Rumor Killer: Harry Potter Series Will NOT End Early

By Peter Sciretta/Dec. 30, 2008 11:05 pm EST

The entertainment industry will surely see some harsh cutbacks in the coming year. Forget the fact that Warner Bros broke Sony’s 2006 yearly box office record this year. You could argue that WB’s total is a result of “The Dark Knight’s summer success, and that was before things really got bad.” Okay sure. And lets not forget that the Christmas 2008 holiday weekend was the biggest in U.S. box office history with over $173 million in total ticket sales. Yes, we know, its going to get worse… And yes, the hype from the release of new Potter books is bound to hurt the Potter film franchise, BUT to compare the situation to that of Disney’s Narnia situation is ridiculous at best. But don’t believe me, lets look at the numbers:

http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/12/28/box-office-warner-bros-reaches-174-billion-surpassing-sonys-2006-record/

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/248077,best-christmas-box-office-ever-with-five-new-films.html

The first four Harry Potter films rank in the top 25 highest grossing films of all time worldwide. The last film to be released, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was the second highest grossing of the series, second only to the debut film. Phoenix, which was made for $150 million, grossed over $938 million worldwide, and who knows how much on DVD and merchandising.

And speaking of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we have five new photos after the jump!