Harry Potter Top Grossing Motion Picture Franchise
Warner Brothers has announced this evening that the Harry Potter series is the largest-grossing film franchise to date globally, surpassing Star Wars and and James Bond. Totaling $4.47 billion in ticket sales (with two films left to go, WB points out), several high-ups at Warner Brothers are quoted in the press release:In making the announcement, Alan Horn [President & Chief Operating Officer] said, “It would be an understatement to say we are proud of the success of the Harry Potter films. We also want to congratulate all of the extraordinary actors, filmmakers and artists who have shared this remarkable cinematic journey with us.”Of note, Variety has published an article comparing the Potter film franchise to the other big ones:
Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, said, “It is a thrill to see the Harry Potter franchise reach this unparalleled mark, and, with two movies yet to come, it is amazing to think what heights the franchise could reach by the end of the decade.
Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, Warner Bros. Pictures President of International Distribution, added, “This worldwide box office record once again proves that the appeal of the Harry Potter movies knows no border, no age limit, and no language barrier. Each of the five films has captured the hearts and sparked the imagination of audiences everywhere.”
Bond, which dates back to 1962, has generated $4.44 billion worldwide and the "Star Wars" pics have pulled down $4.23 billion since the first release in 1977. None of the tallies account for inflation or rising ticket prices.To read the press release from Warner Brothers, click the link below.
And domestically the "Star Wars" franchise still far outpaces the boy wizard. All told, the "Star Wars" pics have grossed $2.18 billion, while the "Harry Potter" franchise has grossed $1.41 billion. But then there are still two more "Potters" to go.
And all three have generated millions upon millions in downstream ancillary coin for their studios, once homevideo and TV revenue are added into the tallies.
Press Release:
WARNER BROS. PICTURES’ HARRY POTTER FILMS COMBINE TO
BECOME THE BIGGEST FILM FRANCHISE IN HISTORY
Harry Potter Film Franchise Surpasses James Bond
and Star Wars, With Two Films Yet to Come
BURBANK, CA, September 10, 2007 – With the success of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter films have now become, worldwide, the top-grossing motion picture franchise in history. The announcement was made today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer and Alan Horn, President & Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.
The combined worldwide box office gross for the five Harry Potter films to date is in excess of $4.47 billion, surpassing the box office totals of all 22 James Bond films and the six “Star Wars” movies.
This impressive record comes even as “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is still going strong in theatres around the globe, and with two more highly anticipated Harry Potter films—“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”—still in the offing.
In addition to holding the franchise box office record, all five of the Harry Potter films have the distinction of being among the 20 top-grossing box office hits of all time.
In making the announcement, Alan Horn said, “It would be an understatement to say we are proud of the success of the Harry Potter films. We also want to congratulate all of the extraordinary actors, filmmakers and artists who have shared this remarkable cinematic journey with us.”
Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, said, “It is a thrill to see the Harry Potter franchise reach this unparalleled mark, and, with two movies yet to come, it is amazing to think what heights the franchise could reach by the end of the decade.
Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, Warner Bros. Pictures President of International Distribution, added, “This worldwide box office record once again proves that the appeal of the Harry Potter movies knows no border, no age limit, and no language barrier. Each of the five films has captured the hearts and sparked the imagination of audiences everywhere.”
The next Harry Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” will open on November 21, 2008. The seventh and final film, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is planned for a 2010 release.
WARNER BROS. PICTURES’ HARRY POTTER FILMS COMBINE TO
BECOME THE BIGGEST FILM FRANCHISE IN HISTORY
Harry Potter Film Franchise Surpasses James Bond
and Star Wars, With Two Films Yet to Come
BURBANK, CA, September 10, 2007 – With the success of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter films have now become, worldwide, the top-grossing motion picture franchise in history. The announcement was made today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer and Alan Horn, President & Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.
The combined worldwide box office gross for the five Harry Potter films to date is in excess of $4.47 billion, surpassing the box office totals of all 22 James Bond films and the six “Star Wars” movies.
This impressive record comes even as “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is still going strong in theatres around the globe, and with two more highly anticipated Harry Potter films—“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”—still in the offing.
In addition to holding the franchise box office record, all five of the Harry Potter films have the distinction of being among the 20 top-grossing box office hits of all time.
In making the announcement, Alan Horn said, “It would be an understatement to say we are proud of the success of the Harry Potter films. We also want to congratulate all of the extraordinary actors, filmmakers and artists who have shared this remarkable cinematic journey with us.”
Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, said, “It is a thrill to see the Harry Potter franchise reach this unparalleled mark, and, with two movies yet to come, it is amazing to think what heights the franchise could reach by the end of the decade.
Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, Warner Bros. Pictures President of International Distribution, added, “This worldwide box office record once again proves that the appeal of the Harry Potter movies knows no border, no age limit, and no language barrier. Each of the five films has captured the hearts and sparked the imagination of audiences everywhere.”
The next Harry Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” will open on November 21, 2008. The seventh and final film, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is planned for a 2010 release.
Posted by Andrew on Sep 10th |
801 Comments
Visitor Comments
cool
2!!!!!!! again...... b*tche...
omg! im 3rd!!! yea!!
that's amazing!
top ten?
ten? woop.
awesome
top ten! yay! now i can go read it!
amazing!! top ten??
i meant its a bi*ch when i thionk im gonna be 1st, and someone comes and posts..... i think that common courtesy should dissallow ppl to post before i do.... *goes to console herself with cheesecake*
woww cool!
Wow...not many posts are there...kinda sad!! Jk!
yusss top 15 its a record for me!!! that's awesome news!
Well heck, WB is just having a feild day with this now aren't they? haha... I wish I was rich... then I would buy a wii to play Harry Potter on with the stick as my wand!
top 15, wow i love HP sooooo much
That's cause Harry Potter is awesome and will never, ever be surpassed!! GO HARRY POTTER!
# 17!!!!!!!! I think!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
it gives me such a warm and fuzzy feeling to know that I am part of such a big phenomenon in the world today. I mean seriously, it's so amazing to think how many people are involved in this fanbase, and even though I haven't met more than five of them, I feel a connection to each person as if we are a special community. I love you all!
woot! WE ARE PART OF THE HARRY POTTER PHENOMENON PEOPLE! CELEBRATE HP!
awesome indeed.
I love you too...?
agreed, juliegranger.
yay...HARRY POTTER RULES!!! im so glad to be a part of this fan base :-D
hey, i should be like an honorary cheesecakian. the only reason why I'm not a cheesecakian is cuz i cant give up mock-spoiling DH (y' know like Voldemort becomes a Pirate and takes over Hogwarts via his Kraken) anyways, I'm thinking of starting a new faction (or group) called the Elves of Rivendell. If anyone thinks it sounds interesting, let me know. Oh, and on of the oaths would be to promise not to quarrel with the cheesecakians, our cousins.
#? Top 25 though I think
i love harry potter. its only because of the musical and eb games and the theme park though. theyre taking its a bit too far.
WOOO HOOO! HARRY POTTER IS THE shhh!!!!!
GO HP!!!!
MONEY MONEY MONEY ew
awesomness!
Not much happenin' here, now is there dearies??
*sighs in annoyed sort of way* where IS everyone?!
That's awesome! top 30!
zomg haahaha yaaayyy!!! i saw this on TLc just now....WELL DONE HARRY POTTER PWNAGE!!!! i cant blieve how close HP is ahed of Star Wars and Bond. What about LOTR? HP is, like, .3million ahead of bond/star wars...YAY!!
Awesome! It was only a matter of time and with two more films coming out it is assured to make even more worldwide and possibly even overtake Star Wars at the domestic box-office.
Yup zomboy06 when we finish all the Harry Potter movies we'll out gross the Star Wars films by millions lol jk but yeah thats great
More like the Harry Potter SERIES knows no borders and limits. They make it look as though it only the actors and production that people go to see the movies. It's thanks to Jo's genius books and her amazing writing that a big portion of the people went to see the movies in the first place, and I find it completely unfair that there is no mention of her in the entire press release. Way to be grateful, WB. Other than that, I'm pretty proud of what the movies have become, I never thought they would be this big and as a fan of the books is a great feeling to know other people appreciate Harry Potter from the movies point of view. They will never be as great as the books, but they're still entertaining and good in their own way.
This all sounds good from one perspective, but when you think about it, the films are only successfull because of the books. You can't compare the Potter films' success to that of Star Wars and James Bond. For one thing, they made their success purely on good filmmaking - the Potter movies (unfortunately) don't have that. These older movies built their own fanbase strictly from the movies, whereas the Potter films began with an overwhelming fanbase before the movies were even considered. Also, when the Star Wars and James Bond films first started being made, a successfull gross was considered a lot less than what it is today. True, they have been making money for a lot longer, but the majority of a movie's income comes from it's theatrical release, and no movie back then could have ever made as much money as the average film does today. Don't get me wrong, I love the Harry Potter series, but the films have been borderline abysmal (except for maybe the first 2), and the only reason they get people coming to watch them is because of the amazing success of the books.
are any of us really surprised? Well, congrats, WB! But you owe it all the the wonderful J.K. Rowling!!!!!!
u guys.... *solemn voice*..... i have a confession to make..... I AM JK ROWLING!!!!!!!!!!!
Adjust the numbers for inflation and HP would be way behind Star Wars and Bond
really?
im so sorry, jk jk jk, i couldnt resist plz forgive the outburst!
ok i'll let it slide. JK lol
hey! did everyone go to bed?
YES INDEEDY DOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, that is amazing. I'm still amazed by how big Harry Potter has gotten, and it just keeps getting bigger.
WOW thats so cool TOP 50?
HP > all.
Woo! Harry Potter just rocks like that. [50th?!]
Back to Top