Author JK Rowling was to lead the cast of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix down the red carpet in London on Tuesday for the film’s much-anticipated official world premiere.
Excitement was building ahead of the star-studded London event, with thrilled fans expected to pack into Leicester Square for a glimpse of their heroes.
The film versions of Rowling’s novels about the British schoolboy wizard have made international stars of Daniel Radcliffe (Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), all expected at the gala premiere.
In his fifth film outing, Potter experiences his first kiss, though his integrity is questioned when some in wizard circles question his tale of confrontation with the evil Lord Voldemort, who has returned from the darkness.
Radcliffe (17) described the movie as the film he is most proud of, while Watson reckons it is the “most genuine” of the series.
The $150-million production will hit cinemas around the world from July 11. Tuesday’s European and gala world premiere was being broadcast live on the film’s British website from 16h00 GMT.
The Japanese national premiere was held in Tokyo last Thursday, when screaming fans were left spellbound as Radcliffe wowed the crowds in Japanese while twin towers of white light pierced the evening sky.
The US premiere takes place on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Potter fans have been eagerly looking forward to this month. Besides the film launch, the seventh and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comes out on July 21.
Nearly 1,6-million people worldwide have pre-ordered the book from internet retailer Amazon, breaking their pre-order record.
“There was never any doubt that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was going to be the best-selling book of 2007, but to break the Amazon pre-order record with so much time still remaining before release is extraordinary,” said head of books Christopher North.
Rowling has said she will kill off two characters from the series, without revealing which ones.
The six books published thus far have sold 325-million copies worldwide and have been translated into 64 languages, while the four films have grossed $3,5-billion worldwide.
On Monday, Radcliffe became the youngest actor to have a wax look-alike in the famous Madame Tussauds waxwork museum.
“Daniel has become a young British acting force to be reckoned with,” said Ben Lovett of Madame Tussauds London.
“It’s been great for the studio’s sculptors to recreate someone who we’ve all watched growing up on the big screen.”
Also on Monday, 13 young vandals were given official warnings for causing £75 000-worth of damage to the train depot housing the Hogwarts Express in the films.
The tearaways, aged 12 to 17, smashed more than 230 windows on the famous train at the depot in Carnforth, north-west England. — AFP