The Power of Potter

"Sure Chana," I said, "I get paid on wednesday, so I'll get my ticket then."

"Can't you borrow some money? Tickets are selling out!" came the reply. There was a frantic note in her voice. The fear that only a wizard would be able to get tickets on the day of the event.

She might be right.

What event could possibly be so huge in Greenville, SC? A Concert? Is WWE back in town? No, just the phenomena that goes by the name of Harry. The next installment of the Harry potter movie franchise is to be released in under 42 hours as of this writing, and my phone and facebook accounts are all abuzz. Who's going? Who's already got tickets? Is someone going to get there hours early enough for the good seat choices?

Who would have thought this series of books would become the money making monster it has? The stars of the movies are already some of the richest young actors in the world. They have grown up in front of us, and they still have 2 more movies after this one, since Deathly Hallows is destined to be cut into 2 movies.

The hype machine has grown in proportion with the darkness in the the films, reflecting the growth of a fan base that aged along with the stars. While I would in no way make a case for the Harry Potter movies to be one of the greatest film series of all time, I would like to say this series has the distinction of being so perfectly groomed for having a steady fan base from day 1 that it is no surprise that it remains successful. Had I started out at the same age as Harry when I began watching and reading this series, I might be as fanatical as some of these fans are today.

"My younger brother has had the day marked on his calendar for a while now," said a USC Upstate student, who didn't want his nam used, "it's kinda embarrassing, but I'm kinda amped to see it too." And that is the prevailing attitude I've seen. The wait for the Half Blood Prince has been marked in Greenville, SC by a growing and spreading fascination, a contagious excitement under the surface. The fans have a barely suppressed gleam in thier eyes, and a bounce in thier step.

Last time I saw this much energy and anticipation, I was in front of the theatre 7 hours before Star Wars, Episode 2, and I was still 8th in line. Anyone else see this?