Half-Blood Prince delayed until July 17th, 2009
Warner Brothers has just announced that Half-Blood Prince will be delayed. The film will instead be released on July 17th, 2009. From the press release:In making the announcement, Mr. Horn stated, “Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: 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. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”
Read the full release at the link below.
Press Release:
BURBANK, CA, August 14, 2008 – Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that it has moved back the release date of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” to Summer 2009. The sixth installment of the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise will now open day-and-date domestically and in the major international markets on July 17, 2009. The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.
In making the announcement, Mr. Horn stated, “Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: 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. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”
Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, confirmed, “The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films. 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. We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and the first part of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’”
Commenting on the release date change for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” David Heyman, the producer of all the Harry Potter films, offered, “When Jeff Robinov explained the rationale behind moving the release date of ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ to July 2009, it was immediately apparent that this offered us the potential to reach the widest possible audience. I am extremely proud of this latest film and of the work of David Yates and our incomparable cast; I believe we have developed and pushed the series further still. We are all looking forward to sharing it with Harry Potter fans around the world, even if we have to wait just a bit longer.”
David Yates, the director of both “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and who will also helm “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” added, “It has been a joy to work on ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.’ Dan, Rupert and Emma and all our returning young cast continue to blossom, and our new cast members bring fresh color and life to Hogwarts. Even as we put the finishing touches on this latest film, we are already beginning preparations on the final two films—we start filming in February—and I am excited to bring this remarkable series to the exciting and moving conclusion its loyal fans deserve.”
In “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” David Yates, who directed last year’s summer blockbuster “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” returns to direct “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” David Heyman and David Barron are the producers, with Lionel Wigram serving as executive producer. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay, based on the book by J.K. Rowling.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are reprising their roles as young wizards Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film also stars Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis and Julie Walters. The cast also features David Bradley, Jessie Cave, Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Natalia Tena, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Bonnie Wright.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
BURBANK, CA, August 14, 2008 – Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that it has moved back the release date of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” to Summer 2009. The sixth installment of the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise will now open day-and-date domestically and in the major international markets on July 17, 2009. The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.
In making the announcement, Mr. Horn stated, “Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: 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. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”
Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, confirmed, “The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films. 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. We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and the first part of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’”
Commenting on the release date change for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” David Heyman, the producer of all the Harry Potter films, offered, “When Jeff Robinov explained the rationale behind moving the release date of ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ to July 2009, it was immediately apparent that this offered us the potential to reach the widest possible audience. I am extremely proud of this latest film and of the work of David Yates and our incomparable cast; I believe we have developed and pushed the series further still. We are all looking forward to sharing it with Harry Potter fans around the world, even if we have to wait just a bit longer.”
David Yates, the director of both “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and who will also helm “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” added, “It has been a joy to work on ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.’ Dan, Rupert and Emma and all our returning young cast continue to blossom, and our new cast members bring fresh color and life to Hogwarts. Even as we put the finishing touches on this latest film, we are already beginning preparations on the final two films—we start filming in February—and I am excited to bring this remarkable series to the exciting and moving conclusion its loyal fans deserve.”
In “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” David Yates, who directed last year’s summer blockbuster “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” returns to direct “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” David Heyman and David Barron are the producers, with Lionel Wigram serving as executive producer. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay, based on the book by J.K. Rowling.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are reprising their roles as young wizards Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film also stars Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis and Julie Walters. The cast also features David Bradley, Jessie Cave, Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Natalia Tena, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Bonnie Wright.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Posted by Andrew on Aug 14th |
1478 Comments
Visitor Comments
KEEP COMMENTING, PEOPLE! NO WB MOVIES....BE STRONG ALL YEAR; DON'T GIVE IN NO MATTER WHAT!! I PROBABLY WON'T SEE ANY MOVIE THIS YEAR UNTIL HBP. TEACH THE WHOLE INDUSTRY...COME ON! I CAN WAIT FOR THE DVD OF ANY OTHER MOVIE. NO PROBLEM. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME ON THEM FOR DOING THIS....GREEDY.
I was really sad when got home from Up North after the weekend, checked the Mugglenet news, and saw this . When I found out that the movie release date had been moved to 8 months later than originally planned, I was so depressed that i cried for hours and devoured 2 bars of Hershey's chocolate.
"Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers
it really sucks :[, me and my best friend were gonna see it together, now we have to wait another year! Do you know HOW LONG A YEAR TAKES TO GO BY? They are pretty slow these day -_-
this is horrible. all of my friends are pissed and hate the fact that twilight is taking harry potters place. honestly i feel like a child that has just been told that santa clause isnt real. they have better move up the date because if they dont i will literally go insane.
HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO US?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!
Off the topic, but I would like to see how many comments are posted on this one topic!!! So please keep the anger, and the hp love coming!!! LET US SHOW THAT HP FANS ARE NOT TO BE MESS WITH!!!
Sorry guys for my last comment. I realized just as I was hit Post Comment, that I forgot to add these words: I would like to see how many comments are posted, BEFORE THIS TOPIC IS GONE FROM THE MUGGLENET'S HOME PAGE!!! Again I am sooooooooooo, sorry for my mistake, but I am human and humans do make mistakes!!! Except of course when it includes WB making a big inportant, valueble decision! money making or love of fans, in that case, the choice is clear, money is more inportant than fans!!!
if you are unhappy go to this site http://www.petitionsp ot.com/petitions/harrypot ter6 and sign it! thanks : )
Imagine alan horn in his office: "Hmm, we can either have the movie this november as planned and promised to the fans, or postpone it to july and make more profit. Do i choose the fans? Or more money? Fans, money, fans, money, fans.....MONEY!!!" And just like that, he upsets thousands of fans alike.... anyway, wow, 34,000 have signed that petition, impressive.
I can't believe it! Are the people at WB too ignorant to realize that the only thing they are going to do is alienate a lot of the fan base. That's how I feel anyways. I am so angry that they did this that I don't even want to go see the movie in July. Don't they understand that with the popularity of the HP books and the interest in the story even if they put the movie out tonight every show would be sold out. They don't have to wait until next summer to make a profit. Interest in Harry Potter is at an all-time high. They may not have made a lot of money with previous movied because until Goblet of Fire came out there were a lot of people who were unaware of how wonderful Harry Potter is for all ages. Now there is no way The Half Blood Prince could open without being sold out all over the world.
Now we have to wait ANOTHER 11 Months. They dont want to dissapoint the fans, that is bull they already did.
Actor5 go die in a hole. Your either wiht the population of all of us or you leave mn. Sorry you just really caught me on a bad day with that comment.
Well I really dont know what to say,Im highly upset right now,I mean i can see a couple months but 11 fudge months.Whats the sense in when they release it and how much money its gonna make,if they were to release it on a important holiday im sure we would all go see it no matter what.This is really stupid and im fudge mad
You can sign a petition @ www.petitionspot.com and search harry potter. I hope that will make WB change there mind. Well I've already sign about six of them. Man when I found out about the next harry potter movie being delayed I couldn't believe it. Curse WB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I CAN'T WAIT A YEAR! ESPECIALLY NOW THAT THE TRAILER IS OUT! I wonder if they took into consideration how many people they were going to psst off.
Are you kidding me? July 2009 for Half Blood Prince, then part 1 of Dealthy Hallows in 2010 and part 2 in 2011. Nothing like working hard to chase HP fans away. This will prove to be a BIG mistake.
WHAT THE HELL? This is absolutely absurd!!! I would understand if they had a reasonable reason like they need more time to do a good job on the movie, but the real reason is infinitely more ridiculous and shallow. It seems to me as if they are just in it for the maximum profit, not like that should be surprising, and delaying nine months to get it. Making that announcement only three months before the would-be release date is beyond unreasonable and is just plain rude. They have ensured themselves a significant loss of popularity and trustworthiness. They KNOW the scope of the fanbase and it should NOT be treated this way. OK I feel better now. Rant over.
i just found out. i think my heart just broke
I think that everyone that left a comment should sign the petition. I hope that this doesn't mean that Harry Potter will lose more fans. They already did when they put so much time in between each Harry Potter movies. I hope that WB reads all of the petitions and comments that all of us have left and signed.
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