Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) - An exhausting end to Potter's emo saga

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Tousled hair and bloody-faced, Harry faces off with Voldemort on this dark poster for David Yates' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

Voldemort is wounded but deadly, as Hogwarts has been overtaken by Snape, and Harry and Co. are out looking for the three Horcruxes and an end to the regime of terror of Lord Voldemort.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is written by Steve Kloves (Flesh and Bone (1993)), adapting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)), and directed by great English filmmaker David Yates (The Tichborne Claimant (1998)).

The final chapter is the darkest, almost solely black or greyish tinted emo-movie in the increasingly emo-pained Potter franchise. There are poorly edited action sequences (like a fight with a dragon) and self-importance lurking behind every corner here. Anything can more or less happen in Potter's universe, which is also co-responsible for making the story's evolution seem highly random. It is certainly packed with elements that are meant to be taken as wisdom, but which is actually almost entirely trite nonsense. (SPOILER One of the film's big reveals is that Snape has had a life-long crush on Potter's mother ... )

One can't help but rejoice that the Potter ordeals are now finally at an end, and there are also some supporting actors that are enjoyable, like Kelly Macdonald (Anna Karenina (2012)) as the ghost. But over-all the sensation caused by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is one of exhaustion.

 

Related posts:

The Harry Potter franchise: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) - Harry's abysmally dour and long penultimate chapter

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) or, The Anemic British Teen Wizards Fly Again! 

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2007 in films - according to Film Excess 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Yates enters the Potter-verse with series' best entry 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - Newell's overlong, on-brand 4th Potter adventure 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - Dangers lurk in Cuarón's overrated Potter chapter 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - Potter and Co. return for handsome if overlong first sequel

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) - Columbus lands new family franchise successfully

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 125 mil. $ (250 mil. $ shared cost for Part 1 and 2)

Box office: 1,342.3 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 10.73 times its cost)

[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 premiered 7 July (London) and runs 130 minutes. Daniel Radcliffe (Kill Your Darlings (2013)) was paid 33 mil. $ for his performance; Emma Watson (Noah (2014)) and Rupert Grint (Postman Pat: The Movie (2014)) were each paid 15 mil. $. Shooting Part 1 and 2 took place from February 2009 - June 2010 in England, including in London. The film was converted to 3D in post production as the first Potter film to be released in the format. The film opened #1 to a 169.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent 2 more weekends in the top 5 (#2-#4), grossing 381 mil. $ (28.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 124.3 mil. $ (9.3 %) and the UK with 117.2 mil. $ (8.7 %). It set opening day and weekend records, was the year's highest-grossing film and Warner Bros. highest-grossing film to date, - and the highest-grossing in the Potter franchise. It was nominated for 3 Oscars: Best Art Direction, lost to Hugo, Visual Effects, also lost to Hugo, and Makeup, lost to The Iron Lady. It won 1/4 BAFTA nominations, an AFI award, was nominated for a Grammy, won 2 National Board of Review awards and several other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to 3 notches over this one. IMDb's users have rated the film in at #187 on the site's Top 250 list, sitting between Before Sunrise (1995) and In the Name of the Father (1993). The-numbers.com report that it has also made more than 157.7 mil. $ on home video copies domestically alone. Yates continued with the spin-off series Fantastic Beasts which so far spans 3 movies (2016; 2018; 2022, all by him.) Yates first returned with Tyrant (2014, TV-series) and theatrically with The Legend of Tarzan (2016). Radcliffe returned in The Woman in Black (2012); Watson in My Week with Marilyn (2011); and Grint in Ed Sheeran: Lego House (2011, music video) and theatrically in Into the White (2012). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is certified fresh at 96 % with an 8.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - Newell's overlong, on-brand 4th Potter adventure

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+ Most Profitable Hit of the Year: 208.68 mil. $ range

 

Stern-looking adolescents in desaturated, dark tones people this poster for Mike Newell's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The new year at Hogwarts centers on a Triwizard Tournament, where French nymphs and Russian iron-heads guest the school to duel the English youths in spells and magic. SPOILER Although he is three years too young, Harry becomes the 4th contestant (what a shock), - and wins.

 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is written by Steve Kloves (Racing with the Moon (1984)), adapting the same-titled 2000 novel by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)), and directed by great English filmmaker Mike Newell (Comedy Workshop: Love and Maud Carver (1964)). 

This handsome but needlessly long 4th Potter entry introduces some romance in the guise of a Chinese girl student, but it doesn't really result in anything. Instead Harry and Ron bicker, while Robert Pattinson (Little Ashes (2008)) arrives as the snobbish Cedric Diggory, SPOILER who dies and gets a hypocritical hero's burial by Dumbledore.

Thus in more ways than one false virtues are borne forward in a grounded film with its high point being the introduction of Brendan Gleeson's (Troy (2004)) Alastar 'MadEye' Moody gaga teacher character. 

 

Related posts:

The Harry Potter franchise: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) - Harry's abysmally dour and long penultimate chapter

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) or, The Anemic British Teen Wizards Fly Again! 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Yates enters the Potter-verse with series' best entry 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - Dangers lurk in Cuarón's overrated Potter chapter 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - Potter and Co. return for handsome if overlong first sequel

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) - Columbus lands new family franchise successfully

Mike Newell: 2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) - Newell straddles too much in fair action-adventure 

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Love in the Time of Cholera (2007) - Newell's Márquez adaptation is a disaster

2005 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Mona Lisa Smile (2003) - Supporting performances and production elevate gender inequality drama 

Donnie Brasco (1997) - Newell's fantastic, authentic gangster tale

Top 10: Best UK movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) - Newell, Curtis and a stellar cast's romcom triumph

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 150 mil. $

Box office: 896.7 mil. $

= Huge hit (returned 5.97 times its cost)

[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire premiered 6 November (London) and runs 157 minutes. Adapting the 636 page book required many sacrifices, as the studio did not want to accept a two-part movie solution. Newell was paid 1 mil. $ for directing the film. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)) salary increased considerably to 11 mil. $ for the film. Shooting took place from May 2004 - March 2005 in England and Scotland. It opened #1 to a 102.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it remained #1 for another 2 weekends and then spent another 2 weekends (#3-#4), grossing 290 mil. $ (32.3 % of the total gross.) It was the year's 3rd highest-grossing film in North America and the highest-grossing of the year worldwide. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 91.4 mil. $ (10.2 %) and the UK with 85.8 mil. $ (9.6 %). The film was nominated for the Best Art Direction Oscar, lost to Memoirs of a Geisha. It also won 1/3 BAFTA nominations, an AFI award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 review, translating to 2 notches higher than this one. The film also made in excess of 228.5 mil. $ on the North-American home video market alone. Newell returned with Love in the Time of Cholera (2007). Radcliffe returned in The Children's Party at the Palace (2006, TV special), Extras (2006, TV-series); Rupert Grint (Thunderpants (2002)) in Driving Lessons (2006); and Emma Watson (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)) in The Children's Party at the Palace, - before they all returned in the next Potter entry, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is certified fresh at 88 % with a 7.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - Dangers lurk in Cuarón's overrated Potter chapter

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Crooked and eerie elements surround our three juvenile friends on this poster for Alfonso Cuarón's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry turns his fat aunt into a balloon (quite funny) and escapes punishment to Hogwarts, where security is heightened due to the runaway prisoner Sirius Black, SPOILER who turns out not to be a murderer but a kind godfather to Harry.

 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is written by Steve Kloves (Racing with the Moon (1984)), adapting the same-titled 1999 novel by J.K. Rowling (Lethal White (2018)), and directed by great Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Sólo Con Tu Pareja (1991)). It is the 3rd film in the Potter franchise.

The central child characters are still irritating and/or irritatingly acted here; although Rupert Grint's (CBGB (2013)) Ron Weasley to a lesser degree than before now. The film features a great-looking hippogriff (a kind of horse/eagle combination), a werewolf and other effects delights. Despite the high production qualities, however, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a long and dull film, which takes itself so very seriously, and is fundamentally about just about nothing.

 

Related posts:

The Harry Potter franchise: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) - Harry's abysmally dour and long penultimate chapter

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) or, The Anemic British Teen Wizards Fly Again! 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Yates enters the Potter-verse with series' best entry 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - Potter and Co. return for handsome if overlong first sequel

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) - Columbus lands new family franchise successfully

Alfonso Cuarón: The day after the day after ... the 2019 Oscars 

The day after ... The Oscars 2014

Gravity (2013) or, Survival in Space: The Ride

Top 10: Best drama-thrillers reviewed by Film Excess to date 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Top 10: Best future-set movies

Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Children of Men (2006) - Cuarón's multi-faceted, great sci-fi offering 

1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  

Great Expectations (1998) - Cuarón lacerates Dickens with redundant turkey 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 130 mil. $

Box office: 797.4 mil. $

= Huge hit (returned 6.13 times its cost)

[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban premiered 23 May (New York) and runs 142 minutes. The film marks the new 18 month cycle between Potter movies, after the first two were created with just one year in between; it is also the first without the then passed away Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore, with Michael Gambon taking over the part. Grint and Emma Watson (Beauty and the Beast (2017)) were each paid 125k $ for their performances. Shooting took place from February - November 2003 in England, including in London, and in Scotland. The film opened #1 to a 93.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it remained #1 for a 2nd weekend and then stayed another weekend in the top 5 (#3), grossing 249.5 mil. $ (31.1 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 121.6 mil. $ (15.2 %) and the UK with 84.1 mil. $ (10.5 %). Although the film set opening weekend records in the UK, and was the 2nd highest-grossing film of the year globally, it is the lowest-grossing in the Potter franchise. It was nominated for 2 Oscars, winning none: It lost Best Score (John Williams (Heidi (1968, TV movie))) to Jan A.P. Kaczmarek for Finding Neverland, and Visual Effects to Spider-Man 2. The film won 2/6 BAFTA nominations, an AFI award and was nominated for a Grammy, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Cuarón returned with Paris, Je t'Aime (2006, segment) and theatrically with Children of Men (2006). Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)), Watson and Grint returned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005); Grint had a voicing stint in between in Happy Birthday, Peter Pan (2005, TV documentary). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is certified fresh at 90 % with a 7.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - Potter and Co. return for handsome if overlong first sequel

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+ Biggest Moneymaker of the Year: 251.84 mil. $ profit range 

 

The three wizard kids have a new sickly-looking friend on this gold-exuding poster for Chris Columbus' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter escapes his Muggle home and Dobby the house elf to go back to Hogwarts, where mystical blood trails appear, and a student goes missing. It turns out to be a Slytherin heir, who is causing chaos.

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is written by Steve Kloves (Wonder Boys (2000)), adapting the same-titled 1998 novel by J.K. Rowling (The Casual Vacancy (2012)), and directed by great Pennsylvanian filmmaker Chris Columbus (Adventures in Babysitting (1987)). It is the 2nd film in the Harry Potter franchise.

Mostly Chamber of Secrets is at least as good as the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001). There are good characters, handsome effects, - with especially the snake dragon monster impressing, - and Kenneth Branagh's (Peter's Friends (1992)) Gilderoy Lockhart character is introduced.

Unfortunately Harry's sidekick, Rupert Grint's (Thunderpants (2002)) Ron Weasley, is a colorless, talentless 'character', - though he seems more like a ceaseless parade of grimaces than an actual flesh-and-blood character. And the film carries some of the same weight about it with especially the third act being overlong beyond the acceptable. - More than 2½ hours running time is just too much for a Potter entry.

 

Related posts:

 

The Harry Potter franchise: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) - Columbus lands new family franchise successfully (also by Columbus)
Chris Columbus: 2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Top 10: Best family movies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Top 10: Best dramedies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) - Columbus and Robin Williams score with a truly great family jewel

The Goonies (1985) - Sweet child performances drive Donner's beloved, uneven adventure (writer)
Gremlins (1984) - Dante's 1980s puppetry classic (writer)

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 100 mil. $

Box office: 879.6 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 8.79 times its cost)

[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets premiered 3 November (London) and runs 161 minutes. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)) was paid 3 mil. $ for his performance as Harry, while Grint and Emma Watson (Beauty and the Beast (2017)) each received 125k $ as sidekicks Ron and Hermione. Production began 3 days after the release of the first film. Shooting took place from November 2001 - July 2002 in England, including London, and in Scotland. The 'Chamber of Secrets' set was the biggest created for the Potter saga, measuring 76x36.5 meters. The film opened #1 to an 88.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 5 weekends in the top 5, one of them again in #1, grossing 261.9 mil. $ (29.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd markets were Japan with 142.7 mil. $ (16.2 %) and the UK with 88.1 mil. $ (10 %). The film was the year's 2nd highest-grossing worldwide, behind The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers, and the 4th highest-grossing of the year in North America. It was nominated for 5 BAFTA's, winning one; and it also won an AFI award and was nominated for a Grammy, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to 3 notches over this one. The film made more than 27.3 mil. $ on the North-American video market. Columbus returned with Rent (2005). Radcliffe, Grint and Watson all returned first in the next Potter entry, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is certified fresh at 82 % with a 7.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) - Columbus lands new family franchise successfully

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Exciting and colorful, classic adventure-style poster for Chris Columbus' Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The bespectacled Harry Potter is saved from his existence as the black sheep in a foster family in the 'muggler' world and enrolls in the wizard school Hogwarts, where the Sorcerer's Stone has been stolen!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is written by Steve Kloves (The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)), adapting J.K. Rowling's (The Casual Vacancy (2012)) same-titled 1997 novel, and directed by great Pennsylvanian filmmaker Chris Columbus (Adventures in Babysitting (1987)).
The fresh-faced child cast are sweet, (though Emma Watson's (My Week with Marilyn (2011)) supercilious Hermione is a bit annoying) in this the first film in the Potter franchise, which spans 7 sequels, as the last entry in Rowling's book series was broken into two films. They are backed up by a handsome British adult cast of which especially Robbie Coltrane's (Midnight Breaks (1990)) Hagrid is a pleasure here.
The film has very good effects, but the running time is excessive, especially for grown up audiences who would expect some kind of thematic counterweight to justify this, which the Potter films rarely inhabit.

Related posts:

Chris Columbus: Top 10: Best dramedies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) - Columbus and Robin Williams score with a truly great family jewel
Gremlins (1984) - Dante's 1980s puppetry classic (writer)

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 125 mil. $
Box office: 1,075.1 mil. $
= Mega-hit (returned 8.60 times the cost)
[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone premiered 4 November (London) and runs 152 minutes. Warner Bros. bought the rights to the first 4 Potter novels for 1 mil. £. Steven Spielberg was one in a line of directors in talks to head the film, but he turned down the offer, calling it "no challenge." Rowling preferred Terry Gilliam, but Columbus was hired, and Rowling had great power over several other aspects of the film and franchise, from casting to lines, plot and more. English child labor laws were altered to accommodate the production to shoot in the UK. Shooting took place from September 2000 - March 2001 in the UK, including London and Scotland. Coca Cola reportedly paid 150 mil. $ for marketing affiliation with the first two Potter films and optioning on the 3rd. The film opened #1 to a 90.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, breaking opening day and opening weekend records: It held the #1 for another 4 weekends and stayed in the top 5 for another 4 weeks (#2-#4-#5-#5), grossing 317.5 mil. $ (32.6 % of the total gross) in the original 974.7 mil. $ release, selling more than 55 mil. tickets in the US alone. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 152.9 mil. $ (15.7 %) and the UK with 84.6 mil. $ (8.7 %). It was the highest-grossing film of the year and the 2nd highest-grossing of all time at the time of its release, behind Titanic (1997). It has had several re-releases since, boosting its gross total with another 100 mil. $, mostly from the UK. The film was nominated for 3 Oscars, winning none: It lost Best Art-Set Direction and Costume Design to Moulin Rouge! and Score (John Williams) to Howard Shore for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was also nominated for 8 BAFTAs, won an AFI award and was nominated for another and was nominated for a Grammy. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches higher than this one. Columbus returned with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), the next in the franchise. Daniel Radcliffe (Jungle (2017)) first returned as Potter in the same film. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7.07/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Yates enters the Potter-verse with series' best entry

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+ Best Adaptation of the Year + Best Fantasy Movie of the Year + Best Blockbuster of the Year (939.8 mil. $ world gross) + Most Profitable Movie of the Year (minimum 175.92 mil. $ range)

Harry and his teenage wizard allies are poised for rebellion on this dark poster for David Yates' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

A minister of magic in dangerous denial sends a new teacher to Hogwarts, who spreads a regime of terror across the premises. Meanwhile the Order of the Phoenix and the affiliated students' group Dumbledore Army work towards a rebellion in secret.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the 5th original Harry Potter movie (out of 8.) It is written by Michael Goldenberg (Contact (1997)), based on the same-titled 2003 novel by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997), and directed by great English filmmaker David Yates (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)). Dealing with the series' longest book (UK/US versions range from 766 to 870 pages, respectively), Goldenberg and Yates succeeds with a leaner film, (Phoenix is the next to shortest of the often overlong 8 films, only beat by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011) at 130 minutes), which only employs few clichés, (a storm comes to mind.)
The well-known characters have had their hair cut, and the tone is more brusque in the fifth chapter of the Potter saga, likely the best of the entire franchise. It features the Potter-universe's first fully-fledged fantastic villain, Dolores Umbridge, who comes in the guise of a terrific Imelda Staunton (Big and Small (2008-09)). The film's strict focus on its dark story of impending war makes it, however, in my eyes wholly unfit for children at this point.
- But it is a really good and well-paced fantasy adventure, and an extremely handsome production with a spectacular finale.

Related posts:

David Yates/The Harry Potter franchise: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) - Harry's abysmally dour and long penultimate chapter 2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]    
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) or, The Anemic British Teen Wizards Fly Again!
2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]  

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost:150-200 mil. $ (different reports)
Box office: 939.8 mil. $
= Big to huge hit (4.69 - 6.26 times the cost)
[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix premiered 28 June (Tokyo, Japan) and runs 138 minutes. Dobby the house elf was taken into the script only after Rowling's advice. Shooting took place in the UK, including London and Scotland, and in Italy from February - December 2006. The film opened #1 to a 77.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for another 3 weeks (#2-#3-#5) and grossed huge 292 mil. $ (31 % of the total gross). It was the 5th highest-grossing film in North America of the year and the 2nd highest grossing film of the year globally, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End with 963 mil. $. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 101.3 mil. $ (10.8 %), where it was the highest-grossing film of the year, and Japan with 80.5 mil. $ (8.6 %). A leaked financial sheet from Warner Bros. showed how their 'phony baloney accounting' made even this major seller incur an incredible 167 mil. $ deficit! - This practice ensures that no-one ever receives the net profits promised them in their contracts, since the film never officially breaks even. But even figuring in a gigantic 200 mil. $ marketing budget for the film, Phoenix should break even with its massive home video and auxiliary market sales (rights, merchandise etc.). Roger Ebert gave the film a 2.5/4 star review, translating to two notches harder than this review. The film was nominated for 2 BAFTAs, won an AFI award, a European Film award and many other honors. It was the year's 7th most sold home video release with more than 10 mil. sold units in North America. Yates returned with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), the following Potter movie, and also made the last two. He is now the filmmaker behind the Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and is hired for the 4 slated sequels to it. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)), Potter himself, returned in December Boys (2007) and TV movie My Boy Jack (2007) before the Half-Blood Prince. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is certified fresh at 78 % with a 6.9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes - ironically the lowest-rated of the franchise.]

What do you think of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix?