A wizard way to make money
J.K. Rowling, 56, is one of the richest and best-known authors in the world with a net worth of £850million.
She conjured up the idea for her fantasy books while being stuck on a delayed train and they have since sold more than 500 million copies worldwide – and raked in around £6.2billion.
More profits came when the books were adapted for the big screen, with the movies making another £6.2billion. The last film in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Part 2, is tenth on the list of highest grossing films of all time.
The franchise made the fortunes of the three actors playing the heroic school pals, too. Daniel Radcliffe, who starred as Harry Potter, made £89million; Emma Watson made £40million as Hermione Granger and Rupert Grint – who played Ron Weasley – pocketed around £40million.
Only 500 first editions of the first book were ever created, making them very valuable. Indeed, copies can sell for up to £40,000.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – the latest addition to the series – also earned Rowling £77million in royalties. And after opening as a London theatre show in 2016, it took more than £110million.
Many fans visit London’s King’s Cross station to have their photograph taken with a trolley at “Platform 9 3/4”.
And those keen to go behind the scenes of the magical films have also helped the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden, Herts, make £47.5million.
The Warner Bros. attraction, where visitors can taste butterbeer and wander through reconstructed sets, has been a huge hit.
In total, the Harry Potter franchise is thought to be worth around £32.5billion.