Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Harry Potter theme park hopes to enchant fans into a wizarding world
Jbjsaturday
THE young wizard who enchanted readers around the world has metamorphosed into a multibillion-dollar franchise of books, films and branding.
With its series of Wizarding World theme park attractions dedicated to Harry Potter and his pals, Universal Studios is betting he’s here to stay.
Harry Potter hasn’t lost his charm, if Universal Studios’ boywizard-themed amusement parks are any measure.
Nearly 20 years after the blockbuster book series made its debut, the magical allure of a visit to Potter’s world drew soldout crowds who waited overnight for the opening of Universal Studios Hollywood, site of the fifth Wizarding World theme-park attraction to open in as many years.
In the musty bowels of a spiky Hogwarts Castle, “enchanted” talking portraits guided the way to a hair-raising 3D-enhanced adventure ride amid flying dragons, spitting spiders and the films’ stars in hologram form.
Outside in a mocked-up Hogsmeade Village, black-robed attendants hawked frozen Butterbeer and interactive wands that cast special-effect spells on the property, while the California sun shone over the village’s fauxsnow-capped roofs.
The land’s wizarding workers keep character, ringing up alive may take some tricks.
Rowling publisher Bloomsbury has plans to keep up the momentum, releasing 10 more Potter projects next year, including new illustrated editions of Rowling’s companion volume Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and 20th anniversary editions of the Harry Potter books.
A new two-part play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will open in July on London’s West End – a book version will be released at the same time – and a film version of Fantastic Beasts starring Eddie Redmayne is set for November release.
But to achieve true immortality may require cementing Harry Potter into the entertainment world, even literally. The theme park attractions are part of that brand strategy, to keep the series relevant for coming generations.
Given the series’ runaway success, it’s perhaps no surprise that Universal Studios’ Wizarding World attractions have given hefty boosts to visitors and revenue – even setting off what one industry observer called a theme park “arms race” as rival Disney struggles to catch up.
But in return, they may help Harry stand time’s test, too.
Warwick Davis, the actor who played Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films, said children who missed the books and films the first time around may find a way in through the theme parks – in a way that’s good for business all around. – ANA-dpa