Harry Potter »

Many were quick to decry Avatar as being, contrary to the hype, not a game changer. Yet here we are, living in a post-Avatar world with its repercussions already evident even with the film still in theaters. Thing is, the game changing has been on the business end at this point, not the ground-up effects end as most proffered. Avatar's record-devouring returns, due to the added premium for 3D and IMAX tickets, have gotten all the major studios into a tizzy over how they can best capitalize on said premiums with their current slate. Or, more bluntly, they want to charge you more for what you were already going to see.

Case in point, it is expected that in the very near future Warner Brothers will announce that both Clash of the Titans and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows will go under the post-production scalpel for a 3D face lift. The studio has been openly debating the Clash conversion for a while, but The Hollywood Reporter now tells us that they've loved the tests they've done on certain scenes and have now bumped the film's release date to April 2nd to accommodate the change. And, in fairness, this seems reasonable on WB's part as Clash isn't going to be a guaranteed hit, so it makes sense they'd try to hedge their box office bet.

Harry Potter, on the other hand, is a more blatant case of milking the audience for as much as possible. Being the final film(s) of one of the most popular book and film series ever produced, it's safe to say that the audiences were already going to flood the theaters on November 19th. Now we will all just have to pay an extra 15-30% more for the privilege to do so despite the fact that neither film was shot with 3D in mind. Thanks, Avatar!

If Warner Bros was a movie character, it would be Demi Moore in Indecent Proposal -- sexy, successful, and with piles upon piles of money to roll around in. That's because as of today, according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, Warner Bros has become the most profitable studio of the year. With over $2 billion in domestic grosses, they now hold the movie industry record for most profitable studio. But even the record breaking is a little yawn-worthy for old Warner Bros. They broke the record last year too with $1.789 billion, so if there's a trophy that gets passed around Tinseltown, they get to just polish it up and straighten it on their mantelpiece.

Of course, if you pay attention to box office numbers at all, this really comes as no surprise. They've had three incredible years when it comes to blockbusters. In 2007, they had three of the top ten highest grossing films with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I Am Legend, and 300. In 2008, a little movie called The Dark Knight raked in a hell of a lot of money, as did Sex in the City. This year, they've had three films crack the year's top ten, including Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, The Hangover, and The Blind Side. I'm sure Sherlock Holmes will factor in there too once all the holiday pennies are counted. (All those numbers come from Box Office Mojo, who does all the math so we don't have to.)

So, what's their secret ... besides a boy wizard franchise? One is tempted to say that they make a quality product, and take risks on filmmaker visions (see: Watchmen, Where the Wild Things Are), but still make sure to churn out the moviegoer-friendly commercial fare. There's probably films on that money-maker list you don't particularly like, but they were almost all worthy of your moviegoing dollar. They honor their franchises and they don't micromanage. They take chances. And look how it pays off at the box office. Well done, Warner Bros -- and better luck next year to everyone else.

Cinematical is happy to be the site that exclusively brings you the next piece of coolness to come out of The Road to Hogwarts Sweepstakes, which is a contest set up to promote the December 8th DVD and Blu-ray release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Essentially, fans can enter for a chance to attend Universal Orlando Resort during the grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is that brand new fantastic-looking Harry Potter theme park (see concept images here) set to hit in the spring of 2010. In addition to entering the sweepstakes, folks can also earn extra entries by playing a series of Potter-themed online games where weekly winners earn more Harry Potter prizes.

And that's where we come in, see, because we have the latest Road to Hogwarts Sweepstakes game and it's called Death Eater's Duel. Here's a description: "Lord Voldemort's army of Death Eaters have been reunited with him and their power is growing. Players can recreate the scene of a duel with the Death Eaters in this online Wii remote-controlled game in preparation for dueling against Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Fenrir Greyback. Players must be ready to choose a spell to fire back at the curses the opponents will be aiming at them. This game can also be played with a computer mouse instead of a Wii control."

To play the game, click on the below link, and for more information on The Road to Hogwarts Sweepstakes, head over to their official website. Enjoy!

Click here to play Death Eater's Duel

Amidst all this nonsense over The Twilight Saga franchise, Warner Bros. does not want you to forget that they're gearing up for one helluva two-part finale when it comes to their just-as-popular Harry Potter franchise. The first official image from Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 has arrived online courtesy of USA Today, and right off the bat we have our three franchise heroes, Daniel Radcliffe (as Harry), Emma Watson (as Hermione) and Rupert Grint (as Ron). They look sort of determined in that image -- as if they're about to lay the wizardry smackdown on some unlucky evil soul.

Director David Yates tells USA Today, "It's going to feel very real. We're going for a vérité approach. Being away from Hogwarts, they're like these three refugees on the run. They're out in the big bad world, facing real danger, unguarded by those wonderful benign wizards at Hogwarts. They don't have a home to go to. We're kind of pulling away from the magic a bit and bringing more reality to it." The first installment, which hits theaters on November 19th, 2010, find our heroes dropping out of school and roaming the streets of London in search of Voldemort's remaining three Horcruxes. Says Grint, "They're paranoid. It's quite a scary world because the Snatchers and Death Eaters are running around everywhere. Harry, Ron and Hermione are just camping out in random places, living rough, in regular clothes."

Sounds pretty badass. I like the sound of a grittier, real-world Potter film -- how come they didn't get Michael Mann to shoot this one? Watch it when it drops in November; meanwhile the second (and final) installment will arrive in 2011.

The long arm of Warner Bros. law strikes again. For many years now, the studio has been known for being quite strict with their projects. I'm not sure if any property felt that quite so much as the television world of Buffy; numerous fan sites were shut down during the run of the show, and post-finale, the uber popular Musical events were nixed. Now it's happening to fans of our favorite young, big-screen wizards.

The BBC reports that a woman planning a couple Harry Potter supper club nights for Halloween has been told to stop infringing on the studio's rights. Ms. Marmite Lover runs a small restaurant of sorts out of her home -- selling tickets and then making food for her guests, sometimes themed. For Halloween, she chose to make a Harry Potter-themed meal with a Diagon Alley entrance with password, a sorting hat, and food that includes butterbear and Fizzpop chocolate frogs. As part of their letter, Warner Bros. says: "We would therefore ask that you refrain from holding and/or offering for sale any tickets to the Harry Potter Nights and confirm to me by return email that the Harry Potter Nights will not go ahead as planned. Warner does not, of course, object to you holding a generic wizard/Halloween night at the Underground Restaurant."

She's since changed the name of the event, which is going on as planned, although I imagine Warner Bros. was probably expecting a little less Pottermania through the whole event (the Alley, hat, etc.). But how far should studios stretch their rights in cases like this?

There's an Eric Snider who writes about music and movies for a paper in Florida, and an Eric Snider who developed the Solitaire game that was ubiquitous on computers in the 1990s, and I've occasionally been mistaken for both of them. My lot in life is easy compared to someone named, for example, Harry Potter. London's Daily Mail has an amusing story about one such fellow, an unlucky lad who also happens to have a scar on his forehead (not lightning-shaped, though) and is the same age, 20, as Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the boy wizard in the movies.

Harry Potter was 9 years old when the first Harry Potter book came out, and what began as a silly coincidence became a major annoyance as the series' popularity grew. (As big a deal as Pottermania is in the United States, I understand it's even bigger in the U.K.) He says he has trouble whenever he fills out a job application, and he had to show his girlfriend his passport when he first met her because she didn't believe that was really his name. On the other hand, his girlfriend's name is Philippa, so I'm not sure who's really worse off here.

Oh, and he says: "I've heard all the puns about my wand." (Unrelated fun Harry Potter game: When you read the books, mentally replace every use of the word "wand" with "wang." It never gets old!)

The newspaper says that while fictional Harry Potter got his scar in a battle with Voldemort, the real "Mr Potter ran into a lamppost aged 15." Why it matters that the lamppost was 15 years old, I don't know. How would they even know that??

If you thought dirt-flavored jellybeans were a fun way to indulge your Harry Potter fandom, you're in for a treat. Mark your calendars for spring 2010, when muggles and aspiring wizards alike will have the chance to visit a veritable Harry Potter mecca: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! The fully-immersive theme park, part of Universal Studios Orlando in Florida, will recreate many of the most familiar scenes and settings of the Harry Potter franchise, from the Hogwarts Express train rollercoaster to the actual castle that is home to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Upon arriving in Hogsmeade Village, fans will get the chance to be "chosen" by a wizarding wand at Ollivander's wand shop, visit the Owlery, drink butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks, and buy candies like chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans at Honeydukes Sweetshop. (You know what this means: bring plenty of Wizard Money when you go.)

(Preview concept art for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter after the jump!)