid the fate of this year's "Pearl Harbor" or 1998's "Godzilla." Generally speaking, both had strong box office debuts, but both suffered from sagging images when their ticket sales didn't match hyped up, pre-opening forecasts. Still, online ticket sellers and movie theatres are seeing strong advance sales after making tickets available two weeks ahead of Friday's debut compared to a normal one week period. ADVANCED SALES BOOM Fandango.com (http://www.fandango.com) has sold well over 100,000 tickets and is on track to sell more than 250,000 by Friday, according to company spokesman John Singh. He added that one-day sales on Tuesday, alone, amounted to more than all of the advance sales for "Pearl Harbor." Tommy McGloin, general manager of AOL moviefone.com (http://www.moviephone.com) said 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" was its top producer of online ticket sales, but "it set a record that 'Harry Potter' is well-positioned to exceed." Both Singh and McGloin declined to give exact sales figures, but both said "Harry Potter" could mark a watershed event in the emerging arena for online sales as both are seeing a large number of first-time users. McGloin added that typically as many as 50 percent of its sales will come from New York City, but that figure is only 18 percent for "Harry Potter," indicating a greater, nationwide interest in avoiding ticket lines on Friday. Theatres, too, are reporting strong early sales, and are making plans for a large number of moviegoers this weekend. Rick King of Kansas City-based AMC theatres, a unit of AMC Entertainment, said by Monday early sales for "Harry Potter" had surpassed those for "Pearl Harbor." "We're expecting this to be the biggest movie of the year, and have staffed up accordingly," King said. Massachusetts-based General Cinema theatres is raising the curtain on its first screenings at 12:01 a.m. Friday for people who want to be among the first to see the movie. "We are doing everything we can to make the movie available to as many people as possible, said General Cinema spokesman Brian Callaghan. Still, he cautioned that fans who bought advance tickets should show up early, perhaps even a day before, to claim their tickets and avoid lines. Thursday 15th November 2001 Harry Potter Artwork To Sell for Thousands LONDON (Reuters) - Original cover artwork for the second Harry Potter book is expected to fetch more than 50,000 pounds when it goes under the hammer on December 6, auctioneers Christie's have said. Two of the watercolours for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" show the bespectacled schoolboy wizard, his faithful pet owl Hedwig and best friend Ron Weasley flying in a blue Ford Anglia car after missing the school train, the Hogwarts Express. The third is a misty violet rendering of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry learns his magic. "At the moment, the only visual representations of the second Potter film are these paintings. They'd make great Christmas presents," said Hayden Pyle, Christie's book art specialist. Artwork by Thomas Taylor for "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" fetched over 85,000 pounds at auction. Pyle expects the second book's art also to do well when it is sold by illustrator Cliff Wright. "If you take into account how popular this book is at the moment, you couldn't hope for a better time for the art to come into sale," he said. "We expect very competitive international bidding from private and trade buyers." The Harry Potter phenomenon has captured the imagination of millions of children and adults around the world, with the film version of author JK Rowling's first book "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" on general release from Friday. Last week the book soared to the top of the British best-seller list, five years after it first hit the shelves. Work on the film version of the second book has begun. Pyle said the three paintings -- two of which were melded for the front cover -- would be sold separately and form the highlight of a Christie's cover art auction. It is very rare for 20th century book art to be worth so much, Pyle said. Only E.H. Shephard, illustrator of A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh books and Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows", could command comparable prices. Wright, who also illustrated the third Potter book "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", said in a statement: "I have played my own small part in bringing the Harry Potter universe to visual life, which has given me great satisfaction." Wednesday 14th November 2001 Potter Spells Chart Gloom for Other Authors LONDON (Reuters) - Child wizard Harry Potter continues to dominate the book charts this week, claiming the top five positions for the second week running, according to Whitaker Booktrack. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", spurred on by the soon-to-be released movie of the same name, has regained its firm footing at the top of the chart after 228 weeks on release, book sales showed. Just under 70,000 copies have flown off the shelves in the last week. The second of author J K Rowling's Potter tales, "Chamber of Secrets", held on to the runner-up position with sales of just over 34,500. Reading Potter's adventures is hungry work it seems, leaving "Naked Chef" Jamie Oliver close on the boy wizard's tail at number six. The celebrity chef's recipe collection, "Happy Days with the Naked Chef", was the only offering from a TV cook to make it into the top 50 this week. Other top ten showings include Ian Rankin's fictional "The Falls", Pamela Stephenson's biography of comedian Billy Connolly and Terry Pratchett's "The Truth". The top 100 list, based on sales at around 6,000 UK outlets and on the Internet, recorded no new entries this week. Ben Elton's "Dead Famous", a comic take on the world of reality TV, was the week's biggest riser, up from 515 to 97 after just one week on release. Meanwhile, spy novel "Edge of Danger", by Jack Higgins, was the biggest faller, dropping 35 places to 79 after seven weeks on the chart. The weekly book chart is published at www.booktrack.co.uk. Wednesday 14th November 2001 Harry Potter Ready to Take Over the World LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Look out Luke Skywalker, go home E.T., and Leo, you may not be the king of the world after Friday when boy wizard, Harry Potter debuts in cinemas in one of the most-anticipated films of the year. It's easy to see why the children's story "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is likely to be a blockbuster. Author J.K. Rowling's books about the 11-year-old's exploits at the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft have sold some 125 million copies around the world and drafted legions of fans into a ready-made audience for the movie. The film will open in over 3,500 locations in the United States -- a near record -- and about 70 countries over the next three to four weeks. Early reviews have been positive and advance ticket sales are taking off like a witch's broom. Beyond the film lies a marketing and merchandising campaign built on the idea of "less is more," and that, experts said, could mean billions of dollars in year to come for the film's producers at Warner Bros. and parent AOL Time Warner. Before the money can come rolling in, however, the movie had to remain true to Rowling's books in which kids are plucked from a world of non-magical "muggles" and taught wizardry by the likes of Professors McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore. "I'd heard these horrendous, and actually quite amusing, stories about how some directors wanted to adapt the book, like changing the locale to a Hollywood High School," said director Chris Columbus. "(But) to destroy the foundation of this world and the characters would alienate our audience." A WORLD AWAY In London's Kings Cross Stations off platform 9-3/4, special kids can catch the Hogwarts Express to a medieval castle where they will learn to cast spells and battle evil. Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) is one of those kids, dropped off at the home of his cruel aunt and uncle Dursley, after his own parents -- wizards -- were killed by a demon. Potter doesn't know why his forehead is scarred with a lightning bolt or why he communicates with animals. But he does know there is a special place for him somewhere in the world. Harry's real home is at Hogwarts, and after admission letters begin arriving at his home on his 11th birthday, he is finally taken to the school where his mother and father met. Hogwarts' grizzled old Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) becomes Harry's guardian, and it is Hagrid who shows Harry the mound of gold coins his parents left him, outfits the young wizard with his first wand, and buys him his white owl. But Harry's real Hogwarts friends are fellow first-year students Ron Weasley (Rupert Grant), a happy-go-lucky kid with only B-grade magic skills, and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), a smart-as-a-whip girl and a master in the ways of the wand. Their lives at Hogwarts are filled with fun and adventure, mystery and intrigue, three-headed dogs, dragons and unicorns. Over the year, they unravel a mystery surrounding a "sorcerer's stone" that could give infinite life to Harry's evil nemesis. "The script is faithful, the actors are just right, the sets, costumes, makeup and effects match and sometimes exceed anything one could imagine," writes movie critic Todd McCarthy of showbiz newspaper Daily Variety. POTTER POWER Now, if only the business of "Harry Potter" can measure up. As with the film, Warner Bros., working with Rowling, has tried to avoid overhyping Potter products. The film studio only has one global marketing partner, soft drink maker Coca Cola. "Our mantra was read the books and you'll understand. When you have a brand like this that originates from a literary property, by it's very nature, you handle it differently," said Diane Nelson, senior vice president of family entertainment. There are other reasons for the "less is more" campaign. In recent years, licensees of many film products have felt burned by paying a high price for the licenses only to see products vanish quickly from retail shelves as the movie hype wore off. Two of the first major movies to suffer that fate, experts said, were 1999's "Stars Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace", a box office hit --$922 million (640 million pounds) globally -- and merchandise flop, and 1998's "Godzilla" with ticket sales of $375 million. "Many movies stopped clicking emotionally with consumers ... and a child or teenager has to feel like this is something they want to be part of their lives," said Seth Seigal, co-chairman of licensing company, The Beanstalk Group. "Also, there were just too many products in stores." The "less-is-more" campaign, too, helps protect what Warner Bros. hopes will be a moneymaker for years to come. If all goes well, financial analyst Jill Krutick of Salomon Smith Barney figures, the Harry Potter movie, consumer products, video, DVD, TV and other sales could reap $450 million to $700 million in operating income for AOL Time Warner. That is only from the first movie. A second Harry Potter movie begins shooting next week and a third is in the works. It's enough money to make any muggle think there's a lot of magic to this young British orphan's world. And it's no fantasy, it's reality, and it all begins on Friday. Wednesday 14th November 2001 SYDNEY (Variety) - Casting a mighty spell over Britain, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" has conjured up a record-breaking 3.4 million pounds in limited previews on Saturday. That was the highest single-day gross in British history, Warner Bros. reported on Sunday. The studio did not provide an estimate for the Sunday shows, but the Saturday number already has eclipsed the market's previous two-day record for previews: nearly two million pounds earned by "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" in 1999. The omens are awesome for the fantasy, which premieres in the U.K. on Friday. The studio is planning the broadest international release in company history, according to Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, WB president of international theatrical distribution. The number of prints isn't finalised yet but Kwan-Rubinek said it will be about 8,000 -- the industry's widest ever, beating "Pearl Harbor," which Disney unleashed in waves, eventually totalling 7,500 screens outside North America. Warner's confidence is high: The studio has already laid claim to November 15, 2002 as the release date for the second "Potter" picture. The coffers of Britain's biggest cinema chain, Odeon Cinemas, were bulging with advance sales worth 1.24 million pounds through November 5. Similarly, the UGC chain reports that sales for the picture have "gone through the roof". The saga of the boy wizard, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris and Maggie Smith, does not appear to face any cultural hurdles as the book has sold widely throughout the world, including Asia. Four weeks before the launch in Japan, "Harry" fans had snapped up 34,049 tickets -- the second-biggest advance in that period, behind local toon "The End of Evangelion," which clocked 43,295 ducats in 1997, but 158% ahead of the "Phantom Menace" advance in the comparable frame, and more than double that of "Jurassic Park." WB expects sales to exceed 100,000 by the December 1 debut, but it will trail the industry record for advances set by "Back to the Future III," which pre-sold nearly 146,000 tickets. Warner has been working closely with promo partner Coca-Cola to ensure maximum awareness of the film. In South Korea, for example, Coca-Cola is emblazoning its products with Harry Potter images. Special screenings start in Korea November 15, and there are all manner of Harry Potter trinkets such as wristwatches and CD games. The books have been bestsellers in Korea, and the local WB office says Koreans of all ages are eagerly awaiting the film, which bows December 14. In Italy, tickets usually go on sale only a week or so before films debut, but some cinemas are already pre-selling "Harry." Warner Italy's Paolo Ferrari said everything is in place for the December 6 release on about 250 screens (expanding to a super-wide 400 for Christmas), with awareness and interest running very high. There's been considerable Italian press coverage, including double-page editorial spreads in some leading papers after the London premiere. Italy is one of the few major territories where "Harry Potter" will have a clear field in the fantasy market, as "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" doesn't open there until January 18. Richard Parton, general manager of Australia's Greater Union theatre chain, confidently predicted "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (as it's titled in most foreign markets excluding Asia) will gross a hefty $20 million. That would eclipse the $16.3 million earned by "Shrek," which, Parton observes, did not have "Harry's" built-in awareness and brand recognition. It remains to be seen how close it can get to "Titanic," Australia's all-time box office champ at $29.4 million. For sure, "Harry Potter's" November 29 launch on 474 screens Down Under is unprecedented, outstripping "Pearl Harbor," which rolled out on a mere 411. In Hong Kong, one exhibitor said there's more anticipation for the little sorcerer than for another upcoming entry in the fantasy genre. "The awareness of the film here is pretty high, even though a lot of people don't read much," said Bob Vallone, general manager of UA Cinemas in Hong Kong, where "Harry" bows December 20. "People know much more about 'Harry Potter' than 'The Lord of the Rings.' If the picture is good, it will be huge, regardless of knowledge of the book." Monday 12th November 2001 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A special screening of the film based on the Harry Potter books, has been greeted by a small band of protesters from a U.S. interest group accusing Coca-Cola . of using it sponsorship of the movie to peddle junk food to children. "The interest in reading that 'Harry Potter' has caused, is great," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of Washington-based Centre for Science in the Public Interest. "What's not great is Coca-Cola's use of this literary phenomenon to sell junk foods to kids." In February, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, the world's No.1 soft drink company, signed a $150 million partnership with AOL Time Warner making it the sole global marketing partner for the Warner Bros. movie, based on the popular Harry Potter children's books by J.K Rowling. The soft drink giant also has pledged $18 million to literacy efforts as part of its campaign. "To characterise our sponsorship of the film and our promotion of the magic of reading as inappropriate and to infer a connection with health and wellness of children simply misses the point for the sake of sensationalism," Coca-Cola spokeswoman Susan McDermott said on Sunday. "We find it ironic that Michael Jacobson, and the CSPI, are using Harry Potter to promote his agenda," McDermott added The Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a non-profit group that focuses on health and environmental issues, launched a campaign last month calling attention to the Coke deal in an effort "to protect children's' health." Jacobson set up a Web site (http://www.SaveHarry.com/) inviting "Harry Potter" fans to join him in appealing to Rowling to "save Harry" from any future tie-in with Coca-Cola and to donate her royalties from the current deal to campaigns for improving nutrition. Jacobson claims that "soaring soft-drink consumption over the past 25 year has helped fuel soaring obesity rates in the United States. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola launched a make-over of its school marketing strategy after critics complained that its soft drinks were contributing to obesity and commercialising schools. The company has agreed to begin selling juices and other nutritional drinks to students. Monday 12th November 2001 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - With less than a week until Harry Potter bewitches filmgoers, the Disney cartoon "Monsters, Inc." enjoyed its second -- and likely last -- weekend as the number one film at the North American box office. According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Monsters, Inc." earned $46.2 million (31.7 million pounds) in ticket sales for the three days beginning on Friday, taking its 10-day total to $122.8 million. The cartoon passed the century mark in nine days, setting a new record for an animated feature. Disney's "Toy Story 2" held the record -- 11 days -- with help from a Thanksgiving holiday release in 1998. Both films played in a similar number of cinemas. Three films entered the top 10 -- two new releases, "Shallow Hal" at number two with $23.3 million and "Heist" at number five with $8 million; while "Life as a House" jumped 12 places to number eight with $3.7 million in its first weekend of wide release. Receipts for the top 12 films totalled $116.5 million, down 12 percent from last weekend, but up 20 percent from the year-ago period, when "Charlie's Angels" was tops for a second round. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" opens next Friday in both the United States and in Britain -- where it is called "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" -- and the family movie is expected to shatter box office records. "They're going to be huge," said Chuck Viane, president of distribution at Walt Disney, which released "Monsters, Inc." via its Walt Disney Pictures banner. "I think we'll be hit. No question." "Harry Potter" -- one of the most anticipated films of the year -- will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of AOL Time Warner. The media giant's New Line Cinema unit will distribute the only other wide new release next weekend, "The Wash," an urban comedy starring rap singers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. Sunday 11th November 2001 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Surfers logging on at home are flocking to HarryPotter.WarnerBrothers.com, the official website of the Harry Potter movie, according to internet audience measurement service Nielsen//NetRatings. During the six weeks ending November 4, traffic to the Harry Potter site rocketed 239 percent to 573,000 unique visitors, compared with 169,000 surfers for the week ending September 23. Traffic to the site continued to grow this past week, jumping 47 percent from 390,000 visitors for the week ending October 28. The film goes on general release in the UK on Friday, November 16. Females comprised 63 percent of the site's audience, while males accounted for more than 37 percent. Twenty-one percent of the site's audience fell between the ages of two and 11, with 338 percent more children visiting the Harry Potter website than the average web audience. "The 'Harry Potter' book series has translated very favourably online, with television and in-cinema promotions fuelling traffic to the website," said Jarvis Mak, senior internet analyst for NetRatings. "Special animation and interactive games showcased on the site cater to the enthusiasm and loyalty generated by younger surfers, further promoting the Harry Potter brand." Nielsen//NetRatings measures and reports internet audience behaviour based on data collected from 62,000 home users and 8,000 at work users in the U.S and 155,000 international users. Friday 9th November 2001 LONDON (Reuters) - Reading is now increasingly popular among children thanks to the Harry Potter phenomenon, according to a charity that promotes literacy. A survey showed that nearly 70 percent of children who had read a Harry Potter book said it had encouraged them to read other books, the charity Reading Is Fundamental said. The JK Rowling books, about an orphaned boy who finds out he is a wizard, have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, topping adult best-sellers lists as well. Of those who had read Harry Potter, 35 percent said the books had been recommended by a friend and a further 20 percent said they wanted "to find out what all the fuss is about". Neil McClelland, director of the National Literacy Trust, said: "The magic of Harry has made an impact on the reading habits of children throughout the UK. "With the release of the film this month, we hope that this will encourage even more children to read the books and discover that reading is fun." The film, based on the first book of the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", opens in Britain on November 16. Reading Is Fundamental, launched by the National Literacy Trust, promotes literacy by allowing children to choose and keep new books at no cost. Thursday 8th November 2001 LONDON (Reuters) - Fictional boy wizard Harry Potter has continued his magical bid for world domination with the record-breaking children's books storming back to the top of the British bestseller list. As children of all ages eagerly count down the days until the release of the first much-anticipated Potter film, paperback editions of the J K Rowling books have become the five best-selling books in Britain, according to data released on Wednesday by Whitaker BookTrack, which monitors all book sales in Britain. Book one, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was back in the number one slot almost five years after it first hit the shelves. It sold 53,841 copies last week alone. The second book, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", and fourth book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" were in second and third position while book three, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is in fifth. A special edition of the first book, which the film is based on, is in fourth spot. "Its wonderful news and we are just delighted. It is quite funny to have the top five spots considering there are only four Harry Potter stories so far," a spokeswoman for publishers Bloomsbury Publishing Plc told Reuters. "We couldn't have wished for better publicity from the film. Now people are rushing back to the book shops to read the book first." The Harry Potter phenomenon, which has captured the imagination of millions of children and adults around the world, reached fever pitch on Sunday with the glittering premiere of the movie in London. The film, titled "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the United States, opens in Britain and the U.S. on November 16. The Potter books, about an orphaned boy who finds out he is a wizard, have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, topping adult bestseller lists as well as children's. They knocked comedian Billy Connolly's eponymous biography by his wife Pamela Stephenson off the top spot and into sixth position. Chef Jamie Oliver's "Happy Days with the Naked Chef", Dave Pelzer's "Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family", Ian Rankin's crime thriller "The Falls" and Terry Pratchett's "The Truth: Discworld S" rounded out the top ten. The BookTrack list (www.booktrack.co.uk) is based on data of weekly book sales from about 6,000 British outlets and Internet retailers. It includes all categories of books for both adults and children -- paperback, hardcover, fiction and non-fiction. Wednesday 7th November 2001 LONDON (Reuters) - Parents may groan at the cost of kitting their children out in the latest Harry Potter paraphernalia, but their rush to the shops could be the injection the ailing British retail sector needs. Nearly 20 percent of the population is under 14 years old -- and that could translate to more than 11 million young customers eager to get their hands on the Harry Potter quilt, pyjamas and book of spells, not to mention cape and broomstick. At the lower end of the market, parents may get away with the lunchbox at five pounds, the Quidditch card game at seven pounds or the "magical appointments" organiser at eight pounds. But if your offspring demands the official outfit of cape and Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick, complete with their very own stuffed Hedwig owl and side-kick giant Hagrid, be prepared to fork out 100 pounds at the very least. Online retailers are also reaping the benefits in the run-up to Christmas. The Harry Potter computer game has already topped the Amazon best-selling charts with pre-release advance orders, and all four Potter books are occupying the top slots of the UK's best-seller list. The Pottermania consumer drive looks set to be an enduring phenomenon. A spokesperson for London toy emporium Hamleys said the Harry Potter lines were doing extremely well and interest was picking up after the release of the movie "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" last weekend. "We are confident sales will keep going up at least until Christmas," she said. "Also, when we go to toy fairs this year we expect to see more Harry Potter toys than last year, especially if the movie does as well as everyone thinks." The news should come as an unexpected boon to retailers that have been starting to worry about an economic slowdown. In a survey released in early November, the Confederation of British Industry group survey of retailers found that 45 percent of retailers reported higher sales and 26 percent a fall compared to last year, resulting in a positive balance of 19 percent, down from September's 54 percent. Wednesday 7th November 2001 WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Lord of the Rings movie maker Peter Jackson says part one of his J.R.R. Tolkien classic fantasy trilogy is not in competition with the first Harry Potter film, dismissing talk of rivalry between the two. "Everybody paints this sort of competition between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings -- it's sort of crazy because I just wish Harry Potter all the best and I'm sure it'll be great," Jackson told reporters at his studios in Wellington on Wednesday. "I'm a huge fan of the books so I'm looking forward to it." Jackson was speaking after New Zealand, where the Lord of the Rings was filmed, declared itself home of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth in a bid to promote itself as a destination for both Lord of the Rings fans and as a filming location for future movies. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" had its debut to rave reviews in London on Sunday. The first Lord of the Rings movie in New Zealander Jackson's $300 million (205 million pounds) series -- "The Fellowship of the Ring" -- premieres in London on December 10. Newspapers have cast the two movies as rivals in a battle of the box office but Jackson declared himself a fan of Potter. AOL Time Warner will be a winner both ways -- its New Line Cinema studio is producing the Lord of the Rings series. Another of its units, Warner Brothers, is making the Harry Potter series. Over the past half century, J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy about hobbits, trolls, elves and wizards has sold an estimated 100 million copies worldwide -- enchanting readers with the tale of Frodo the hobbit (played by Elijah Wood) who sets out to destroy the magic ring that would make the evil Saruman (Christopher Lee) all-powerful. J.K. Rowling's books about Potter the teenage wizard reached the 100 million mark in just four years. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", which cost $125 million, stars Daniel Radcliffe (as Harry) and Robbie Coltrane. While the media is sure to compare the box office receipts of the two movies, Jackson suggested fantasy fans would watch both, rather than follow one movie series over the other. "People have another year to wait for the next Harry Potter film but we're coming along four or five weeks later," he said. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced a NZ$4.5 million ($1.9 million) programme to promote her country alongside the movie's launch. Tourist maps have been produced listing 35 filming locations used in the movie ranging from a Wellington gravel quarry to the picturesque mountain resort of Queenstown in the Southern Alps. "Lord of the Rings presents a unique opportunity to showcase our country to the world," Clark said in a statement. New Zealand has appointed a Minister for the Lord of the Rings, Pete Hodgson, to coordinate promotional efforts. New Zealand plans a similar promotion around the America's Cup yachting regatta in Auckland early next year, with total government spending of up to NZ$16 million ($6.7 million) across the two events. The Harry Potter movie -- entitled "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" for U.S. audiences -- goes on general release on Nov |