Many 90s children will have memories of sleepily waiting for the supermarket shutters opening to pounce on a copy of the latest Harry Potter book. Seven books and eight films later, 26 June marks the 20th anniversary of the world’s introduction to JK Rowling’s boy wizard. After having sold over 400 millions copies worldwide, and being translated into 68 languages, we take a look at how Harry Potter is still very much a part of our lives today…
1. Quidditch
Broom-based game Quidditch has taken the Muggle world by storm, as teams across the world have embraced this as a competitive and serious sport. What began as a niche university society grew to be a community of over 35 active teams in the UK, all competing for the Quidditch World Cup. There is no doubt about the sincerity of the game, and those who play it, as Quidditch UK aims to have the game officially recognised as a sport by 2020. Teams include the St Andrews Snidgets and Leicester Thestrals.
2. Warner Bros Studio Tour, London
Voted best attraction in UK by AttractionTix in 2016, the converted aircraft factory sees 6,000 customers per day walk through its enchanted doors since its grand opening in 2012. Within a cornucopia of iconic sets, props and costumes from the film series, visitors are offered the full wizarding experience, from having a swig of butterbeer, to riding a broomstick. And the best attraction in the world you ask? Voters for AttractionTix overwhelmingly chose Universal Studios in Orlando, which houses the ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’. Clearly, these immersive experiences continue to attract masses of muggles who want to feel magical for a day.
3. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Since its premiere in London last year, Jack Thorne’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which sees the three young heroes all grown up, has earned nine Olivier awards, a record for a West End production. Tickets continue to be gold dust as performances seem to be constantly sold out, and eager fans pay through the nose on secondary ticketing websites to experience the next chapter of the franchise.
Another record was broken before it took to the stage last summer, as the pre-released script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child became the fastest-selling book since the last instalment of the series, released 9 years previously.
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The 2016 film was met with praise from both fans and critics, and grossed over $219.9 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Based on Hogwarts textbook of the same name, Warner Bros have commissioned four more films chronicling the life and adventures of Newt Scamander, with Rowling’s magic taking to America. With big Hollywood names attached such as Colin Farrell, Jude Law and Johnny Depp, it is set to become a wildly popular spin-off series that serves as a prequel to the Harry potter films and books, detailing the much talked-about relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelward.
5. Pottermore
The sensational launch of this website in 2011 is for die-hard Potter fans keen to be sorted into Hogwarts houses and discover previously unpublished secrets behind their beloved characters, which are periodically revealed by JK Rowling herself. Within a year, Pottermore gained over a million members and this continues to grow every year.