Unless you've been living in a cave this year you've probably spotted that there's a Harry Potter movie coming out in a few weeks, and it's going to be rather big. The question is : how big? Is it going to be "big" big or "ginormous" big? There are plenty of theories explaining why it will be the later. Heat's Film Editor Charles grant puts them to the test.

 

 

In the UK, 500 cinema screens is considered a big release. Film industry talk is that Harry Potter And Ther Philosopher's Stone will be released on 1,000. Distributor Warners declined  to comment on it's strategy, but if you bear in mind that a single chain, Odeon, is dedicating 225 screens to the film, then it's pretty obvious that  Harry Potter is going to get a release on a massive scale. Odeon brand manager Richard Storton says: " We are getting ready for Pottermania! We are expecting a tremendous response from the public. The reaction so far has been un[recedented, with  enquiries being made three months prior to the tickets going on sale."

 

 

Big blockbusters often have one day of paid previews the weekend before the official release. These ticket sales are added into the official opening - weekend box-office figures, boosting them in the race to announce the biggest opening of all time. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone is doing two days of paid previews (on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 November) in advance of it's official Friday 16 release date. And as we went to press, a whopping 100,000 tickets to these previews had already been sold. The previews at Odeon Leicester Square sold out in a matter of days.

 

All this is bad news for the movies opening on 9 November ( such as the Jet Li action flick Kiss of the Dragon) which had been counting on a week of sales before the arrival of Potter - now it squares up against the boy wizard on it's very first weekend.

 

 

As you'd expect, the Harry Potter movie is being marketed by cinema trailers, TV ads, outdoor posters and ads in magazines and newspapers. But thats only half the story. Just as Tomb Raider  gained extra marketing presence by teaming up with Land Rover and Ericson, with TV commercials  for those products also serving as ads for the movie, So Harry Potter will benefit from a deal with Coca - Cola. Coke will spend huge sums promoting specially branded Harry Potter soft drinks (although only the logo, not Harry himself will appear on the cans). Additionally, a merchandise avalanche will ensure that Potter is seeping out at us from every turn. The world premiere in London's Leicester Square on Sunday 4 November will boost an already - massive media presence, as will subsequent charity screenings in Edinburgh (6 Nov) and London (7 Nov).

 

 

Warners picked 16 November as its release date a long time ago, and other distributors have reacted accordingly. To say they are all running scared is an understatement. Coming out against Potter is hip independant release Ghost World starring American Beauty's Thora Birch, plus a couple of tiny British films such as My Brother Tom and Disco Pigs. But Harry Potter and December's big blockbuster Lord Of The Rings have between them had a discouraging effect on other big movies. Between Potter (16 Nov) and Rings (19 Dec) there are a few Hollywood flicks coming out, such as Zoolander and Bandits, but no massive ones. Films like Ali (with Will Smith) and Oceans eleven ( with George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts) are waiting until 2002 to launch in less - hostile waters. "It's a bit of a nightmare" complains the managing director of a rival distributor who adds, "The combination of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings will cause a severe lack of choice for moviegoers. There are no screens available. By the Christmas holidays it is expected that seven or eight screens out of a ten - screen multiplex will be filled with those two films."

 

 

Warners have optioned the rights to the first four Potter novels and hope to make seven movies - just as long as JK Rowling writes the rest of the promised books. Preproduction has already started on the second film, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. Warners are banking on the profits from these movies, so it is worth spending even more money to ensure the first one  is a massive hit. If it flops, they not only lose much of the $125 million production cost of the first film, it also destroys the whole franchise. (The distributor of Lord Of The Rings is in the same position - there are two  more Rings movies, which have already been shot, so neither can risk the first one failing.)