Harry Potter faithful, prepare to wait an additional eight months to see your beloved boy wizard’s next big screen adventure. Warner Bros. announced today that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be moved from its November release to a summer tentpole spot in July 2009.
The sixth film in the Harry Potter film franchise, Half-Blood Prince follows Harry and his Hogwarts crew into darker territory, as the wizarding world is in the midst of war. The first teaser trailer, released last month, threw fans into a frenzy of anticipation. (Watch it here.) Audience patience will be tested as the film moves from being three months away to opening over half a year from now. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will now open internationally day-and-date on July 17, 2009.
In a written statement, Warner Bros. COO Alan Horn acknowledged the impact that the recent writers strike had made on the studio’s decision to reschedule:
“Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films-changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”
According to Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group President Jeff Rubinov, the film is already completed and the move simply a business decision. And there is a silver lining for fans: a shorter wait between Half-Blood Prince and the start of the next sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
“The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films. Post-production on ‘Half-Blood Prince’ was completed on time, and the studio’s release plans for the two-part ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ will not be affected by this change. We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and the first part of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.'”
Click here for more news, photos, and trailers from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
