Harry Potter 6 Pushed Back to Summer of '09, Muggles Everywhere Gnash Teeth

Execs at Warner Brothers have announced that the release date for the sixth movie installment of Harry Potter will now be in July of '09, eight months later than its originally slated released date around Thanksgiving of this year.

Warner cites a couple reasons for the delay, one being that they are still recovering from the writers' strike, but the other seems more plausible: money. It seems July is the best movie to make money if you're a big studio with a blockbuster on your hands. I blame the curse of The Dark Knight for this!

The thing is, Harry Potter seems to be the sort of phenomenon that transcends release sweet spots. I'm willing to bet if they released the thing on, let's say, a Tuesday afternoon in March, people would still be rounding the block with their little wizard cloaks and painted-on scars. All this is really serving to do is freak my Potter-deranged coworkers the fuck out. Which is a little annoying, to be honest.

But might it also be a risky move to push it back so far, considering the fact that many younger fans of the Harry Potter books, the core of Harry Potter movie fans, are growing up a lot faster than these movies are churning out? As they get older, they grow overly concerned with seeming babyish, and children's books are cast aside faster than you can say Accio iPod. "Now is the time to put aside childish things," they say, scoffing when their moms try to drag them to the multiplex. Then they stuff their Nimbus 2000s in the closet and ask for a ride downtown for some smokes and a tattoo. The "child" actors in the films will be nearly eligible for AARP benefits by the time the last installment hits theaters.

What do you think? Should Warner Brothers be afraid of waning interest?

[source]

Comments

[Liana]

Nope. Especially when there is such a huge adult following. The Harry Potter books and movies have long been loved by children and adults alike, so....no worries about waning interest here.
I know I'll go see it! And I'm 28.

[LiteraChick]

Hi, my name is Kelly and I am an annoying Potter deranged co-worker who is freaking the fuck out right now!

"Hiiii Kelllly"

I think the studio execs are money grubbin' in their picketed studios right now and I hope the extra money, if any, derived from the July release puts them in another tax bracket and they get raped in tax season

[Sam]

Well, according to the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7562557.stm) WB has confirmed the money-grubbing:

Alan Horn, president of studio Warner Bros, said the decision was taken to guarantee the studio a major summer blockbuster in 2009.

He also blamed the Hollywood writers' strike, which hit the film industry hard earlier this year.