All witches and wizards of Hogwarts, school is officially not in session this fall! Warner Bros’ Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, based on the sixth book in J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series, was originally scheduled to release on November 21st of this year, but is being pushed back to July 17th of 2009. While the production company sees it to an advantage, once-eager and loyal fans feel differently. Â
After the hit of the summer blockbuster Dark Knight, it is speculated that Warner Bros. seeks the same success for their film. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Warner Bros. Chief Operating Officer, Alan Horn justified the change of release date. “Our reasons for shifting Half-Blood Prince to summer are two-fold,” he said. “We know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment.” Horn further explained that the studio is feeling repercussions of the writers’ strike, affecting the readiness of the script for Half-Blood Prince. “It was the perfect strategy to move [the film] to July,” said Horn. “We wanted to take advantage of the situation by changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity.”
In spite of doing so, both the production and merchandising companies, in conjunction with the movie, are skeptical about how seriously this change will affect future Harry Potter films. “Turning a battleship that big isn’t easy,” stated executive producer, Lionel Wingman, in the interview with Entertainment Weekly. “You’re not talking just about the movie, but all the merchandising, the toys and stuff. It’s huge. And it has a domino effect across the rest of the summer slate.” Yet currently, Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, is playing it cool and confident. “The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films,” Robinov said. “Post-production on Half-Blood Prince was completed on time, and the studio’s release plans for the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be affected by this change. In fact, the good news [for the fans] is that the gap will now be shortened between Half-Blood Prince and the first part of the seventh movie.”
Whether the change of release for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was fair or not, eagerly awaiting fans are forced to wait; after all, as the phrase goes, “good things come to those who wait.” Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and the rest of the cast will all be returning in the sixth movie and plan to finish the last two films as well. “Even as we put the finishing touches on this latest film, we are already beginning preparations on the final two films,” said Director David Yates. “I am excited to bring this remarkable series to the exciting and moving conclusions its loyal fans deserve.”
By Reema Rao, Echo copy editor
