103-859: The immense popularity and wide recognition of J. K. Rowling 's Harry Potter fantasy series has led to its being extensively parodied, in works spanning nearly every medium. The franchise holds the record for the most fan fiction parodies, at over 900,000 Some self-described parodies have been targeted by Rowling and her publishers as plagiarism, while others have sold hundreds of thousands of copies without any threat of legal sanction . Misinterpretations of Harry Potter parodies have sparked at least two urban legends . Many Harry Potter parodies are self-published; others are put out as part of major comic productions, such as Mad , The Simpsons , South Park , Saturday Night Live and Robot Chicken , all of which have parodied Harry Potter several times. Rowling has also been parodied (and parodied herself) in
206-452: A "secondary secondary world, made up of intelligently patchworked derivative motifs from all sorts of children's literature ... written for people whose imaginative lives are confined to TV cartoons, and the exaggerated (more exciting, not threatening) mirror-worlds of soaps, reality TV and celebrity gossip." Michael Rosen , a novelist and poet, held the opinion that the books were not suited for children, as they would be unable to grasp
309-681: A 45-day theatrical exclusivity window. This is part of an agreement the studio reached with Cineworld (who operates Regal Cinemas ). On June 1, 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the company formerly known as Discovery, Inc. prior to its acquisition of WarnerMedia two months earlier, announced that Emmerich would step down as head of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group after a transition period, and that it would be divided into three separate units; Warner Bros. Pictures/ New Line Cinema , DC Films , and Warner Animation Group . Former MGM executives Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy would serve as
412-415: A Christian moral fable in the psychomachia tradition, in which stand-ins for good and evil fight for supremacy over a person's soul. Children's literature critic Joy Farmer sees parallels between Harry and Jesus Christ . Comparing Rowling with Lewis, she argues that "magic is both authors' way of talking about spiritual reality". According to Maria Nikolajeva , Christian imagery is particularly strong in
515-697: A Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), 42nd Street (1933), Here Comes the Navy (1934), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), Anthony Adverse (1936), The Life of Emile Zola (1937), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Four Daughters (1938), Jezebel (1938), Dark Victory (1939), to name a few. In the aftermath of the 1948 antitrust suit , uncertain times led Warner Bros. in 1956 to sell most of its pre-1950 films and cartoons to Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p.). In addition, a.a.p. also obtained
618-545: A God-like character, the divine, trusted leader of the series, guiding the long-suffering hero along his quest. In the seventh novel, Harry speaks with and questions the deceased Dumbledore much like a person of faith would talk to and question God. Harry Potter 's overarching theme is death. In the first book, when Harry looks into the Mirror of Erised, he feels both joy and "a terrible sadness" at seeing his desire: his parents, alive and with him. Confronting their loss
721-408: A bygone Britain", and he speaks of "a pedestrian, ungrammatical prose style". Ursula K. Le Guin said, "I have no great opinion of it [...] it seemed a lively kid's fantasy crossed with a ' school novel ,' good fare for its age group, but stylistically ordinary, imaginatively derivative, and ethically rather mean-spirited." By contrast, author Fay Weldon , while admitting that the series is "not what
824-461: A decade in which we have followed the publication of the liveliest, funniest, scariest and most moving children's stories ever written." Charles Taylor of Salon.com , who is primarily a movie critic, took issue with Byatt's criticisms in particular. While he conceded that she may have "a valid cultural point—a teeny one—about the impulses that drive us to reassuring pop trash and away from the troubling complexities of art", he rejected her claims that
927-409: A fairly serious and dark tone throughout, though they do contain some notable instances of tragicomedy and black humour. In many respects, they are also examples of the bildungsroman , or coming of age novel, and contain elements of mystery , adventure, horror , thriller , and romance . The books are also, in the words of Stephen King , "shrewd mystery tales", and each book is constructed in
1030-597: A given book could only start after it had been released in English, leading to a lag of several months before the translations were available. This led to more and more copies of the English editions being sold to impatient fans in non-English speaking countries; for example, such was the clamour to read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that its English language edition became the first English-language book ever to top
1133-494: A letter of acceptance to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . Harry learns that his parents, Lily and James Potter , also had magical powers and were murdered by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort when Harry was a baby. When Voldemort attempted to kill Harry, his curse rebounded, seemingly killing Voldemort, and Harry survived with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. The event made Harry famous among
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#17328016898981236-465: A more gender-neutral pen name in order to appeal to the male members of this age group, fearing that they would not be interested in reading a novel they knew to be written by a woman. She elected to use J. K. Rowling (Joanne Kathleen Rowling), using her grandmother's name as her second name because she has no middle name . Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published by Bloomsbury,
1339-503: A number of instances. In China a number of "fake" Harry Potter books were published, using Rowling's name. Bashu Publishing House from Chengdu agreed to pay a $ 2,500 fine and publish an apology for printing and distributing a Harry Potter novel that Rowling did not write. Other similar Chinese books included "Harry Potter and the Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon" (this is literally text from Tolkien ’s " The Hobbit " with
1442-485: A secret group to continue the teachings. Harry has recurring dreams of a dark corridor in the Ministry of Magic, eventually dreaming that Sirius is being tortured there. He races to the Ministry with his friends, but it is a trap, planted in his head by Voldemort. The group are attacked by Death Eaters and saved by the Order of the Phoenix, but Sirius is killed in the battle. A duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort convinces
1545-499: A separate best-seller list for children's literature in 2000, just before the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . By 24 June 2000, Rowling's novels had been on the list for 79 straight weeks; the first three novels were each on the hardcover best-seller list. On 12 April 2007, Barnes & Noble declared that Deathly Hallows had broken its pre-order record, with more than 500,000 copies pre-ordered through its site. For
1648-527: A small portion of the UA library (including the a.a.p. library and North American rights to the RKO Radio Pictures library) while spinning off the rest of MGM. In 1989, Warner Communications acquired Lorimar-Telepictures Corporation and merged with Time Inc. to form Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery ). Lorimar's catalogue included the post-1974 library of Rankin/Bass Productions , and
1751-598: A somewhat anime-influenced style. The popularity of the Harry Potter series has translated into substantial financial success for Rowling, her publishers, and other Harry Potter related license holders. This success has made Rowling the first and thus far only billionaire author. The books have sold more than 600 million copies worldwide and have also given rise to the popular film adaptations produced by Warner Bros. Pictures , all of which have been highly successful in their own right . The total revenue from
1854-476: A story about good vs. evil, its moral divisions are not absolute. First impressions of characters are often misleading. Harry assumes in the first book that Quirrell is on the side of good because he opposes Snape, who appears to be malicious; in reality, Quirrell is an agent of Voldemort, while Snape is loyal to Dumbledore. This pattern later recurs with Moody and Snape. In Rowling's world, good and evil are choices rather than inherent attributes: second chances and
1957-405: Is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling . The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard , Harry Potter , and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley , all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . The main story arc concerns Harry's conflict with Lord Voldemort , a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow
2060-633: Is central to Harry's character arc and manifests in different ways through the series, such as in his struggles with Dementors . Other characters in Harry's life die; he even faces his own death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . The series has an existential perspective—Harry must grow mature enough to accept death. In Harry's world, death is not binary but mutable, a state that exists in degrees. Unlike Voldemort, who evades death by separating and hiding his soul in seven parts, Harry's soul
2163-611: Is currently one of five live-action film studios within the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group , the others being New Line Cinema , DC Studios , Castle Rock Entertainment, and a minority stake in Spyglass Media Group . The most commercially successful film series from Warner Bros. includes Harry Potter , DC Universe (formerly DC Extended Universe ), Batman , The Lord of the Rings , and Monsterverse ; Barbie
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#17328016898982266-828: Is in production at HBO . The success of the books and films has allowed the Harry Potter franchise to expand with numerous derivative works, a travelling exhibition that premiered in Chicago in 2009, a studio tour in London that opened in 2012, a digital platform on which J. K. Rowling updates the series with new information and insight, and a trilogy of spin-off films premiering in November 2016 with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , among many other developments. Themed attractions, collectively known as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter , have been built at several Universal Destinations & Experiences amusement parks around
2369-478: Is resurrected, faces Voldemort and kills him. An epilogue titled "Nineteen Years Later" describes the lives of the surviving characters and the impact of Voldemort's death. Harry and Ginny are married with three children , and Ron and Hermione are married with two children . The novels fall into the genre of fantasy literature , and qualify as a type of fantasy called " urban fantasy ", "contemporary fantasy", or " low fantasy ". They are mainly dramas, and maintain
2472-577: Is the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , in which Harry and his friends spend most of their time away from Hogwarts, and only return there to face Voldemort at the dénouement . The Harry Potter stories feature imagery and motifs drawn from Arthurian myth and fairytales . Harry's ability to draw the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat resembles the Arthurian sword in
2575-667: Is the studio's highest-grossing film worldwide with $ 1.4 billion. The studio's predecessor (and the modern-day Warner Bros Entertainment as a whole) was founded as the Warner Features Company in New Castle, Pennsylvania , by filmmaker Sam Warner and his business partners and brothers, Harry , Albert , and Jack , in 1911. They produced their first film, the Peril of the Plains in 1912, which Sam directed for
2678-456: Is whole, nourished by friendship and love. Love distinguishes Harry and Voldemort. Harry is a hero because he loves others, even willing to accept death to save them; Voldemort is a villain because he does not. Harry carries the protection of his mother's sacrifice in his blood; Voldemort, who wants Harry's blood and the protection it carries, does not understand that love vanquishes death. Rowling has spoken about thematising death and loss in
2781-624: The Naughtiest Girl series, and Frank Richards's Billy Bunter novels: the Harry Potter books are predominantly set in Hogwarts , a fictional British boarding school for wizards, where the curriculum includes the use of magic . In this sense they are "in a direct line of descent from Thomas Hughes 's Tom Brown's School Days and other Victorian and Edwardian novels of British public school life", though they are, as many note, more contemporary, grittier, darker, and more mature than
2884-615: The American-Jewish Warner brothers released their first pictures " talkie " The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson . However, founding member Sam Warner died prior to the premiere of the film. When the company diversified over the years, it was eventually rebranded to its current umbrella name, but Warner Bros. Pictures continued to be used as the name of the film production arm of the company. The studio has released twenty-five films that have received an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination: Disraeli (1929), I Am
2987-538: The Dark Arts . When Hermione is attacked and Ron's younger sister, Ginny Weasley , abducted, Harry and Ron uncover the chamber's secrets and enter it. Harry discovers that Ginny was possessed by an old diary, inside which the memory of Tom Marvolo Riddle , Voldemort's younger self, resides. On Voldemort's behalf, Ginny opened the chamber and unleashed the basilisk , an ancient monster that kills or petrifies those who make direct or indirect eye contact, respectively. With
3090-524: The Death Eaters , and Harry manages to escape after a duel with Voldemort. Upon returning to Hogwarts, it is revealed that a Death Eater, Barty Crouch, Jr , in disguise as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody , engineered Harry's entry into the tournament, secretly helped him, and had him teleported to Voldemort. In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of
3193-555: The Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios Popeye cartoons, originally from Paramount Pictures . Two years later, a.a.p. was sold to United Artists (UA), which owned the company until 1981, when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) acquired UA. In November 1966, Jack gave in to advancing age and changing times, selling 32% of control of the studio and music business to Seven Arts Productions , run by Canadian investors Elliot and Kenneth Hyman, for $ 32 million. Eventually,
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3296-564: The Sorting Hat as the first of many in which Harry is shaped by the choices he makes. Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company and the flagship studio of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros. , a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery . It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California . Animated films produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation are also released under
3399-687: The St. Louis Motion Picture Company . In 1915, Sam and Jack moved to California to establish their production studio, while Albert and Harry on July 8, 1915, set up the New York–based Warner Brothers Distributing Corporation to release the films. In 1918, during WW1 , to kickstart their business, the four Warner Brothers chose to produce an adaptation of the book My Four Years in Germany by James W. Gerard to be their first full-scale picture, as they were considered by
3502-564: The potions professor, Severus Snape , who displays a dislike for him; and the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirinus Quirrell . Quirrell turns out to be allied with Voldemort, who is still alive as a weak spirit. The first book concludes with Harry's confrontation with Voldemort, who, in his quest to regain a body, yearns to possess the Philosopher's Stone , a substance that bestows everlasting life. Harry Potter and
3605-538: The summer term , near or just after final exams , when events escalate far beyond in-school squabbles and struggles, and Harry must confront either Voldemort or one of his followers, the Death Eaters , with the stakes a matter of life and death—a point underlined, as the series progresses, by characters being killed in each of the final four books. In the aftermath, he learns important lessons through exposition and discussions with head teacher and mentor Albus Dumbledore . The only exception to this school-centred setting
3708-594: The 10.8 million initial print copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold in the first 24 hours. The final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows became the fastest selling book in history, moving 11 million units in the first twenty-four hours of release. The book sold 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US. The series has also gathered adult fans, leading to
3811-560: The 3rd century AD. The second volume has also been translated into Latin. Some of the translators hired to work on the books were well-known authors before their work on Harry Potter , such as Viktor Golyshev , who oversaw the Russian translation of the series' fifth book. The Turkish translation of books two to seven was undertaken by Sevin Okyay , a popular literary critic and cultural commentator. For reasons of secrecy, translation on
3914-456: The Chamber of Secrets describes Harry's second year at Hogwarts. Students are attacked and petrified by an unknown creature; wizards of Muggle parentage are the primary targets. The attacks appear related to the mythical Chamber of Secrets and resemble attacks fifty years earlier. Harry discovers an ability to speak the snake language Parseltongue , which he learns is rare and associated with
4017-538: The Deathly Hallows , Rowling makes the book's Christian imagery more explicit, quoting both Matthew 6:21 and 1 Corinthians 15:26 ( King James Version ) when Harry visits his parents' graves . Hermione Granger teaches Harry Potter that the meaning of these verses from the Christian Bible are "living beyond death. Living after death", which Rowling states "epitomize the whole series". Rowling also exhibits Christian values in developing Albus Dumbledore as
4120-650: The Goblet of Fire ), Hogwarts hosts the Triwizard Tournament , a contest between Hogwarts and the schools Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Harry is unwillingly entered into the contest, becoming Hogwarts' second participant after Cedric Diggory , an unusual occurrence that causes his friends to distance themselves from him. Harry claims the Triwizard Cup with Cedric, but he is teleported to a graveyard where Pettigrew kills Cedric, then resurrects Voldemort using Harry's blood. Voldemort convenes his supporters,
4223-485: The Order of the Phoenix, the books began to receive strong criticism from a number of literary scholars. Yale professor, literary scholar, and critic Harold Bloom raised criticisms of the books' literary merits, saying, "Rowling's mind is so governed by clichés and dead metaphors that she has no other style of writing." A. S. Byatt authored an op-ed article in The New York Times calling Rowling's universe
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4326-565: The Phoenix , the Ministry of Magic refuses to believe that Voldemort has returned. Dumbledore re-activates the Order of the Phoenix , a secret society to counter Voldemort; meanwhile, the Ministry tightens control of Hogwarts by appointing Dolores Umbridge as High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, and she gradually increases her powers. When Umbridge bans practical teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry, Ron and Hermione form " Dumbledore's Army ",
4429-719: The Potter stories are inspired by a 14th-century French Arthurian romance, Claris et Laris , writing of the "startling" similarities between the adventures of Potter and the knight Claris. Arden and Lorenz noted that Rowling graduated from the University of Exeter in 1986 with a degree in French literature and spent a year living in France afterwards. Like C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia , Harry Potter also contains Christian symbolism and allegory . The series has been viewed as
4532-566: The Sword of Gryffindor, with which they destroy the locket. They steal a Horcrux from Gringotts and travel to Hogwarts, culminating in a battle with the Death Eaters. Snape is killed by Voldemort out of paranoia, but he lends Harry his memories before he dies. Harry learns that Snape was always loyal to Dumbledore, and that Harry is himself a Horcrux. Harry surrenders to Voldemort and is killed. The defenders of Hogwarts continue to fight on; Harry
4635-412: The UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8 July 2000 at the same time by Bloomsbury and Scholastic. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the longest book in the series, at 766 pages in the UK version and 870 pages in the US version. It was published worldwide in English on 21 June 2003. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
4738-570: The United States within twenty-four hours of its release. Warner Bros. Pictures adapted the original seven books into an eight-part namesake film series . In 2016, the total value of the Harry Potter franchise was estimated at $ 25 billion, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time . Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play based on a story co-written by Rowling. A television series based on books
4841-507: The age of six but I had never been so excited about an idea before. I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who did not know he was a wizard became more and more real to me. Rowling completed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1995 and the manuscript was sent off to several prospective agents . The second agent she tried, Christopher Little , offered to represent her and sent
4944-548: The best-seller list in France. The United States editions were adapted into American English to make them more understandable to a young American audience. For cover art, Bloomsbury chose painted art in a classic style of design, with the first cover a watercolour and pencil drawing by illustrator Thomas Taylor showing Harry boarding the Hogwarts Express, and a title in the font Cochin Bold . The first releases of
5047-553: The book sales is estimated, as of November 2018, to be around $ 7.7 billion. The first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , has sold in excess of 120 million copies, making it one of the bestselling books in history. The films have in turn spawned eight video games and have led to the licensing of more than 400 additional Harry Potter products. The Harry Potter brand has been estimated to be worth as much as $ 25 billion. The great demand for Harry Potter novels motivated The New York Times to create
5150-465: The books (including a very American Hogwarts Express) without depicting people, but later shifted to partial colourisation with a picture of Slytherin's locket on the cover of the final book. International and later editions have been created by a range of designers, including Mary GrandPré for US audiences and Mika Launis in Finland. For a later American release, Kazu Kibuishi created covers in
5253-482: The books comprise "a prolonged argument for tolerance, a prolonged plea for an end to bigotry " and that they also pass on a message to "question authority and... not assume that the establishment or the press tells you all of the truth". In 1990, Rowling was on a crowded train from Manchester to London when the idea for Harry suddenly "fell into" her head. Rowling gives an account of the experience on her website saying: I had been writing almost continuously since
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#17328016898985356-506: The books have received mixed reviews from critics and literary scholars. As of February 2023 , the books have sold more than 600 million copies worldwide, making them the best-selling book series in history , available in dozens of languages . The last four books all set records as the fastest-selling books in history, with the final instalment selling roughly 2.7 million copies in the United Kingdom and 8.3 million copies in
5459-416: The books, some more complex than others, and some including political subtexts . Themes such as normality , oppression, survival, and overcoming imposing odds have all been considered as prevalent throughout the series. Similarly, the theme of making one's way through adolescence and "going over one's most harrowing ordeals—and thus coming to terms with them" has also been considered. Rowling has stated that
5562-787: The character names changed to those of the Potter universe), "Harry Potter and the Golden Turtle", "Harry Potter and the Crystal Vase", "Harry Potter and the Porcelain Doll", "Harry Potter and Beaker and Burn", "Harry Potter and the Water Repelling Pearl", "Harry Potter and the Filler of Big". J. K. Rowling , the Harry Potter writer, has been parodied several times: Harry Potter Harry Potter
5665-633: The co-chairs of Warner Bros. Pictures (and temporarily oversee the other two divisions until new executives are hired for them), while Emmerich would start his own production company and enter into a five-year distribution and funding agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures. On June 8, COO Carolyn Blackwood announced that she was stepping down as well. Steve Spira returned as president of business affairs for Warner Bros. in June 2022, while De Luca and Abdy took over from Emmerich in July 2022. Former president Alan Horn
5768-417: The community of wizards and witches . Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts and is sorted into Gryffindor House . He gains the friendship of Ron Weasley , a member of a large but poor wizarding family, and Hermione Granger , a witch of non-magical, or Muggle , parentage. The trio develop an enmity with the rich pure-blood student Draco Malfoy . Harry encounters the school's headmaster, Albus Dumbledore ;
5871-433: The company, including the studio, was renamed Warner Bros.-Seven Arts on July 14, 1967. In 1982, during their independent years, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Brut Productions , the film production arm of France -based then-struggling personal-care company Faberge Inc. In 1986, Turner Broadcasting System acquired MGM. Finding itself in debt, Turner kept the pre-May 1986 MGM film and television libraries and
5974-514: The complex themes. Rosen also stated that "J. K. Rowling is more of an adult writer." The critic Anthony Holden wrote in The Observer on his experience of judging Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the 1999 Whitbread Awards . His overall view of the series was negative—"the Potter saga was essentially patronising, conservative, highly derivative, dispiritingly nostalgic for
6077-566: The dementors, he reaches out to Remus Lupin , a new professor who teaches him the Patronus charm . On a windy night, Ron is dragged by a black dog into the Shrieking Shack , a haunted house, and Harry and Hermione follow. The dog is revealed to be Sirius Black. Lupin enters the shack and explains that Sirius was James Potter's best friend; he was framed by another friend of James, Peter Pettigrew , who hides as Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. As
6180-418: The early life of Voldemort in a device called a Pensieve . Harry learns from a drunken Slughorn that he used to teach Tom Riddle, and that Voldemort divided his soul into pieces, creating a series of Horcruxes . Harry and Dumbledore travel to a distant lake to destroy a Horcrux; they succeed, but Dumbledore weakens. On their return, they find Draco Malfoy and Death Eaters attacking the school. The book ends with
6283-415: The final scenes of the series: Harry dies in self-sacrifice and Voldemort delivers an " ecce homo " speech, after which Harry is resurrected and defeats his enemy. Rowling stated that she did not reveal Harry Potter ' s religious parallels in the beginning because doing so would have "give[n] too much away to fans who might then see the parallels". In the final book of the series, Harry Potter and
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#17328016898986386-545: The form of links to Pottermore, which controlled pricing. All seven Harry Potter novels have been released in unabridged audiobook versions, with Stephen Fry reading the British editions and Jim Dale voicing the series for the American editions. On Audible , the series has been listened, as of November 2022, for over a billion hours. The series has been translated into more than 80 languages, placing Rowling among
6489-439: The formulaic beginning of all seven books. Sameer Rahim of The Daily Telegraph disagreed, saying "It depresses me to see 16- and 17-year-olds reading the series when they could be reading the great novels of childhood such as Oliver Twist or A House for Mr Biswas ." The Washington Post book critic Ron Charles opined in July 2007 that "through no fault of Rowling's", the cultural and marketing "hysteria" marked by
6592-537: The full moon rises, Lupin transforms into a werewolf and bounds away, and the group chase after him. They are surrounded by dementors, but are saved by a figure resembling James who casts a stag Patronus. This is later revealed to be a future version of Harry, who traveled back in time with Hermione using a device called a Time Turner . The duo help Sirius escape on a Hippogriff , while Pettigrew escapes. In Harry's fourth year of school (detailed in Harry Potter and
6695-434: The help of Dumbledore's phoenix , Fawkes, and the Sword of Gryffindor , Harry slays the basilisk and destroys the diary. In the third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , Harry learns that he is targeted by Sirius Black , an escaped convict who allegedly assisted in his parents' murder. Dementors , creatures that feed on despair, search for Sirius and guard the school. As Harry struggles with his reaction to
6798-583: The killing of Dumbledore by Professor Snape, the titular Half-Blood Prince. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , the seventh and final novel in the series, Lord Voldemort gains control of the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ron and Hermione learn about the Deathly Hallows , legendary items that lead to mastery over death. The group infiltrates the ministry, where they steal a locket Horcrux, and visit Godric's Hollow , where they are attacked by Nagini, Voldemort's snake. A silver doe Patronus leads them to
6901-402: The makings of a classic", and The Glasgow Herald , which called it "Magic stuff". Soon the English newspapers joined in, with The Sunday Times comparing it to Roald Dahl 's work ("comparisons to Dahl are, this time, justified"), while The Guardian called it "a richly textured novel given lift-off by an inventive wit". By the time of the release of the fifth book, Harry Potter and
7004-504: The manner of a Sherlock Holmes -style mystery adventure. The stories are told from a third person limited point of view with very few exceptions (such as the opening chapters of Philosopher's Stone , Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows and the first two chapters of Half-Blood Prince ). The series can be considered part of the British children's boarding school genre , which includes Rudyard Kipling 's Stalky & Co. , Enid Blyton 's Malory Towers , St. Clare's and
7107-419: The manuscript to several publishers. After twelve other publishers had rejected Philosopher's Stone , Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book. Despite Rowling's statement that she did not have any particular age group in mind when beginning to write the Harry Potter books, the publishers initially targeted children aged nine to eleven. On the eve of publishing, Rowling was asked by her publishers to adopt
7210-533: The ministry of Voldemort's return. A prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort is revealed: one must die at the hands of the other. In the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Snape teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts while Horace Slughorn becomes the Potions master. Harry finds an old textbook with annotations by the Half-Blood Prince, due to which he achieves success in Potions class. Harry also takes lessons with Dumbledore, viewing memories about
7313-423: The moral significance of the tales seems "blindingly obvious". In the fourth book, Dumbledore speaks of a "choice between what is right and what is easy"; Rowling views this as a key theme, "because that ... is how tyranny is started, with people being apathetic and taking the easy route and suddenly finding themselves in deep trouble". Academics and journalists have developed many other interpretations of themes in
7416-500: The most translated authors in history. The books have seen translations to diverse languages such as Korean , Armenian , Ukrainian , Arabic , Urdu , Hindi , Bengali , Bulgarian , Welsh , Afrikaans , Albanian , Latvian , Vietnamese and Hawaiian . The first volume has been translated into Latin and even Ancient Greek , making it the longest published work in Ancient Greek since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa in
7519-488: The motifs of the Potter stories, such as the hero's quest invoking objects that confer invisibility, magical animals and trees, a forest full of danger and the recognition of a character based upon scars, are drawn from medieval French Arthurian romances. Other aspects borrowed from French Arthurian romances include the use of owls as messengers, werewolves as characters, and white deer. The American scholars Heather Arden and Kathrn Lorenz in particular argue that many aspects of
7622-446: The mundane. Paintings move and talk; books bite readers; letters shout messages; and maps show live journeys, making the wizarding world both exotic and familiar. This blend of realistic and romantic elements extends to Rowling's characters. Their names are often onomatopoeic : Malfoy is difficult, Filch is unpleasant, and Lupin is a werewolf. Harry is ordinary and relatable, with down-to-earth features such as wearing broken glasses;
7725-493: The poets hoped for", nevertheless goes on to say, "but this is not poetry, it is readable, saleable, everyday, useful prose". The literary critic A. N. Wilson praised the Harry Potter series in The Times , stating, "There are not many writers who have JK's Dickensian ability to make us turn the pages, to weep—openly, with tears splashing—and a few pages later to laugh, at invariably good jokes ... We have lived through
7828-510: The possibility of redemption are key themes of the series. This is reflected in Harry's self-doubts after learning his connections to Voldemort, such as Parseltongue; and prominently in Snape's characterisation, which has been described as complex and multifaceted. In some scholars' view, while Rowling's narrative appears on the surface to be about Harry, her focus may actually be on Snape's morality and character arc. Rowling said that, to her,
7931-674: The post-1947 library of Monogram Pictures /Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. In 1991, Turner Broadcasting System acquired animation studio Hanna-Barbera and the Ruby-Spears library from Great American Broadcasting , and years later, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Castle Rock Entertainment on December 22, 1993 and New Line Cinema on January 28, 1994. On October 10, 1996, Time Warner Entertainment acquired Turner Broadcasting System, thus bringing Warner Bros.'s pre-1950 library back home. In addition, Warner Bros. only owns Castle Rock Entertainment's post-1994 library. The division
8034-674: The publication of the later books "trains children and adults to expect the roar of the coliseum, a mass-media experience that no other novel can possibly provide". Jenny Sawyer wrote in The Christian Science Monitor on 25 July 2007 that Harry Potter neither faces a "moral struggle" nor undergoes any ethical growth and is thus "no guide in circumstances in which right and wrong are anything less than black and white". In contrast Emily Griesinger described Harry's first passage through to Platform 9 + 3 ⁄ 4 as an application of faith and hope, and his encounter with
8137-459: The publisher of all Harry Potter books in the United Kingdom, on 26 June 1997. It was released in the United States on 1 September 1998 by Scholastic —the American publisher of the books—as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , after the American rights sold for US$ 105,000—a record amount for a children's book by an unknown author. Scholastic feared that American readers would not associate
8240-400: The release of Goblet of Fire , 9,000 FedEx trucks were used with no other purpose than to deliver the book. Together, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble pre-sold more than 700,000 copies of the book. In the United States, the book's initial printing run was 3.8 million copies. This record statistic was broken by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , with 8.5 million, which
8343-458: The release of two editions of each Harry Potter book, identical in text but with one edition's cover artwork aimed at children and the other aimed at adults. Early in its history, Harry Potter received positive reviews. On publication, the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , attracted attention from the Scottish newspapers, such as The Scotsman , which said it had "all
8446-481: The scholar Roni Natov terms him an "everychild". These elements serve to highlight Harry when he is heroic, making him both an everyman and a fairytale hero. Each of the seven books is set over the course of one school year. Harry struggles with the problems he encounters, and dealing with them often involves the need to violate some school rules. If students are caught breaking rules, they are often disciplined by Hogwarts professors. The stories reach their climax in
8549-402: The sensitivity of both the content and the war for their first production at the time. The war film was a box office hit and helped the brothers establish themselves as a prestige studio. On April 4, 1923, Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. was officially established as their main focus was entirely on the motion picture industry. In 1927, Warner Bros. Pictures revolutionized the film industry when
8652-415: The series is lacking in serious literary merit and that it owes its success merely to the childhood reassurances it offers. Stephen King called the series "a feat of which only a superior imagination is capable", and declared "Rowling's punning, one-eyebrow-cocked sense of humor" to be "remarkable". However, he wrote that he is "a little tired of discovering Harry at home with his horrible aunt and uncle",
8755-469: The series were so eager for the latest instalment that bookstores around the world began holding events to coincide with the midnight release of the books, beginning with the 2000 publication of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . The events, commonly featuring mock sorting, games, face painting, and other live entertainment have achieved popularity with Potter fans and have been highly successful in attracting fans and selling books with nearly nine million of
8858-432: The series. Soon after she started writing Philosopher's Stone , her mother died; she said that "I really think from that moment on, death became a central, if not the central theme of the seven books". Rowling has described Harry as "the prism through which I view death", and further stated that "all of my characters are defined by their attitude to death and the possibility of death". While Harry Potter can be viewed as
8961-690: The stone legend. His life with the Dursleys has been compared to Cinderella . Hogwarts resembles a medieval university-cum-castle with several professors who belong to an Order of Merlin; Old Professor Binns still lectures about the International Warlock Convention of 1289; and a real historical person, a 14th-century scribe, Sir Nicolas Flamel , is described as a holder of the Philosopher's Stone. Other medieval elements in Hogwarts include coats-of-arms and medieval weapons on
9064-483: The studio banner. Founded in 1923 by brothers Harry Warner , Albert Warner , Sam Warner , and Jack L. Warner , in addition to producing its own films, it handles filmmaking operations, theatrical distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by other Warner Bros. labels, including Warner Bros. Pictures Animation , New Line Cinema , DC Studios , and Castle Rock Entertainment , as well as various third-party producers. Warner Bros. Pictures
9167-470: The studio were changed, with the studio relying more on theatrical releases than HBO Max-only releases. Walter Hamada , the president of DC Films, stepped down on October 19, 2022. President of Production & Development Courtenay Valenti exited on October 28 and was replaced by Jesse Ehrman. On June 9, 2023, the Warner Bros. Pictures Group was renamed as the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group. Mergers and acquisitions have helped Warner Bros. accumulate
9270-421: The successive books in the series followed in the same style but somewhat more realistic, illustrating scenes from the books. These covers were created by first Cliff Wright and then Jason Cockroft. Due to the appeal of the books among an adult audience, Bloomsbury commissioned a second line of editions in an 'adult' style. These initially used black-and-white photographic art for the covers showing objects from
9373-472: The typical boarding school novel, addressing serious themes of death, love, loss, prejudice, coming-of-age, and the loss of innocence in a 1990s British setting. In Harry Potter , Rowling juxtaposes the extraordinary against the ordinary. Her narrative features two worlds: a contemporary world inhabited by non-magical people called Muggles , and another featuring wizards. It differs from typical portal fantasy in that its magical elements stay grounded in
9476-542: The unusual approach of having their entire slate of 2021 films planned for both theatrical release as well as having a simultaneous one-month period of availability on the HBO Max streaming service, in a similar manner for how they were releasing Wonder Woman 1984 that month. After one month, such films would still be available in theaters and would then later be available via home media under typical release schedules. The move to include streaming, dubbed "Project Popcorn",
9579-495: The walls, letters written on parchment and sealed with wax, the Great Hall of Hogwarts, which is similar to the Great Hall of Camelot, the use of Latin phrases, the tents put up for Quidditch tournaments, which are similar to the "marvellous tents" put up for knightly tournaments, imaginary animals like dragons and unicorns that exist around Hogwarts, and the banners with heraldic animals for the four Houses of Hogwarts. Many of
9682-455: The wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic , and subjugate all wizards and Muggles (non-magical people). The series was originally published in English by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States. A series of many genres, including fantasy , drama , coming-of-age fiction , and the British school story (which includes elements of mystery , thriller , adventure , horror , and romance ),
9785-400: The word "philosopher" with magic, and Rowling suggested the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the American market. Rowling has later said that she regrets the change. The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , was originally published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published a year later in
9888-506: The world of Harry Potter explores numerous themes and includes many cultural meanings and references. Major themes in the series include prejudice, corruption, madness, love, and death. Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , on 26 June 1997, the books have found immense popularity and commercial success worldwide. They have attracted a wide adult audience as well as younger readers and are widely considered cornerstones of modern literature, though
9991-528: The world. The series follows the life of a boy named Harry Potter . In the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ( Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US), Harry lives in a cupboard under the stairs in the house of the Dursleys , his aunt, uncle and cousin, who all treat him poorly. At the age of 11, Harry discovers that he is a wizard . He meets a half-giant named Hagrid who gives him
10094-661: Was announced Lynne Frank, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, would be leaving the company to pursue new opportunities. In June 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures signed an agreement with SF Studios to have their films distributed in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. As with most other film distributors, Warner Bros. Pictures struggled with releasing films during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic due to restrictions on theater openings. After pushing several films planned for 2020 into 2021, WB announced in December 2020 that they would take
10197-476: Was appointed as a consultant for WBD President David Zaslav , working with De Luca and Abdy. In August 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures entered into a multi-year deal for distributing MGM films outside the United States, including on home entertainment. The contract included joint participation of both companies for marketing, advertising, publicity, film distribution, and relationship with exhibitors for future MGM titles. That same month, plans for film distribution at
10300-523: Was criticized by production companies, directors, and actors as Warner Bros. Pictures had not informed anyone about the plan ahead of the announcement, as well of concerns of lower payouts due to the streaming options, leading Warner Bros. Pictures to alter its compensation rates for the affected films by January 2021 to provide larger payouts to casts and crews of these films. In March 2021 Warner Bros. announced that for 2022 they would discontinue their same-day HBO Max and theatrical release model in favor of
10403-441: Was incorporated as Warner Bros. Pictures on March 3, 2003, to diversify film subjects and expand audiences for their film releases. The company became part of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, which was established in 2008, and Jeff Robinov was appointed the first president of the company. In 2017, longtime New Line executive Toby Emmerich joined as president. In January 2018, he was elevated to chairman. On October 23, 2018, it
10506-470: Was published on 16 July 2005. The seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , was published on 21 July 2007. Rowling herself has stated that the last chapter of the final book (in fact, the epilogue) was completed "in something like 1990". Rowling retained rights to digital editions and released them on the Pottermore website in 2012. Vendors such as Amazon displayed the ebooks in
10609-406: Was then shattered by Half-Blood Prince with 10.8 million copies. Within the first 24 hours of its release, 6.9 million copies of Prince were sold in the US; in the UK more than two million copies were sold on the first day. The initial US print run for Deathly Hallows was 12 million copies, and more than a million were pre-ordered through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Fans of
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