SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

August 16, 2008 by Betsy Bird

Harry Keeps on Slipping, Slipping, Slipping, Into the Future

August 16, 2008 by Betsy Bird   4 comments

So why did Warner Brothers chose to push back the release date of the newest Harry Potter movie?  If you’ve been reading the regular news then you’ve probably heard something along the lines of this press release from Cynopsis Kids:

"Warner Bros. ‘ announced late yesterday that it has moved back the release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , the movie based on J.K. Rowling’s sixth HP book, to now open day-and-date domestically and in major international markets on July 17, 2009, versus the original November 21, 2008 date.  Alan Horn, President and COO/Warner Bros., explained there are two reasons for the shift, 1) summer is ‘an ideal window’ for a big family releases (where two HP movies previously debuted), and 2) the writers’ strike earlier this year ‘impacted the readiness of scripts for other films,’ and changed the competitive movie release landscape, thus affording the studio new opportunities for 2009.  The studio underlined that the production schedule for Half-Blood Prince and other forthcoming HP movies remain in tact and are not affected by this move.  Production begins on the two-part movie adaptation of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in February 2009."


Huh.  Seems a little odd that they’d only mention this now.  There hasn’t been any talk of delays on the actual filming after all.  Some people are citing the fact that this delay may be due to Warner Brothers’ particular success in the box office this year.  As the L.A. Times put it:

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT


Warner currently is riding high with "The Dark Knight," the Batman film that also stars Bale. The grim super-hero movie has taken in $452 million in the U.S. since its July 18 release, making it the second-highest grossing film ever.


To some degree, that success motivated Warner to shift "Half-Blood Prince," Horn said. The film will now hit theaters the same midsummer weekend that "Dark Knight" was released this year. Horn said the young, core Potter audience would be out of school and give the film a longer theatrical life. It will now open opposite Universal’s special-effects comedy "Land of the Lost," which stars Will Ferrell. But Horn said there was nothing next year compared to this summer’s especially dense slate of big-budget releases.


Getting closer, but that still doesn’t satisfy me.  Then the L.A. Times blog Hero Complex posted an interesting theory from fan Richard Lohrey:


"Horn’s move makes no sense. Because The Dark Knight is so successful, he’s going to space out the next Harry Potter movie because it’s a guaranteed success? He’s worried that he’ll have a strong fiscal 2008 but fall short in 2009. Maybe a smart move for WB’s stockholders but without loyal audiences, Warner Brothers wouldn’t have anything to give their stockholders."


Moving a release date that far into the future… it’s a major executive decision.  And the idea that the writer’s strike has had a hand in this decision makes sense as long as you remember that it would apply to future Warner Brothers’ productions.  Productions that would otherwise appear in 2009. Some commenters on various sites have other theories, like the fact that Radcliff’s appearance in Equus on Broadway during the release of the film could have the press drawing a correlation between a naked Radcliff and his on-screen persona.

Mind you, this is just theorizing.  Yet I did love that Warner Brothers (a company that owns Entertainment Weekly, mind you) didn’t see fit to inform their own publication of this choice in time for them to change their current cover.  So now poor EW is stuck with this out-of-date image:



Good one, WB.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Announcing the Stinetinglers Winner! The Kettle's Dark Secret by Clara J.

by Betsy Bird

March 2023

Bologna Presentations: IBBY Doing the Good Work That Needs to Be Done, Worldwide

by Betsy Bird

February 2023

Sydney Taylor Book Blog Award Tour Interview: Featuring Mari Lowe of Aviva Vs. the Dybbuk!

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

The Top Ten Most Disappointing Edibles and Potables of Children's Literature

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Announcing the 2023 Newbery/Caldecott/YMA Pre-Game Show!

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

2023 Caldecott Jump

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Ben Mortara and the Thieves of the Golden Table | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

New Reports Show a Decline in YA Book Sales and I Have Some Thoughts as to Why That Might be Happening

by Karen Jensen, MLS

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

24 Audiobooks To Encourage Ongoing Activism and Social Justice

USBBY Announces the 2023 Outstanding International Books List. Download a PDF of the Full List.

6 Chapter Books Series Updates for Transitioning Readers

13 Hi-Lo Titles, Including Speculative Fiction, Horror, Sports, and Graphic Novels

10 Collective Biographies for Women's History Month

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. LIZ BURNS says

    August 16, 2008 at 4:59 pm

    Ha! I had a laugh when I looked in my mail and saw that cover.

  2. lacy says

    August 16, 2008 at 6:20 pm

    I write about movies, and the press statement I saw called it a “tent pole release for families.”

    Gross!

  3. Fuse #8 says

    August 16, 2008 at 7:12 pm

    ewwwwwwwwww!

  4. Susan T. says

    August 18, 2008 at 7:53 am

    Hey, Fuse. Awesome on the Steve Miller Band ref. in the post title!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023