Final Harry Potter Film Creating Buzz Across Pensinula

The fantasy may have ended in 2007, but the reality is that Harry Potter has one rather large finale still set to materialize.

Local movie theaters are gearing up for what may be the biggest summer blockbuster of 2011, as the last film installment of the famed Harry Potter book series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, will take to the screen Thursday at midnight.

Tickets for the movie, which will be showcased via several midnight showings across San Mateo County in 3D and normal digital projection, have already gone on sale, and in a number of cases, have already sold out.

Century Theatres at , Century 20 in Daly City, Century 12 in Downtown San Mateo, CineArts at Empire, and Century 20 in downtown Redwood City will all have showings of the film near midnight. All are sold out according to Fandango.com, a popular online ticket-buying site.

In fact, Century 20 will have 15 showings of the movie from 12:03 a.m. to 12:27 a.m., all of which have already seen their last ticket purchased.

However, there are still a few tickets available for showings in the early morning hours.

AMC Loews Metreon 16 will have 12 showings of the film from 12:02 a.m. to 3:30 a.m., all of which have tickets available on Fandango, and the trend seems to be the closer to midnight the showing, the better. Therefore, there are opportunities to see the film later in the morning, such as 12:30 a.m. showings.

Since its inception into the literary world in 1997, author J.K. Rowling’s brainchild that centers on the magical teenage exploits of Harry Potter and his companions has become a worldwide phenomenon.

And since its adaptation to the big screen, the Potter series has enjoyed the same success as its print-form predecessor.

Each of the seven Harry Potter movies released so far rank in the 30 highest-grossing films across the globe; five are in the top 20.

Upon its film release in 2001, the first movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, known in America as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was the second highest-grossing film ever behind Titantic. It remained in second place until the year 2003, when it was ousted by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and currently sits in ninth place, behind movies such as Avatar, Toy Story 3 and The Dark Knight.

Combined, the Potter films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide and have become the highest-grossing film series in history.

The seventh installment of the print series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was split into two parts for its film version, a move that the film’s directors said would allow them to tell the story more closely.

At the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the central antagonist of the series, Voldemort, has retrieved the Elder Wand, the most powerful of magical weapons, from the grave of Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore, Harry Potter’s mentor throughout the series, was slain by Severus Snape, a colleague of his turned traitor, or at least thought to have been until the novel’s conclusion.

Part Two of the final movie will showcase the impending battle between Harry and Voldemort, a battle that will decide the fate of the wizarding world for generations to come.

Theaters expect fans to arrive days before the doors open, camping out to assure themselves of desired seating arrangements.

Some theaters will use special promotions to get fans out early. Century Theatres at Tanforan will be showing part one of the film at 9:00 p.m., segueing into part two after midnight.