Harry Potter continues to be a spectacular global success

[fromorbit]

Some recent news articles on how JKR's bank balance is continuing to grow she will just have to find more charities to fund. This is before the potential huge profit from the TV series hits in 2026.

Harry Potter's 2024 Max Viewership Numbers Reveal How Many Users Still Stream The Movies
According to numbers provided by Digital-i, (via Deadline), "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was viewed over 40 million times on the Max streaming service last year. Though not widely regarded as the best "Harry Potter" movie by any means, being first clear counts for a lot. Digging deeper into the numbers, director Christopher Columbus' film reached nearly 20% of Warner Bros. Discovery's total subscriber base, which is pretty remarkable...
That's almost certainly why Warner Bros. Discovery is moving full-steam ahead on the "Harry Potter" TV show for HBO and Max, which is expected to premiere sometime in 2026...

For all of the controversy, the franchise, even beyond these streaming numbers, is evidently popular. "Hogwarts Legacy" was the best-selling video game of 2023, generating well over $1 billion in revenue for Warner Bros.
https://www.slashfilm.com/1813401/harry-potter-2024-viewership-numbers-max-users/

Harry Potter and the theatre owner’s record profit
https://www.cityam.com/record-profit-for-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-theatre-owner/

The group which owns the theatre behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has achieved a record profit for its latest financial year.

Nimax Theatres has posted a pre-tax profit of £10m for the 12 months to 29 September, 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed.

Bloomsbury: Fiction sales boost Harry Potter publisher
However, in its trading update for the year ended February 2024, the firm reported that revenue rose 30 per cent year on year in 2024 to £342.7m, while pre-tax profit soared 57 per cent to £49m.

Sales of J. Maas’s fantasy fiction books rose 161 per cent last year, while J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books continue to drive sales 26 years after their first publication.
https://www.cityam.com/bloomsbury-fiction-sales-boost-harry-potter-publisher/

Two new Harry Potter shops opening in Tokyo this summer
https://blooloop.com/brands-ip/news/harry-potter-shops-tokyo-japan/

Harry Potter: The Exhibition Brings The Wizarding World To Abu Dhabi This July
Abu Dhabi is set to host its first-ever 'Harry Potter: The Exhibition' this July. Explore the details of the immersive experiences to come.
https://www.travelandleisureasia.com/hk/news/harry-potter-exhibition-abu-dhabi-2025-tickets-dates-and-more/

Celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday in style with a free and unmissable birthday pop up in London
https://www.londondaily.news/celebrate-harry-potters-birthday-in-style-with-a-free-and-unmissable-birthday-pop-up-in-london/

Magical new Harry Potter-inspired family attraction to open in Leeds city centre
https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/best-in-leeds/whats-on-news/magical-new-harry-potter-inspired-31944644

Pottermore enjoys 'record year' as revenues increase to £48.8m
Pottermore Publishing has had a record year for the year ending 31st March 2024, it was announced today.
https://www.thebookseller.com/news/pottermore-enjoys-record-year-as-revenues-increase-to-488m

Bump - JKR just seems to be more and more popular:

'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' to become third-longest-running Broadway play in history
The stage sequel to J. K. Rowling's book and film series has performed at the Lyric Theatre since 2018, winning six Tony Awards including Best Play that year.

Talk about a golden trio. On September 1, 2025, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will play its 2,328th performance at the Lyric Theatre and become the third-longest-running non-musical play in Broadway history.

https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-to-become-third-longest-running-broadway-play

Measnwhile on the Westend

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Announces New Cast as Booking Extends to July 2026
Now in its ninth year, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been seen by over 2 million people in the West End and more than 11 million worldwide. It holds a record 60 major honours, including nine Laurence Olivier Awards and six Tony Awards.
https://theatreweekly.com/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-announces-new-cast-as-booking-extends-to-july-2026/

Fantastic news

J.K. Rowling

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5h
Today I found out that audio pre-orders for #TheHallmarkedMan have been the highest in Hachette’s history. Thank you, Strike and Robin fans ❤️ 😭

You can indeed. I don’t think much of HP, but have the greatest admiration for its author as the most dedicated and effective champion of the sex based rights of women and girls we currently have.

My book should be arriving today!

Luckily for me, I had already decided Gaiman's stuff was a bit too juvenile for me a few years ago - although I used to like it. But I now can't read Philip Pullman since he outed himself as a diabolical hypocrite. The man wrote a whole series about basically blocking puberty and how bad this is and then comes down on the side if Gender Ideology. I can't get past it

Was I really deleted for saying i don't like Harry Potter? Unbelievable.

You’re right. A mention of JKR can instantly divide a group into misogynists and the rest of us. Magic really, like a sorting hat.

Yes, I was gobsmacked!

I’ve never read Pullman so Thankyou for the heads up. Another one on my no read list

Northern Lights was exceptionally good (especially at first) the sequels tedious.
Though even the first part of the first book seemed a bit derivative of the rather lovely The Warden’s Niece by Gillian Avery.

I do want to read the third Book of Dust, just to find out what happens in the end, but I won't bother with any more of his stuff. I had a few Gaiman's on my to-read list but they've long gone!

Luckily I was never much of a Gaiman fan, I think I have a couple of his books but I haven't read them for years.

I think it's partly because, being a big fan of classic SFF, I know most of the authors he nicked from. (To be perfectly fair, he always acknowledged his influences; I've just come to prefer the originals)

I've still never read a word of HP. I do enjoy Strike, though it's not my favourite detective series and I wish she'd get an editor - but I like to spend some time with these characters that I've come to see as friends. And even if the mystery isn't gripping me there's bound to be some clever subtheme that makes me smile.

Last May DD and I went on a special birthday trip to the little Italian lakeside town of Peschiera del Garda (population 11,000). Our Airbnb apartment was above a little shop in a side street in the historic walled centre. Being both huge JK Rowling fans, we were amused and delighted to see that the shop was entirely devoted to Harry Potter. 😊

Walking past the Lego Store in Edinburgh yesterday, I was very happy to see that Harry Potter is the main window item 🙂

J.K. Rowling

Having been informed by multiple men with anime furry avatars that my career is over I'm at a loss to understand how this could have happened.

Perfect Strike: Robert Galbraith bowls over the competition
https://www.thebookseller.com/bestsellers/perfect-strike-robert-galbraith-bowls-over-the-competition

Despite a stonking £30 RRP, the latest Robert Galbraith – pen name of Harry Potter author JK Rowling – has gone straight to the top of the Official UK Top 50, according to the latest data from NielsenIQ BookScan’s Total Consumer Market (TCM)..

A total of 53,207 copies of The Hallmarked Man (Sphere) were sold in its first week on sale – with its average selling price (ASP) of £15.47 a little under half price – making it the fourth biggest number one of the year behind Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Piatkus), Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) and World Book Day title Bluey’s Little Book (Ladybird).

The Hallmarked Man is the eighth in the Cormoran Strike series and while it has not quite matched the series’ biggest first week sales – Troubled Blood sold 64,663 copies back in September 2020 – it has managed to beat the previous title in the series, improving on 2023’s The Running Grave’s 50,925 copies by 4.5%.

Last night at a family gathering it came up in conversation that I had just read THM. A young family member who was previously a massive Potter fan but last time we discussed books said she was boycotting JKR volunteered, ‘I can’t believe I went off her for a while. I completely agree with her now.’ She says the tide has totally turned amongst young people.

I've got my copy!

Apparently nobody is actually reading it, it's just gone to the top of the bestseller list due to transphobes who are happy to pay upwards of £15 for a new door stop.

O/T but I love that the top selling books of the year include a WBD book about Bluey.

With apologies to JKR and anyone who paid £30 (and THM is worth it), I took advantage of an Audible offer of 3 months for 99p per month plus 3 free audio books.

'Apparently'

I’m reading THM at the moment, it’s bloody brilliant. Had a little cry last night and I’m only a third of the way through.

Couldn’t be more pleased that JK’s ginormous success continues, despite the haters.

All I can say is that anyone who is using it as a doorstop is missing out.

I'm already re-reading it.