Do audiences still care about Harry Potter?

June 15, 4:35 PMBooks on Film ExaminerConnie Ann Kirk

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince starring Daniel Radcliffe releases in theaters one month from today on July 15, 2009.  It is the first major book or film from the widely popular wizard franchise to appear in two years (The Tales of Beedle the Bard, notwithstanding). The ongoing Scherehazade-like nature of author J. K. Rowling's seven books coming out over ten years, combined with the anticipation that the films used to have in what clues they might reveal about future plot points in the books; and the inevitable passage of time marked in the ages and interests of audiences--both children and adults--all of these factors combined beg the question: "Do audiences still care about Harry Potter?"

This will be the first time ever that reading audiences buy a ticket for a Harry Potter film with the foreknowledge of how Harry's story ends.  Readers will go to the theater now simply to see the film adaptation of a novel they aleady know, like most films adapted from novels they go to see.  They won't be watching for tiny details that might reveal whether Harry ends up with Hermione later in the book series or whether Voldemort and Harry are ultimately related.

Many young adult readers--to whom some may argue the later Potter books and films are most directly targeted since Harry, himself, is 16 in this installment--have moved on to other books and fantasy novel series in their reading habits. 

The "sexier" fantasy series, The Twilight Saga, for example, based on the bestselling series by Stephenie Meyer, currently fuels a big buzz on the Internet with fans following the daily progress of filming as well as the goings-on of cast members, the cast's other projects, and even cast members' friends.  Will Twilight fans who are adolescents (not all are, by the way) and other teen readers now look back at a Harry Potter movie--however powerful, adventurous, and action-packed--as "kids' stuff" compared to their new interests?

At the other end of the spectrum, many families who went together to the midnight book release parties of Harry Potter with their caped and bespectacled little ones now pay college tuition for those same "little ones," who are no longer at home. Will Harry Potter 6 still hold interest for empty nest parents or college students doing summer internships, or even working young adults in their 20s now trying to save money to take a vacation?

July 15 and the few days following will be a test for the Harry Potter franchise that has held a reliable stronghold on the book and film industries for so many years.  With two more movies and a theme park yet in the pipeline, box office numbers for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince may be a test for just how long a mega-popular franchise can sustain interest, and sales.  Harry Potter has always had a devoted fan following; however, it will take more than the longstanding fans to bring about the kind of numbers the franchise is used to seeing each time out.

One thing seems certain this time around--when people go to see this film, it will be because they care more about Harry Potter, the character, than they do about being part of the latest, hottest trend of the moment.

"Do audiences still care about Harry Potter?"  The Potter story has held audiences' interests longer than most.  The theme music alone brings back lots of memories for people who have loved the series for years.  Harry Potter--the character so many young people and families grew up with--may have just enough magic of his own to keep drawing them back.

(c) Copyright by Connie Ann Kirk.  All rights reserved.

Comment Below:

Do you plan to go see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?  If so, are you excited to see what filmmakers have done with the sixth novel, or are you feeling more nostalgic about going, remembering the "old" days before the last book was published? 

Will hearing that theme music again draw you right back into the enjoyment you found in this series, and always will have?  Or have you "grown out" of Harry Potter (or were never into it in the first place)?

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For extensive coverage of Harry Potter on Examiner.com, see the Harry Potter Examiner.