Maire Birdwell, Design Editor
November 16, 2017
On this day in 2001, the very first Harry Potter film opened. The Harry Potter movies are based of off the books by J.K. Rowling. Her creativity in her novels were so spectacular that all 7 novels were made into films. The first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was a huge hit and topped the box-office in one day. The film, which starred Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies in history.
The first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, debuted in Great Britain in 1997 and was released in the United States the following year under the name Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Children and adults alike were captivated by the story of Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Readers were bewitched by their adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Harry’s struggles against the evil Lord Voldemort.
The author, J.K. Rowling, came up with the idea of the Harry Potter story on a train ride from Manchester to London in 1990. She began writing the book that night and finished it in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her completed novel was turned down by many publishers, until she got a book deal with Bloomsbury Publishing in August 1996. Rowling went on to write 6 more novels, which all became international blockbusters. More than 400 million copies of all of the movies were sold. The books have spawned a variety of video games, clothing, stickers, and other merchandise.
