No one would ever have guessed that writer Joanne K. Rowling would become a billionaire with the story of a student at a magic school. And no one could have known that Harry Potter would become such a cult classic.
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'Harry Potter' cast to reunite for 20th-anniversary TV special
Twenty years after the film's release, stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will "Return to Hogwarts." We revisit the lucrative Harry Potter franchise.
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Smiling at the premiere in 2001
Twenty years after the release of the first "Harry Potter" film, movie studio Warner Bros has announced that a 20th anniversary TV special will be released on HBO on January 1, 2022. In "Return to Hogwarts," cast members, including stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, will reunite to discuss how it all started. Author J.K. Rowling's name was not included in the announcement.
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World's most famous wizard
Boy wizard Harry Potter has been with us ever since author J.K. Rowling released the first book in her seven-part series in 1997. The first film adaptation was released in November 2001, with the final movie hitting cinemas a decade later. The film franchise took in some $7.8 billion (€6.9 million) at the global box office, and millions more in merchandising.
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The Potter universe expanded
Author J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" spin-offs are all box office hits, but she's also been making headlines for her controversial opinions on transgender issues. Stars of her films, including Eddie Redmayne (l.), have distanced themselves from her views. They are shown here at the premiere of "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them" in 2016. A sequel is set to be released in April 2022.
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Magical amusements
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park opened in Florida in 2010. More parks have since opened: at Universal Studios Japan, Hollywood and Beijing. They recreate the village of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts castle. Attractions include "a one-hour exploration experience on an enchanted bench." Technically, that's true — the ride queue takes about an hour. The actual journey lasts only four minutes.
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Shopping paradise
In 2014, the Diagon Alley attraction opened at the other end of the Florida theme park, with the Hogwarts Express train ready to take visitors back and forth. Alongside the Gringotts Wizarding Bank (complete with dragon on the roof), this shopping paradise for wizards and witches offers everything imaginable. Broomsticks can be purchased for a mere $250 (€220).
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Deceptive sweets
The top seller are the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, produced by Jelly Belly, specialists in jelly beans with amazing flavors. A delicious treat? Not necessarily — ever since the first book, it's been clear these beans can also taste pretty disgusting. Some flavors: earthworm, rotten egg, soap, grass — even vomit. But with any luck, you might find something like melon, cotton candy or cherry.
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Pilgrimage site King's Cross
The London train station hides a "secret" access portal to the magical platform 9 3/4, where the Hogwarts Express waits to whisk students away to school. Those who want to make it through need to concentrate and aim their luggage cart directly into the brick wall. It's become a must-see site for Harry Potter fans — though Muggles, or non-magic folk, won't get very far.
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Bridge to Hogwarts
This bridge wasn't recreated at the Universal theme park — it's real. It, too, has become a stop on the Harry Potter sightseeing tour, though somewhat off the beaten track in the Scottish Highlands. The Glenfinnan Viaduct was built in the late 19th century and is part of the West Highland Line. The train in the picture, however, is not the Hogwarts Express but The Jacobite, a tourist steam train.
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Staying grounded
Quidditch, a full-contact sport, actually takes place in midair. Players fly about on brooms trying to throw the Quaffle through one of their opponents' three circular gates, while avoiding treacherous Bludgers. The player who manages to catch the elusive Golden Snitch wins the game. Muggles play a version of the game on the ground, as seen here in Bonn. Without magic, of course.
Image: Volker Lannert/Uni Bonn
Even more Potter
While the film stars are now adults, the 2016 two-part play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" also looks into what happened to Harry Potter, two decades after the adventures in the books. He has become Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic and his son, Albus Severus Potter, is about to go to Hogwarts. The play is staged in different cities, including Hamburg.
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Online universe
The Pottermore website is the "digital heart of the magical world," home to everything fans could ever want: a space to interact, with quizzes, puzzles and — of course — an online shop. The 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter film will not go unnoticed: "Get ready for weekly celebrations — including online events, special activities and more," says the site.
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The Elephant House café is considered the birthplace of Harry Potter. It is the place where Joanne K. Rowling wrote most of the first books in the Harry Potter series. The idea for the story about the wizarding school pupil was something that had come to Rowling while on a train ride from Manchester to London.
Trained as a teacher, the novelist was mother to a young child and recently separated from the child's father. She couldn't work while raising her child so she received government assistance and had a lot of time to write and explore her imagination.
J.K. Rowling has become one of the wealthiest writers in the worldImage: Reuters/N. Hall
The first of the Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was finished in 1995. Rowling sent it out to publishers, one of whom told her to get a job instead - she wouldn't get rich writing children's books.
Millions sold, billions earned
Twenty years after the first Potter book was published on June 26, 1997 with a print run of just 500, J.K. Rowling is near the top of the list of wealthiest novelists in the world.
Over the course of seven books, she has created a world that is so close to reality that even "Muggles" (non-magicians) want to believe in it. The story of the magic student Harry Potter, who finally overcomes his mortal enemy - the man who killed his parents -, fills the seven thick books which were published between 1997 and 2007.
Translated into 80 languages, they have been sold more than 450 million times; in Germany alone, over 33 million copies have been printed. Adaptations for the cinema brought in seven billion euros.
Potter vs. Nintendo
20 years on and the excitement still hasn't diedImage: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Wendt
Success didn't come overnight for the series which would become a household name. It took several years after initial publication to become popular among fans, but once it did, the success was unparalleled.
Following the third book, Rowling was so famous that the initial print run on the fourth book in the series was in the millions. And that was no easy feat, coming at a time when computers and video game consoles were increasingly vying for the attention of children.
The scene was unusual for the time: a long line of children and youths camped outside of bookstores on the day of the book's publication. Many businesses opened at midnight in order to accommodate the rush of buyers. It's a hype that still hasn't died.
An ongoing success story
Even after the story has been told to its end, the cult remains. Merchandising continues apace, with Potter fans setting off to pilgrimage to famous Potter sites or visit Harry Potter theme parks.
Rowling was even able to create a few spin-offs, including a fictive textbook from the Hogwarts Magic School, which describes fantastical creatures and where one can find them. It was the basis for a successful, Oscar-winning film in 2013.
The cast of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' theater playImage: picture-alliance/empics/C. Gray
In summer 2016, yet another means of appeasing the fans came in the form of a theatrical debut under the title, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."
It takes place 20 years after the end of the Potter series. The magician has grown up, has his own family with three children - and a lot of problems with his eldest son. A book has been released based on the play, one which was a bestseller in Germany in 2016.
