Older teenagers and those in their early twenties were clearly the core demographic in this week's release rally for the second from last Harry Potter cinematic extravaganza .
It was these avid young people who have quite literally grown up with the Harry Potter series, from its first UK publishing of J.K Rowling's, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997.
Four hundred million copies of Rowling's seventh and final book in the Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Harrows (1997) made this the biggest selling book of all time. The end story was split into two for grande finale cinematic purposes. Die-hard fans won't have too wait too much longer to wrap up a complete 14-year experience, as Part II of the Deathly Hallows will release next July.
A six year old new reader when the first book was released in England, my 19-year-old English Major college student son, Rocco, took these photos for me down at the Boulevard Cinemas in Petaluma. As much a fan as any of his era, Rocco couldn't make it to the midnight screening last night, as he was in class during the camp out for tickets.
He has decided to wait it out until the Potter fever settles over the next couple of days. He'd told me after pulling an all-nighter back in '97 to read the last book in one sitting that his childhood was then officially over. The question is, will Harry Potter continue to inspire young readers around the world, or was it a phenomenon peculiar to those fortunate enough to be swept up in the bookish craze that Harry Potter's magic conjured out of the blue?
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