Warner Bros. Discovery is releasing all eight Harry Potter movies into theaters in China, according to Variety. They will play in some 3,400 theaters across 295 cities. According to the studio, this will be "the first time all eight films will be available consecutively at such a large scale in any territory."
The fun kicks off on October 11, right around one of the heaviest film-going periods in China. The movies will be available to watch in 2D as well as multiple premium formats, including in CINITY/IMAX/Dolby Cinema. Here's the full schedule:
- October 11: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- October 18: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- October 25: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- November 1: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- November 8: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- November 15: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- November 22: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- November 29: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Harry Potter series holds a special place in the hearts of Chinese audiences, as the original movies were coming out right around the time that multiplexes were becoming commonplace in the country, meaning that the Harry Potter films were the first western movies that many Chinese people watched in comfortable, modern theater conditions. “There is a whole generation of Chinese audiences, however, which have not had the chance to enjoy the ‘Harry Potter’ movies in theaters,” said WBD executive Kurt Rieder. So WBD is trying to capitalize on that collective affection.
Western movies used to dominate the Chinese box office, but they've been losing ground in recent years to home-grown fare, so this might also be a test to see how deeply western movies can still penetrate the Chinese market. And of course, it can help hype people up for HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series, which is due out in a few years. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a new theatrical run of the Harry Potter movies elsewhere in the world before the show premieres.
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