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==Differences from the book==
==Differences from the book==
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Much of the book's ending has been changed, with the climactic battle in the castle and Dumbledore's funeral being removed. Heyman commented that the end battle was removed to "[avoid] repetition" with the forthcoming adaptation of ''Deathly Hallows''. The funeral was removed as it was believed it did not fit with the rest of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snitchseeker.com/harry-potter-news/exclusive-david-heyman-talks-dumbledore-s-funeral-hogwarts-battle-more-update-4-a-59248/ |title=Exclusive: David Heyman talks Dumbledore's funeral, Hogwarts battle & more |accessdate=2008-09-20 |date=2008-09-19 |work=SnitchSeeker}}</ref>
1. The Other Minister
The Millennium Bridge is destroyed.
The Millennium Bridge collapses in the beginning of the film and is shown to be caused by three flying Death Eaters.[70] The scene with Scrimgeour and the Muggle Minister is omitted.
The first chapter, where Cornelius Fudge recaps all the bad things that have happened to the muggle Prime Minister has been omitted. It also explains how Fudge resigned as Minister of Magic and how Rufus Scrimgeour took office, as well as describing the murders, hurricanes, and bridge collapse that have been going on. However there is still a minor reference in the Daily Prophet at the beginning of the film that mentions there is a new Minister for Magic.
Harry had a copy of Daily Prophet in the Muggle world, He reads it while in a Dinning Inn located along a Surbiton station but then he left it on the table when he saw Professor Dumbledore outside. The muggle waitress at the Inn flirts with Harry and asks about the Newspaper he reads, which is not included in the book.
[edit] 2. Spinner’s End
The Spinner's End film location is consistent with the book. The mill referred to in the text is not a watermill or windmill, but a nineteenth-century textiles factory in a northern industrial town in the UK, most likely in Lancashire or West Yorkshire. The text references the mill chimneys (now disused) and rows of nearby houses. Terraced houses as shown in the film are typical of late nineteenth century mill-workers houses in industrial Britain.
When Narcissa and Bellatrix go to meet Snape, Bellatrix does not show the intense loathing for Snape that she does in the book and does not press him to answer questions about his allegiances. Narcissa doesn't seem as grief stricken as one might think and is not the one who suggests the unbreakable vow, however she does have tears in her eyes. Her hair is a mix of blonde and dark brown stripes, rather than being completely flaxen blonde. Snape also seems reluctant to make the vow, instead of immediately agreeing as in the book.
Peter Pettigrew a.k.a. Wormtail's role is smaller than his in the book. In the film, he peeps out of the door to greet Narcissa and Bellatrix, and in the next shot, after showing the two into the parlor room, where Snape was waiting, Snape used his wand to slam the door shut, barring Pettigrew from the room.
[edit] 3. Will and Won't
The scene with the Dursleys when Dumbledore comes for Harry at Privet Drive as he had pre-arranged in a letter has been omitted. Rather, Dumbledore finds Harry in a train station restaurant. The Dursleys do not appear in the movie.
Harry is never mentioned to have inherited Gimmauld Place or Kreacher.
House-elf Kreacher is also omitted in the entire movie.
There's no sign of any pamphlet showing the Safety measures issued by the Ministry.
[edit] 4. Horace Slughorn


The entire village of Budleigh Babberton is recreated from the book, including the old war memorial. There is a pub called Babberton Arms in the background.
Dumbledore does not give Harry the heads up about Slughorn by mentioning that they are short on staff or alluding that he needs his assistance. They just go to the Muggle house where Slughorn is hiding. Harry does not speak to Slughorn of what he stands to gain by returning to Hogwarts.
Safety measures issued by the Ministry and about the Inferi hasn't been discussed even throughout the entire film.
In the book, the flaw in Horace Slughorn's plan to hide himself was that he forgot to cast the Dark Mark. In the film, the flaw is the blood on the ceiling, which Dumbledore identified as Dragon blood.
In the book Horace Slughorn was said to have a big silver moustache like a walrus and was supposed to be quite large, both are changed for the movie.
[edit] 5. An Excess of Phlegm
Dumbledore does not inform Harry, before leaving him at the Burrow, that he will be giving him private lessons and does not tell him to confide the truth about the prophecy to Ron and Hermione or to keep his invisibility cloak with him at all times.
Instead of Dumbledore and Harry apparating to the tool shed near the Burrow, Harry finds himself standing on the swamp alone outside the Burrow.
Discussion of Bill and Fleur's wedding arrangements, Fleur's stay at the Burrow, and even both characters, have been omitted.
The relationship between Tonks and Lupin is implied, as they leave the party together and Tonks mentions that "the first night of the full moon cycle is always the worst." She also calls Remus sweetheart but later in the film. Tonks doesn't appeared on this chapter in the movie.
There is no scene where the owls bring the examination results; the first reference to Harry's exam results comes when Professor McGonagall informs him (in the corridor) that he may take potions as he had exceeded expectations in this subject.
In the film, Ginny is the first one to notice Harry, in the book Molly Weasley and Tonks see Harry first.
[edit] 6. Draco's Detour
Diagon Alley is almost completely boarded up and vacated. The only life to be seen comes from WWW Joke Shop. The "U-No-Poo" posters are eliminated however there is a satuesque, moving sign of a typical Muggle-like magician lifting a top hat to reveal a rabbit. The sign is over a story tall.


Fred and George at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in 1996.
Both Weasley brothers talk in tandem the entire time.
There is no mention of how the Weasley's were able to open the store because of the winning prize of the Triwizard Tournament held two years before.
Draco does not sneak off on his own and talk to Mr. Borgin about fixing the cabinet, but instead goes with his mum and several Death Eaters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione do not follow him under the cloak and use extendable ears. Hermione doesn’t try to trick Mr. Borgin into telling her what Draco is reserving.
Borgin and Burkes appears with a sign without the 's' at the end of Burkes. There is a WANTED poster of Fenrir Greyback in Knockturn Alley. The trio climbs the delapidated roof of an abandoned building to witness Draco being shown one half of the pair of vanishing cabinets, instead of listening to Malfoy about wanting to fix something, from the beginning they know that the object that Draco wants is the vanishing cabinet, the cursed necklace is not mentioned nor seen. the cabinet is triangular-shaped and monolith in size. Draco enters the shop with a team of Death Eaters.
There is no mention of fake amulets, etc. being sold, or of Mr. Weasley's promotion.
[edit] 7. The Slug Club


The Slug Club
The Slug Club's first meeting does not take place at Slughorn's compartment in the Hogwarts Express, but at Slughorn's office in Hogwarts.
The Slytherin end of the Hogwarts Express is split into two sides, not compartments as had been seen in previous films. It looks like booths with a table in between them. There is no door to close as had been in previous films. The compartments where Harry, Ron and Hermione sit are similar to what was in previous films, with the sliding doors.
The Hogwarts Express is shown to have five coaches, instead of the usual four coaches as shown in the previous books.
Students move from the train to the school without school robes, rather clad in modern clothing.


The scene in which Draco catches Harry spying on him on the train is preformed verbatim from the book, however Luna Lovegood, not Tonks, finds Harry with her Spectrespecs, and states she can see Wrackspurts all over him.[71]
What Draco reveals on the train is far less suggestive in the movie.
Harry Potter is not met at the gate by Snape. Instead, Professor Flitwick stops Harry and Luna (noticeably not recognizing them) then casted a non-verbal spell to the gate for defence.
Because Nymphadora Tonks was replaced by Luna in saving Harry from the train, The movie doesn't show Tonks' Patronus.
[edit] 8. Snape Victorious
Snape does not take Harry to the castle; instead, Harry and Luna walk by themselves.
Hagrid is present in the Great Hall, instead of being in the forest with Grawp.
[edit] 9. The Half-Blood Prince
Discussion about choosing subjects and questioning of Prof. McGonagall were also not included in the movie. Simply Professor McGonagall is seen in the corridor giving class schedules to students and then chastising Harry and Ron for laughing at the newer students. She then instruct Harry to take Potions lesson and to bring Ron with him.
There are no D.A.D.A. classes shown in the movie.
In the movie, when Harry and Ron entered the Potions class, they're both late, but Slughorn doesn't seem to have started the lessons yet. The two informed Prof. Slughorn that they don't have the required book, so Slughorn instructs them to get a book from the cabinet inside the room. When they see that there's only one new book left, they both grab for the new version of the book, titled Advanced Potion-Making. Ron successfully got the new book while Harry is left with the older copy, formerly property of the Half-Blood Prince. Like in the novel, Harry obeyed the markings and instructions of the Half-Blood Prince instead of obeying the original instructions written in the book. This is the reason why he successfully passes the first examination and wins the Felix Felicis from Prof. Slughorn.
[edit] 10. The House of Gaunt
The Gaunt scene is cut. Yates stated, "In the books, the memories were a very big part of JK Rowling's story. We've actually pared them down in our story, and she was very supportive of that decision. They're such an enjoyable part of reading the Half-Blood Prince. But we've kind of distilled them down to two or three memories to try to keep everything more in the moment. Flashbacks in movies are tricky things; they tend to hold up the momentum of the story you're telling."
The movie only shows the memory in which Dumbledore goes to pick up Voldemort at the orphanage and the memory in which Voldemort asks Slughorn about the Horcruxes, which is shown twice, as in the book.
Harry doesn't get to know that the ring that Dumbledore has is actually a heirloom from the Peverell family.
The movie doesn't emphasize on the injury on Dumbledore's hand or Harry's insistence on asking him what caused it.
Dumbledore only refers to Merope Gaunt as "Voldemort's mother" when Harry asked about the ring. He tells Harry that the ring belonged to Voldemort's mother, when in the book it was retrieved in the hands of his uncle Morfin.
The ring was a black stone it the symbol of the Deathly Hallows on it, but in the movie it was uncracked as in the books.
[edit] 11. Hermione's Helping Hand
Quidditch try outs were included in the movie.
Hermione does use the Confundus Charm against Cormac McLaggen, however the spell is whispered into her hand in order to hide the incantation. Also, the incantation she uses is not the correct one. It is revealed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that the proper incantation is "Confundo". In the film, Hermione says "Confundus."
[edit] 12. Silver and Opals


Katie in pain while Harry, Leanne, Ron, and Hermione watch in horror
The scene where Harry, Hermione, and Ron meet Slughorn is moved from Honeydukes to the Three Broomsticks. During the scene Slughorn mistakenly calls Ron "Wallenby". This is presumably a reference to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where Mr. Crouch repeatedly calls Percy Weatherby.
Katie Bell is cursed by the necklace as in the book, and she is lifted into the air and silently screams with her head tilted back in a very frightening manner. As in the book, Hagrid comes and takes her to the castle, however Hagrid's role on the whole is very diminished.
Harry doesn’t meet Tonks and Mundungus Fletcher at Hogsmeade.
[edit] 13. The Secret Riddle
The memory of the Wool's orphanage doesn’t include talks of Tom Riddle hurting kids at the cave, which is essential to why he chose it as a Horcrux hiding place. Only a crude picture of the place is shown taped up on Riddle's bedroom wall.
[edit] 14. Felix Felicis
In the film, at breakfast before the first Quidditch match, Luna Lovegood, not Hermione, notices Harry faking to slip Liquid Luck into Ron's drink.
The weather on the day of the first Quidditch match is snowing and stormy in the movie, whereas in the book it is clear, a circumstance which Ron attributes to the Felix Felicis he thinks he drank.
Zacharias Smith's Quidditch commentary is omitted.
[edit] 15. The Unbreakable Vow
The Slughorn's christmas party is included in the movie.
Professor Trelawney is not present, Eldred Worple, Sanguini and other guests were not introduced by Prof. Slughorn but Filch's interruption holding Draco and telling everyone his gatecrashing is included.
There is much less conversation between Draco and Snape. Snape only mentiones to Draco that he has made an Unbreakable Vow, then Draco emphasized that he doesn't need protection.
Harry overhears the conversation in the corridor while hiding but without the use of Invisibility Cloak.
[edit] 16. A Very Frosty Christmas


Harry Potter, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Arthur and Ginny Weasley while the Burrow is attacked by some Death Eaters.
There has been an additional scene in the film which has no book equivalent. The Burrow is attacked by Death Eaters during the Christmas holidays. Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback are the only Death Eaters shown. Bellatrix flies unaided by a broom to the Burrow, then encircling the Burrow with a raging fire (which may be Fiendfyre has the flames are quite large and take the form of a serpent). She taunts Harry, chanting "I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!" Harry takes off after her in rage. Ginny takes off after him, trying to stop him. Lupin, Tonks, and Arthur Weasley follow them into the grassy marsh. While the five are lost in the field, looking for the Death Eaters, the Death Eaters take off and set the Burrow aflame, burning it presumably to the ground, before leaving. There is no further mention in the book of how the home is restored or what happened to it afterward. The burrow was supposed to be protected against the death eaters, and they simply set fire to it with no effort. This causes many problems with the seventh movie.


Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange attacking the Burrow with the ring of fire.
The discussion of Remus and Harry about Snape's character is too short, Remus Lupin didn't reveal to Harry that Snape helped him while he taught at Hogwarts as D.A.D.A. professor by brewing him a Wolfsbane potion every month.
In the movie, Lupin is angry with Harry, contrary to what was written in the novel.
The movie omits the details that Fenrir Greyback is a werewolf, and also the part of Lupin mentioning that Greyback was the one who turned him into a werewolf.
No reason is shown for Tonks’ lack of color in her hair (Hair is black not pink). When in the book is was brown and lank because she was in love with Lupin and worried for his safety amidst the werewolves and also anxious because he could not communicate with her.
In the movie, the part where Percy Weasley arrives at the Burrow on Christmas Day with the new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour is omitted, including the part where Scrimgeour attempts to persuade Harry to help the Ministry to tell to the Wizarding world that the Ministry's doing a wonderful job.
The part where the characters are listening to the music of Celestina Warbeck is omitted.
The Christmas season shown in the movie is a big contradiction on what the Chapter's title is. There are no sign of snow outside the Burrow and Ginny's nightdress seems not fit for a very frosty season.
Also included in the Christmas at the Burrow is the several scenes of suggested romance between Harry and Ginny. In the book, Ginny clearly didn't show scenes of affection toward Harry until after they started going out.
[edit] 17. A Sluggish Memory
The memory of the Gaunt House, Merope with the locket, Voldemort going to kill the Riddles and stealing the ring, the memory of Voldemort working at Borgin and Burkes and wanting the cup and locket, and the one when Voldemort returns to the school to ask to teach have all been omitted. Only the memory of the orphanage and of Voldemort asking about Horcruxes were kept.
There's no mention of Tom killing the Riddle family.
Slughorn's false memory does not show cloudiness; instead, when Riddle asks about Horcruxes his voice becomes muted and Slughorn rebukes him angrily.
[edit] 18. Birthday Surprises
There are no Apparition lessons or examination taught by Wilkie Twycross.
In the book, Ron and Lavender break up due to Lavender seeing Ron and Hermione coming down from the boys' dormitory (not seeing Harry due to him hiding under his invisibility cloak) and assumes they were together.
[edit] 19. Elf Tails
The Quidditch scene and Luna's Quidditch commentary from this chapter have been cut. [71]
The film doesn't show Harry being admit on the hospital wing.
No appearance nor mention of Dobby working in the Kitchen at the Castle. Nor Dobby and Kreacher tracking Draco for Harry.
In the film, Ron mutters Hermione's name while unconcious at the hospital wing with Harry, Hermione, Lavender, Ginny, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Slughorn, and Snape present, and Lavender runs off in tears.
The visiting of Hagrid, Fred, George, Arthur & Molly Weasley for Ron while in the Hospital wing were not shown in the movie. The praising to what Harry's did using a bezoar as a antidote to the poison is not mentioned by Fred but instead by Prof. McGonagall.
[edit] 20. Lord Voldemort's Request
The memory showing Hepzibah Smith and House-elf Hokey were not shown nor mentioned in the movie, and Voldemort applying for the D.A.D.A position is also ommited.
Prof. Dumbledore didn't mention to Harry that this position is possibly cursed by Voldemort because he refused Voldemort's request, in that no one can retain the position for more than one year.
[edit] 21. The Unknowable Room
There is no mention of Crabbe and Goyle using Polyjuice Potion and standing guard for Malfoy outside of the Room of Requirement.
Draco is seen testing an apple on the vanishing cabinet. It comes back with a bite taken out. He then tests a white songbird in the cabinet, and it comes back dead. Draco's desperation and fear in this scene is palpable. It is likely that he was repeatedly testing to see if it would work correctly, and became more frightened the more the tests failed, as everything he sent through except for the black songbird came back damaged in some way. It is also possible that the white and black songbirds and their respective failure and success may be an act of symbolism or foreshadowing.
Tonks doesn't appear inside Hogwarts looking for Prof. Dumbledore.
[edit] 22. After the Burial
The trio did't receive a letter from Hagrid informing them that Aragog was dead. Instead Harry simply mentioned that he wants to go to Hagrid's place after drinking the Felix Felicis.
Instead of taking a few drops of the Felix Felicis, Harry drains the entire bottle.
Slughorn is seen stealing tentacula leaves, rather than working WITH Professor Sprout to obtain potions ingredients. It shows completely contradiction or disobedience of a Professor on what Dumbledore said later in both film and novel that Thieving is not tolerated at Hogwarts.
Aragog's size appears smaller than described and shown in both the books and the Chamber of Secrets (film).
Slughorn also asks Hagrid for the venom directly rather than sneaking a couple bottles.
Harry doesn't talk about his mum and dad's death to Slughorn to the extent that he does in the book.
[edit] 23. Horcruxes
Only the ring and diary are mentioned to be horcruxes. The ring, which is supposed to be set with a plain round stone bearing a crude carving of the Deathly Hallows, is instead set with a fluorite-cut, honey-brown gemstone. It looks like a regular ring with no special significance, so therefore, Dumbledore would never have tried it on thinking it to be the Resurrection Stone and he wouldn't have been cursed to die.
Dumbledore does not actually have possession of Tom Riddle's Diary as it is shown in the film; Harry gave it back to Lucius at the end of Chamber of Secrets. As noted, the cup and locket story is left out, and something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw and Nagini are not debated to be horcruxes. However, cases of swords are seen to be mounted to the balcony wall in Dumbledore's study.
Dumbledore only mentions that the horcruxes could be anything, thus it implies that they don't know what they could be, Dumbledore never mentions that Voldemort searched for treasures and that it might be possible that his horcruxes were Valuable treasures of Hogwarts founders. Harry never gets to know why Dumbledore found out about the cave.
Dumbledore and Harry do not have many talks about Voldemort like they did in the book. Voldemort is not explained as someone who likes to control people, who is very charming with all the teachers, who places great meaning on places where he has tortured others, and who feels a deep connection to Hogwarts because it is proof he is special and is a wizard and because it feels like his home. However, these details were focused on in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie.
[edit] 24. Sectumsempra
The duel between Harry and Draco at the bathroom took place just after Harry questioning Katie Bell at the Great Hall regarding the cursed opal necklace, Katie looked at Draco then suddenly Harry chases him. In the book, The questioning of Harry on Katie Bell and Harry's duel with Draco took place between a couple of days and not happened in a same day. In the book, Harry tailing Draco using the Marauder's Map until he saw Draco inside the Boy's bathroom on the sixth floor. He overheard Draco crying and accompanied by Moaning Myrtle.
In the movie, Moaning Myrtle is not included.[72]
Harry and Draco briefly duel before Harry uses the Sectumsempra spell and Snape's countercurse is an incantation rather than a song.
In addition, the duel is composed of simple non-verbal dueling spells. Draco is not heard trying to use the Cruciatus Curse.
The scene where Severus Snape gives Harry detention for the Sectumsempra spell/ownership of his textbook is cut and apparently never took place.
Ginny, not Harry, hides the textbook in the Room of Hidden Things. This will prove complicated in the final movie when Harry knows where to find the diadem horcrux based on where he hid the book (although Ginny is present during the final battle, so she could assist him).
In the same scene, Ginny kisses Harry. Also, they find a second songbird Draco tested on the cabinet, a black one, alive and singing, but they do not know its significance. The cabinet is covered by a tapestry and they do not see what it is.
[edit] 25. The Seer Overheard
Emma Thompson does not return as Professor Trelawney and the scene where Snape's role as double-agent is not shown or mentioned.[73][74]
The movie doesn't show Harry questioning Dumbledore why he trusted Snape.
[edit] 26. The Cave
Dumbledore can apparate from Hogwarts as applied in the sixth book,where at the first Apparitioning lesson the instructor says that the headmaster (Dumbledore) has disabled the magic,that prevents Apparition in the castle,for the Great Hall.So he can disable this "magic" whenever he likes and at any place in Hogwarts.
The boat that has been used by Prof. Dumbledore and Harry to go to the island in the lake is not so small as described in the book. The potion was black rather than glowing green. The Goblet to be use to drink the potion in the basin was replaced into a shell. Dumbledore just saw it beside the basin rather than summon it using a non-verbal spell.
Dumbledore drank all the liquid in the basin (Harry fed most of it to him) and suffered terrible pain while doing so. The spell Lumos Maxima is shown again, this time as a glowing ball of light that could be thrown rather than a more powerful version of Lumos. When Dumbledore asked for water, Harry refilled the basin using the Aguamenti spell, but the drinking shell could not hold the water. Then Harry tried to get water from the lake, but an Inferius appeared and grasped his hand, pulling him under water. Dumbledore used a great wave of fire to get rid of the Inferi and then successfully escaped with Harry after casting a spell that was only mentioned in the movie.
[edit] 27. The Lightning Struck Tower


Harry and Dumbledore apparating to the Astronomy Tower.
Madam Rosmerta is cut from the film. Instead, Draco states he gave the necklace to Katie Bell, and also shows Dumbledore a Death Eater tattoo on his arm. Harry and Dumbledore Apparate directly to the Astronomy Tower. Harry is not frozen by Dumbledore and is on the floor below the top of the astronomy tower looking up through floorboards at the events.
Bellatrix Lestrange joins the Death Eaters at Hogwarts.
The scenes in which the moniker "Half-Blood Prince" are explained in detail are whittled down to a single line in which Snape states "I am the Half-Blood Prince," and walks off into the night. The meaning behind the title of the book and movie is cut. It isn't found out why Snape was the half-blood prince (He is half-blood and his mother's last name is Prince)
Snape's argument with Dumbledore, which took place at the Forbidden Forest at night and is overheard by Hagrid (Chapter 19), who disclosed to Harry in the book, is changed to taking taking place at the Astronomy Tower during the day, Harry arrives to overhear part of it and Snape leaves upon seeing Harry.
In the film, Draco shows Dumbledore that he has been branded with the Dark Mark, whereas in the book this is only an assumption by Harry, with no solid proof.
In the novel, it is said that Dumbledore appeared frozen in the sky. In the film Dumbledore immedieately falls over the railing and down towards the ground.
[edit] 28. Flight of the Prince
The ensuing battle between Hogwarts staff and students against Death Eaters has been significantly reduced to a rampage through Hogwarts; Bellatrix Lestrange busts out windows in the Great Hall and burns Hagrid's Hut. Hagrid and Fang are not present.
The Battle of the Astronomy Tower was omitted from the film, along with the scene where Bill Weasley is bitten by Fenrir Greyback.
Furthermore, the role of Bellatrix Lestrange has been greatly expanded in the film. In the book, she does not fight in the Battle of the Lightning Struck Tower or witness Dumbledore's Death. Upon witnessing it in the film, she reacts by destroying everything with sadistic glee and delight.
In the book, Snape reacts with livid emotion when Harry calls him a coward. However in the film, although Harry hurls this same insult at Snape twice, he does not react.
[edit] 29. The Phoenix Lament
Hagrid's Hut is set on fire by Bellatrix Lestrange, but the film doesn't show if Fang was trapped inside and also Hagrid is not present in this scene. Harry and Hagrid didn't put out the fire using the Aguamenti spell.
Professor McGonagall joins the crowd who discovered Albus Dumbledore's body in the foot of the Astronomy Tower. She leads the Hogwarts students and staff in raising their wands to be rid of the Dark Mark and in respect for the now-deceased Headmaster.[71]
There was also no debate or meeting at Headmaster's office between professors to discuss whether or not Dumbledore would be buried on Hogwarts grounds.
[edit] 30. The White Tomb
The entire funeral scene is cut, and the sole scene is trio watching Fawkes flying away through the blue sky. In this scene Hermione mentions to Harry that Ron was not concerned with his interest in Ginny.[71]
It is inferred that Ginny and Harry's relationship is still going strong, although in the book he says to her that it is not safe for them to be together.
[edit]Awards

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince won the 2007 Movies.com award for film you "Can't Wait For".[75]
[edit]Release Dates

July 15, 2009 = Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Egypt, France, Italy, New Zealand, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland (French), Turkey, United Kingdom, [76] U.S., Colombia.
July 16, 2009 = Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Chile, Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Lebanon, Korea, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines[77], Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland (German), Thailand, Ukraine, India
July 17, 2009 = Bulgaria, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Serbia, South Africa, Sweden, Uruguay, Venezuela
July 18, 2009 = Taiwan
July 23, 2009 = Croatia, Hungary, Lebanon, Puerto Rico
July 24, 2009 = Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania
August 27, 2009 = Greece[78][79]
[edit]World Premiere

July 06, 2009 = Japan
July 07, 2009 = London, England
July 09, 2009 = New York City, U.S.A.[80]
July 10, 2009 = Netanya, Israel; Zurich, Switzerland
July 12, 2009 = Giffoni, Italy;[81] Paris, France;[82] Australia[83]
[edit]See also

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (book)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (soundtrack)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
[edit]Notes and references

↑ http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthehalf-bloodprince/
↑ The-Leaky-Cauldron.org: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Rated "PG"
↑ The Daily Potter: Harry Potter 6 rated PG-13 on IMAX Theaters, Rated PG on regular theaters.
↑ Half-Blood Prince movie is 2 Hours & 33 minutes!
↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Warner Bros. (2007-03-23). "Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson to Reprise Roles in the Final Two Installments of Warner Bros. Pictures' Harry Potter Film Franchise". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-23.


==Marketing==
==Marketing==

Revision as of 05:32, 11 August 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
File:Hp6teaserposter.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed byDavid Yates
Written byScreenplay:
Steve Kloves
Novel:
J. K. Rowling
Produced byDavid Heyman
David Barron
StarringDaniel Radcliffe
Rupert Grint
Emma Watson
Michael Gambon
Jim Broadbent
Alan Rickman
Tom Felton
Helena Bonham Carter
CinematographyBruno Delbonnel
Edited byMark Day
Music byNicholas Hooper
Themes
John Williams
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
15 July 2009[1]
Running time
153 minutes[2]
CountriesTemplate:FilmUK
Template:FilmUS
LanguageEnglish
BudgetGBP£150 million
(USD$250 million)[3]
Box office$816,048,633[4]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a Template:Fy fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth film in the Harry Potter film series. It is directed by David Yates, the director of the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. David Heyman and David Barron produced the film,[5] and the screenplay was written by Steve Kloves, the screenwriter of the first four films.[6] Filming began on 24 September 2007, and the film was released in cinemas worldwide on 15 July 2009, one day short of the fourth anniversary of the corresponding novel's release. Unlike the previous film, the sixth film was not simultaneously released in regular cinemas and IMAX 3-D in all countries, due to a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen several week commitment.[7] The film was released instead in IMAX 3D on 29 July, two weeks after its original release, in these countries.[8]

The film opened to critical acclaim and instant commercial success, breaking the records for biggest midnight opening gross of all time as well as biggest single-day worldwide gross of all time. In five days the film made $391 million, breaking the record for biggest five-day worldwide gross in history. The film is dedicated to the memory of actor Rob Knox[citation needed] who portrays Marcus Belby in the film and was killed in May 2008.

Plot

Further information: [[:Plot of the book]]

Having returned to power, Death Eaters attack both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, while Lord Voldemort has given Draco Malfoy an assignment. Bellatrix Lestrange goads Severus Snape into making an Unbreakable Vow with Draco's mother, Narcissa, to protect Draco while he works to carry out the assignment if he fails. Scarred by his experience at the Ministry of Magic with Voldemort, Harry is reluctant to return to school. Dumbledore encourages Harry to continue and takes his help in enticing former Potions Professor Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts. Later, while leaving Fred and George's new shop in Diagon Alley, Harry, Ron and Hermione notice Draco associating with Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback and Narcissa Malfoy in Borgin and Burkes, leaving Harry suspicious.

At Hogwarts, Harry and Ron borrow textbooks from the school for Slughorn's Potions class. The previous owner of Harry's copy, the "Half-Blood Prince", has annotated the book with additional instructions and spellcraft that allow Harry to excel in class and win a vial of the luck potion Felix Felicis. After making it as Keeper in the Quidditch team, Ron becomes a Quidditch hero and he forms a relationship with Lavender Brown, which leaves Hermione heartbroken. At the same time, Ginny Weasley is in a relationship with Dean Thomas, which in turn, leaves Harry distraught. He hides his feelings from all but Hermione, however, knowing Ron is very protective of Ginny and would never allow a relationship between them. Harry spends Christmas Break with the Weasleys, during which he discusses the situation at Hogwarts with Order of the Phoenix members Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. During this time, he becomes closer to Ginny, who has since broken up with Dean Thomas. Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback attack the Burrow and attempt to kidnap Harry. The Order is able to keep everyone safe, but the Burrow goes up in flames.

Draco continues to elude Harry while perfecting the use of a Vanishing Cabinet inside the Room of Requirement. Harry suspects Draco is behind two attempts on Dumbledore's life: one through a cursed necklace (which accidentally hospitalizes Katie Bell), and another through a bottle of poisoned mead which nearly kills Ron. In his comatose state, Ron mumbles Hermione's name in his sleep, causing his relationship with Lavender to end.

During a confrontation with Draco, Harry hits him with a curse from the Half-Blood Prince's book which severely injures him. Snape arrives and heals Draco as Harry retreats. Fearing that the book may be filled with more Dark Magic, Ginny convinces Harry to leave the book in the Room of Requirement to prevent using it ever again. While Harry closes his eyes, Ginny hides the book and before he opens his eyes, she kisses him passionately, starting a relationship between them.

During private meetings held throughout the year, Dumbledore shows Harry memories of a young Tom Riddle and reveals Slughorn retains a memory critical to Voldemort's defeat. Harry manages to retrieve the memory using Felix Felicis. The memory reveals that Voldemort had been seeking information creating seven Horcruxes, devices that safeguard a portion of the creator's soul, thereby granting him immortality until the Horcruxes are destroyed. Dumbledore reveals that two of Voldemort's Horcruxes have already been destroyed: Tom Riddle's diary, and his mother's ring. After locating another Horcrux, Dumbledore requests Harry's help to retrieve it. Deep inside a seaside cave, Harry is forced to make Dumbledore drink a foul, mind-altering potion that hides the Horcrux, a locket. Though gravely weakened by the liquid, Dumbledore is able to defend them from a horde of Inferi and Apparates himself and Harry back to the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts.

Once there, Dumbledore first tells Harry to fetch Snape for help, but tells him to hide when footsteps approach. Draco appears and reveals that Voldemort has chosen him to kill Dumbledore, but is unable to follow through. Snape arrives, motions to Harry to stay hidden, and joins the throng of Death Eaters that arrive through the Vanishing Cabinet and surround Draco as he hesitates. To Harry's horror, Snape casts the Avada Kedavra curse to kill Dumbledore and then escapes from the castle with the other Death Eaters. In their wake, they cast the Dark Mark, wreck the Great Hall, and set fire to Hagrid's Hut. Harry tries to stop them, but Snape deflects Harry's spells and Bellatrix stuns him. Before departing, Snape reveals to Harry that he is the Half-Blood Prince. As Harry returns to the castle, the teachers, staff, and students of Hogwarts illuminate their wands in respect to their fallen headmaster.

While Hogwarts mourns Dumbledore's death, Harry reveals to Ron and Hermione that the locket Horcrux was a fake. The locket contains a message from an "R.A.B." stating he has already taken the real Horcrux and hopes to destroy it and the rest of the Horcruxes. Rather than return for their final year at Hogwarts, Harry and his friends vow to seek out R.A.B. and the remaining Horcruxes as Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, flies into the horizon.

Cast

Further information: [[:List of Harry Potter cast members]]
  • Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, now entering his sixth year at Hogwarts, with the wizarding world at war.
  • Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, one of Harry's two best friends.[5] Although he begins flirting with Hermione, he develops a shallow relationship with Lavender Brown, whom he abandons later in the film.[9]
  • Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, one of Harry's two best friends, who has romantic feelings for Ron and becomes jealous of his girlfriend.[5] Watson considered not returning for the sixth film,[10] but eventually decided that, "the pluses outweighed the minuses," and could not bear to see anyone else play Hermione.[11]
  • Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, the newly appointed Hogwarts Potions master. Broadbent described his costumes as "tweedy", and his character as "comic",[12] while Radcliffe noted that "[Slughorn's] tragedy will outweigh the comedy".[13]
  • Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's principal Death Eaters, older sister of Narcissa Malfoy and aunt of Draco. The character's role in the film is larger than in the book.[6]
  • Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid,[6] the Hogwarts gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Harry's first friend from the magical world.
  • Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy,[6] a rival of Harry's, whom Harry suspects of carrying out a task for Voldemort throughout the year. At first, it is implied that Draco is pleased to be Voldemort's chosen one, but as it becomes harder for him, he begins to crumble. His final task is to kill Dumbledore, but Draco cannot bring himself to do it. Son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and nephew to Bellatrix Lestrange.
  • Sir Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore.[6] The legendary wizard and headmaster of Hogwarts. The revelation of Dumbledore's sexuality prompted Gambon to "camp up" around the set when off camera,[14] but his on-screen performance remained unchanged from the previous films.[15]
  • Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother and younger sister of Bellatrix. McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange in Order of the Phoenix, but had to drop out due to pregnancy.[16] Naomi Watts was previously reported as having accepted the role,[17] only for it to be denied by her agency.[18]
  • Alan Rickman as Severus Snape,[6] the former Potions master, who finally achieves his goal of becoming Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He turns out to be the Half-Blood Prince in the end.
  • Dame Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall,[6] the Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher, deputy headmistress and head of Gryffindor. McGonagall is a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
  • David Thewlis as Remus Lupin,[6] former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Lupin is a werewolf and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
  • Mark Williams and Julie Walters as Arthur and Molly Weasley respectively,[6][19] Ron and Ginny's parents. They treat Harry like another son.
  • Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley,[6] Ron's younger sister in her fifth year, with whom Harry forms a relationship. Other than Chamber of Secrets, this is the first time the character has had screen time matching the size of the role in the book.

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane each play Tom Riddle, the child who becomes Lord Voldemort, at age eleven and as a teenager respectively.[6] Tiffin is the 11-year-old nephew of Ralph Fiennes, who plays the adult Voldemort in the fourth and fifth films.[20] Christian Coulson, who played Riddle in Chamber of Secrets, expressed an interest in returning;[21] Yates responded that Coulson was too old, nearing 30, to be playing the role.[22] Jamie Campbell Bower, who appeared in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, previously noted that he had his "fingers crossed" he would be cast as a young Riddle.[23] Bower was, however, later cast as the teenage Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. An open Casting Call was held for the part in July 2007, with applicants reading from a scene involving Riddle trying to persuade Horace Slughorn to explain what Horcruxes are.[24]

Jessie Cave joined the cast as Lavender Brown,[9] Ron's new girlfriend. Watson described her as "perfect for the role,"[25] although Cave did not attend the open auditions.[26] An open casting call was held for the part on 1 July 2007. Over 7,000 girls turned out for the audition and read from a scene with Madam Pomfrey, Ron, and Hermione.[27] Yates said he planned to test Grint with the top five choices for Lavender, reading certain lines and kissing, to see which pairing had the best chemistry.[22]

Evanna Lynch reprises her role as Luna Lovegood. Dave Legeno appears as Fenrir Greyback, a savage werewolf who is greatly feared in the wizarding world. Ralph Ineson plays Amycus Carrow and Suzanne Toase plays Alecto Carrow,[28][29] while Lord Johnpaul Castrianni and Rod Hunt play Yaxley and Thorfinn Rowle respectively. Tom Moorcroft portrays Regulus Black.[30][31] Gemma Jones appears for the first time since the Chamber of Secrets, playing Poppy Pomfrey although she has no lines. Timothy Spall appears briefly in the beginning of the movie, reprising his role as Peter Pettigrew.

Both Clémence Poésy, who has played Fleur Delacour, and Chris Rankin, who has played Percy Weasley, were interested in returning, but did not appear in the film.[32][33][34][35] After Bill Nighy expressed an interest in appearing,[36] Yates confirmed that Nighy would be his first choice for the role of Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour.[37][37] Scrimgeour's character was ultimately cut from the film, but Nighy has been confirmed in the role for Deathly Hallows.

Production

Development

Before David Yates was officially chosen to direct the film, many directors had expressed an interest in taking the helm. Alfonso Cuarón, the director of the third film, stated he "would love to have the opportunity" to return.[38] Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell declined a spot to direct the fifth film, and was not approached for this one.[39] Terry Gilliam was Rowling's personal choice to direct Philosopher's Stone. However, when asked whether he would consider directing a later film, Gilliam said, "Warner Bros. had their chance the first time around, and they blew it."[40]

From the fifth film, Yates retained composer Nicholas Hooper, who included a reworking of John Williams's Hedwig's Theme, which has recurred in all scores including Patrick Doyle's. Also maintained were costume designer Jany Temime, visual effects supervisor Tim Burke, creature and make-up effects designer Nick Dudman, and special effects supervisor John Richardson from the third film.[6] Since February 2007, Stuart Craig, the production designer of the first five films as well, has been designing sets, including the cave, and the astronomy tower, where the climax of the film takes place.[41] Academy Award nominated Bruno Delbonnel is the film's cinematographer.[6] David Yates remarked Bruno's work on the film as "The choice of angles, the extreme close-ups, the pacing of the scenes...It's very layered, incredibly rich."[42]

Yates and Heyman have noted that some of the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows may have influenced the script of the film.[43]

Sets

The film's production designer is Academy Award winner Stuart Craig. Several new sets have been introduced in this film, including Tom Riddle's Orphanage, Astronomy Tower and the Cave. In one of the sneak peeks for the film, Stuart Craig said that Tom Riddle's Orphanage is based on buildings in Docklands, Liverpool and it is designed from Victorian-Georgian architecture. The interior of the Orphanage uses Victorian glaze bricks, to give the set a very harsh appearance.[citation needed]

He noted that the film used several CGI sets, noticeably the interior of the Cave where Harry and Dumbledore both go for hunting Horcruxes. The exterior of the cave scene was filmed in Cliffs of Moher in the west of Ireland. The interior of the cave is made up of geometric crystal formations. Craig noted "Apart from the point at which Harry and Dumbledore first arrive and the island formation on which everything inside the cave happens, the set is entirely virtual, designed in the computer. We'd had our first totally virtual set on the last film, so we approached this one with a bit more confidence."[44] Two of the scenes where filmed at Gordonstoun School near Elgin, Scotland.[citation needed]

Filming

File:Hero Fiennes-Tiffin in Harry Potter preview.jpg
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as young Tom Riddle

Following a week of rehearsals, principal photography began on 24 September 2007 and ended on 17 May 2008.[45] Before filming commenced, there was belief that filming might move from the UK, where all of the previous five films have been shot. This is North Scotland reported that the filming would take place in New Zealand, due to the "more agreeable economy and climate" and lack of Scottish funding.[46] The Sunday Business Post in Ireland noted that the film's producers and WB executives had been scouting there, specifically Leinster and Munster because they "believe they have now exhausted possible locations in Britain." They are "particularly keen on Ireland, as the landscape is similar to Britain and will appear similar to the settings of the previous films."[47] The crew also scouted around Cape Wrath in Scotland, for use in the cave scene.[48] Filming returned to Glen Coe and Glenfinnan, both which have appeared in the previous films, to preserve the continuity of the landscape.[49]

On the weekend of 6 October 2007, the crew shot scenes involving the Hogwarts Express in the misty and dewy environment of Fort William, Scotland.[49] A series of night scenes were filmed in the village of Lacock and the cloisters at Lacock Abbey for three nights starting 25 October 2007. Filming took place from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, and residents of the street were asked to black out their windows with dark blinds.[50][51][52] On set reports indicated that the main scene filmed was Harry and Dumbledore's visit to Slughorn's house.[52] Further filming took place in Surbiton railway station in October 2007,[53] Gloucester Cathedral, where the first and second films were shot, in February 2008,[54] and at the Millennium Bridge in London in March 2008.[55]

Though Radcliffe, Gambon and Broadbent started shooting in late September 2007, some other cast members started much later: Grint did not begin until November 2007, Watson did not begin until December 2007, Rickman until January 2008, and Bonham Carter until February 2008.[56][57]

Visual effects

Tim Burke and Tim Alexander are visual effects supervisors for the film. Tim Alexander said completing the Inferi-attack scene took several months. He said, "It's certainly much bolder and scarier than we imagined that they'd ever go in a 'Potter' movie. Director David Yates was cautious of not making this into a zombie movie, so we were constantly trying to figure out how not to make these dead people coming up look like zombies. A lot of it came down to their movement — they don't move fast, but they don't move really slow or groan and moan. We ended up going with a very realistic style." He also noted that Inferi are skinnier, waterlogged and grey.[58]

About Dumbledore's ring of fire, he noted that the effect would look as if someone sprayed propane and then lit it. He added, "We did a lot of research on molten volcanoes, which have a lot of heat going on but no actual flames, and collected a bunch of other references, including flares that burn underwater, and showed them to the Potter folks." The visual effects team emulated these six fire parameters: heat ripples, smoke, buoyancy, viscosity, opacity, and brightness. Since the whole fire scene was very time consuming, computer graphics artist Chris Horvath spent eight months finding a faster way to conjure flames.[59][60]

Differences from the book

Much of the book's ending has been changed, with the climactic battle in the castle and Dumbledore's funeral being removed. Heyman commented that the end battle was removed to "[avoid] repetition" with the forthcoming adaptation of Deathly Hallows. The funeral was removed as it was believed it did not fit with the rest of the film.[61]

Marketing

File:Harry potter part 6 advertisement on a budapest bus.jpg
An advertisement for the film on a bus in Budapest, Hungary.

Warner Bros. has spent an additional estimated $155 million to market and distribute the film.[3] The special edition two-disc DVD for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix contained two sneak peeks of the film,[19][62] while the US edition included an additional clip.[63] A 15-second teaser for the film was shown alongside the IMAX release of The Dark Knight.[64] The first full-length domestic teaser trailer was released on 29 July on AOL's Moviefone website.[65] An international teaser was released on 26 October and the U.S. theatrical trailer was released on 14 November. Another trailer was screened on the Japanese TV station Fuji TV during a screening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on 18 January 2009.[66][67] Scenes from the film were aired during ABC Family's three day Harry Potter marathon, which aired during 5–7 December 2008.[68] On 5 February 2009, the first three promotional teaser posters were released, featuring Dumbledore and Harry.[69] On 5 March and 16 April 2009, new trailers were released by Warner Bros.[70]

Warner Bros and MSN ran an online Order of the Phoenix quiz, with the prize being a walk-on part in the film.[71] As with the previous films, EA Games will produce a video game based on the film.[72] On 10 March 2009, it was announced that there would be a video game soundtrack, which was released on 17 March 2009.[73] On 27 March six character posters were released: Harry, Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Professor Snape.[69] An English version of the international trailer since a Japanese international trailer was released online 10 April.[74] On 8 May, CW Channel aired 30-second TV Spot, which focused on the romantic side of the film.[75] On 20 May, first clip from the film was released through The Ellen DeGeneres Show's official website, showing love-struck Ron.[76] Another clip of the film, showing Dumbledore visiting Tom Riddle's Orphanage was released on 31 May 2009 at MTV Awards.[77] Also a short clip featuring the Weasley twins' shop Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was released on 22 June.[citation needed]

Release

The film was released in the United Kingdom, United States, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, New Zealand, India, Brazil, Spain and Mexico on 15 July 2009.[1][78] It was originally set to be released on 21 November 2008 (UK, US, CAN, IRE) and 11 December 2008 (AUS, NZ),[79] but was pushed back by eight and seven months to 17 July, despite being completed. Warner Bros. executive Alan Horn noted that the move went ahead "to guarantee the studio a major summer blockbuster in 2009," with other films being delayed due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.[80] The box-office success of summer WB films Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Dark Knight also motivated the decision.[81] An unnamed rival studio executive told Entertainment Weekly that the move was to "stop next year's profits from looking seriously underwhelming after the phenomenal success of The Dark Knight," as "they don't need the money this year anymore."[82] Dan Fellman, WB head of distribution, said that the studio had considered the date change for three to four weeks prior to the announcement, but gave it serious consideration a week before they came to their final decision.[83]

The date change was met with a heavily negative reaction by Harry Potter fans, as the Los Angeles Times noted: "Petitions were circulating, rumors were flying and angry screeds were being posted on Internet sites within minutes of the Thursday announcement."[81] The move was mocked by Entertainment Weekly which had Half-Blood Prince on the cover on its "Fall Preview Issue". Despite each being owned by Time Warner Inc., EW was unaware of the change until it was publicly announced by WB and noted that readers would now be in possession of a "Dewey Defeats Truman collectible".[82] Several days after the announcement, Horn released a statement in response to the "large amount of disappointment" expressed by fans of the series.[84] Following the date change, Half-Blood Prince's release slot was taken by Summit Entertainment's Twilight.[85]

Three months before its release in July, the date was again changed by 2 days from 17 July to 15 July in the United States and Canada.[86] It was later confirmed the same date change applied to the UK as well. The Australia and New Zealand release dates which were then 16 July, were also changed to 15 July. The premiere dates for the film were 6 July in Japan, 7 July in the UK (Leicester Square, London) and 8 July in the US. The Belgium premiere was on 11 July.[87]

The sixth film did not simultaneously release in regular cinemas and IMAX 3D, due to a conflicting agreement in which Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be given a four week window by itself in IMAX. Therefore, the IMAX 3D version of the film was released on 29 July 2009. However, it is releasing in India, Mexico and Australia in both 2-D and 3-D simultaneously, on 15 July.[88] The film's opening sequence featuring the destruction of the Millennium Bridge will be in 3D.[89] The film had been chosen to be screened at the 2008 Royal Film Performance on 17 November,[90] but was not shown. Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund chief executive Peter Hore noted he was "very disappointed" with Warner Bros' decision.[80]

Advanced ticket sales on Fandango.com for Half-Blood Prince surpassed advanced ticket sales for Transformers 2 at the same point in sale cycles. It is also MovieTickets.com's top 25 advance sellers of all time, promising a very successful cinematic run.[91]

The film is 153 minutes (2 hours 33 minutes and 19 seconds) long,[92] making this film the third longest of the series so far, coming behind Chamber of Secrets (161 minutes) and Goblet of Fire (157 minutes).

Reception

Critical reception

As of 26 July 2009, the film had an overall approval rating from critics of 83% on the film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes with 190 "Fresh" reviews, and 38 "Rotten",[93] with the reported consensus "Dark, thrilling, and occasionally quite funny, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is also visually stunning and emotionally satisfying." Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop critics, the film had an overall approval rating of 86%.[94] By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from critics, the film received an average score of 78 ("generally favorable") based on 36 reviews.[95]

BBC News's Tim Masters has praised the film's cinematography, visual effects, production design, improved acting and darker plotline.[96]

The first review of the film came three weeks before the official release. Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com ranked the film with The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and called the film a "possible Oscar contender". He highly praised the performance of Sir Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman and Daniel Radcliffe. He commented, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a tour-de-force that combines style and substance, special effects and heart and most importantly great performances from all of the actors young and not-so-young".[97] Another early review came from the UK tabloid The Sun, whose anonymous reviewer called the film "masterful" and "very emotional". The reviewer praised David Yates' directing and called Jim Broadbent's portrayal of Horace Slughorn "perfect".[98] Devin Faraci of Chud.com called the film not only the best Harry Potter film yet, but also one of the best films of the year.[99]

Andrew Pulver of The Guardian wrote a positive review, and gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars rating.[100] Todd McCarthy of the trade magazine Variety said that the film is "dazzlingly well made" and "less fanciful than the previous entries". He praised Alan Rickman's performance and he described Helena Bonham Carter as "mesmerizing" and Jim Broadbent as "grand eccentric old professor".[101] The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt noted that the film's first half is "jerky and explosive", but in the second half, the film finds better footing. He adds, "Composer Nicholas Hooper, cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel and designer Stuart Craig deliver a singularly muscular and vigorous chapter".[102] Screen Daily called the film "[s]tunningly shot by Bruno Delbonnel in metallic hues leavened by buttery tones and the thumping beats of Nicholas Hooper’s score bear little resemblance to the original and the overall effect is much less tween, much more grown-up".[103]

Chris Tilly of IGN UK commented on the length of the film, saying "while on occasion it drags, the 153 run-time never feels too long, thanks in no small part to the astonishing visuals and (largely) marvellous performances," and goes on to say, "This is by far the best-looking of the Potter films thus far," commending the "beautiful" Quidditch match and the "stunning" finale.[104] However, Dave Golder of SFX magazine found some aspects of the film to be a disappointment, largely due to the large number of opportunities the director had sacrificed to devote "huge swathes of the film to subplots of Harry and his chums' teenage romances," but nevertheless found the film to be a large enjoyment, praising the performances of Jim Broadbent and Alan Rickman.[105]

David Stratton, of Margaret and David At The Movies, gave the film a 2.5 out of a possible 5 stars, remarking, "For non-readers [of the Harry Potter series] the films are now borderline incomprehensible", and that the film was "a little tedious" and "generally less interesting visually than its predecessors." He praised the cast, describing them as "consummate", adding Sir Michael Gambon "really makes Dumbledore an imposing character" and Jim Broadbent was "wonderful". Margaret Pomeranz, the co-host of the television show, gave the film 3 out of 5 stars.[106]

Brogan Mckenna reviewed the film and gave it 3 out of 5 stars, explaining "If this movie was looked at by itself then I’m afraid it would not be rated very highly. On the other hand, if we look at it as a build up to the big finale of The Deathly Hallows then it does its job."[107]

Box office

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince broke the record for biggest midnight showings, making $22.2 million in 3,000 theatres. It beat previous record-holders The Dark Knight, which made $18.5 million during its midnight runs only a year earlier, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which made $16.9 million in 2005. Half-Blood Prince opened in the same Wednesday slot that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix did in 2007, which grossed $12 million in midnight runs, on its way to $139.7 million in its five-day debut in the US.[108]

The film grossed $58.2 million on its opening day in North America, the second-highest Wednesday opening of all-time behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It is also the fourth-highest single-day gross of all time, and the highest for a film in the Harry Potter franchise so far.[109] It earned an additional $46 million overseas for a worldwide total of $104 million, breaking the record for highest single-day worldwide gross, previously held by The Dark Knight.[110]

On 20 July, the film's $394 million haul broke the record for biggest ever worldwide 5-day opening, surpassing Spider-Man 3's $381 million. This makes the film the fastest to reach the $350 million mark in worldwide box office of all time. It also took in $159.7 million in the US in five days, surpassing all of its predecessors by a wide margin and achieving the sixth-largest ever 5-day opening in the US.[111] In the UK, the film grossed £19.75 million (equivalent to about $38.13 million), the highest opening for both the series and releases of 2009.[112] In seven days, the film grossed $177,457,914 domestically, considerably higher than the seven day gross of $129,490,758 that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone made upon release in 2001, and that film was the highest grossing of the franchise. So far, the film is reported to have made an estimated $273,800,000 in North America and, as with all of the previous films in the franchise, has proven to be extremely successful overseas with a total foreign gross of $542,200,000, totaling an estimated $816,048,633 worldwide, which has made it the second highest-grossing film of the year behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, so far.

In South Africa the film opened with the number 1 position grossing $789,176,[113] it maintained a number 1 position during the second week too with a total of $242,336.[114] In Australia, as in most of the world, the film broke records with a debut of $11,492,142 and thereby opening at number 1, it maintained a second week at number 1 with a total of $5,278,096 (down 54%), and has grossed a total of $24,208,243.[115] In France the film had an impressive debut with $20,541,239 from 949 theaters. [116]

References

  1. ^ a b "Official Release Dates".
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  3. ^ a b "Half-Blood Prince Production Budget". Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  4. ^ Box Office Mojo http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=harrypotter6.htm. Retrieved August 11, 2009. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ a b c "Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson to Reprise Roles in the Final Two Installments of Warner Bros. Pictures' Harry Potter Film Franchise" (Press release). Warner Bros. 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Casting Is Complete on "Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince"" (Press release). Warner Bros. 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  7. ^ "Tight Battle at the Holiday Box Office". The New York Times. 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  8. ^ "'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince' Gets Limited July 15 IMAX Opening". Mtv.com. 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  9. ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE: Lavender cast in Potter". Newsround. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  10. ^ "Hermione Gets Cold Feet". IGN. 2006-09-26. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
  11. ^ Listfield, Emily (2007-07-08). "We're all so grown up!". Parade. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  12. ^ Franklin, Garth (2007-09-17). "Broadbent on "Potter" & "Indy 4"". Dark Horizons. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  13. ^ Adler, Shawn (2007-09-12). "Radcliffe Joins The "Slug Club", Talks Hogwarts' Potion Master". MTV. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
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  110. ^ New Harry Potter movie sets world opening record, Reuters
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  113. ^ "South Africa (Entire Region) Box Office, July 17-–19, 2009". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01. {{cite web}}: C1 control character in |title= at position 50 (help)
  114. ^ "South Africa (Entire Region) Box Office, July 24-–26, 2009". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01. {{cite web}}: C1 control character in |title= at position 50 (help)
  115. ^ "Australia Box Office, July 23-–26, 2009". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01. {{cite web}}: C1 control character in |title= at position 31 (help)
  116. ^ "France Box Office, July 15-–19, 2009". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01. {{cite web}}: C1 control character in |title= at position 28 (help)
Preceded by Box office number-one films of 2009 (USA)
19 July 		Succeeded by
Box office number-one films of 2009 (UK)
19 July - 		Succeeded by
TBD
Box office number-one films of 2009 (Australia)
19 July - 2 August 		Succeeded by
Box office number-one films of 2009 (Canada)
19 July -2 August 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Box office number-one films of 2009 (Argentina)
26 July - 		Succeeded by
TBD
Box office number-one films of 2009 (Mexico)
19 July - 2 August 		Succeeded by
Box office number-one films of 2009 (Belgium)
19 July - 		Succeeded by
TBD
Box office number-one films of 2009 (Netherlands)
19 July - 		Succeeded by
TBD
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