Wizard movie storms NZ box office

By Phil Boeyen, ShareChat Business News Editor

Tuesday 4th December 2001

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has had a record-breaking weekend in New Zealand, continuing a trend set internationally.

Roadshow Films, which is distributing the movie here, says it broke New Zealand box office records in the weekend to gross $1.523 million, the biggest opening weekend of all time.

"This beats Star Wars the Phantom Menace which grossed $1.38 million in June 1999 and Independence Day which grossed $1.21 million in August 1996," say the general manager of Roadshow Film Distributors, Lisa Hubbard.

The story of an orphaned English boy who learns he is a wizard and is sent to a school to learn the art of magic has set its British author, J K Rowling, firmly on the road to billionaire status.

The author rejected several suitors who wanted the rights to the movie but eventually gave in to Warner Brothers. However she has kept control of much of the film process, including insisting that English actors play the prime roles.

Another big summer movie, Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, will have its premiere next week.

Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter should set the cash registers ringing at the country's movie theatres and are also predicted to reward retailers with a bumper Christmas as fans snap up spin-off merchandising such as toys, books and t-shirts.

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