‘Harry Potter and The Cursed Child’ Hype Increases; Breaks Amazon and Barnes & Noble Pre-Order Records
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” has broken pre-order records ahead of its official release on Saturday where millions of fans are expected to mob bookstores around the globe.
The phenomenal “Harry Potter” franchise has done it again by releasing a new story after almost a decade and breaking pre-order record for both Barnes & Noble and Amazon, a title previously held by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in 2007.
CNBC reports that what is surprising about the biggest publishing event of the summer is that it is not focused on an actual “Harry Potter” novel.
Barnes & Noble Chief Merchandising Officer Mary Amicucci revealed that with its record-breaking pre-order sales, they expect it to become their biggest selling book in 2016.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will be available in bookstores all over the globe on Sunday but fans are expected to gather in all 640 Barnes & Noble bookstores to throw parties marking the event.
Bloomberg talked to Jon Rosenthal, a 36-year-old assistant restaurant manager who has been a “Harry Potter” fan since time immemorial. He said he will be dressing up like a wizard on Saturday night like he used to do nine years ago.
“It’s sort of like the same reason why people keeping showing up at Times Square on New Year’s Eve.”
“Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon” author Susan Gunelius told Bloomberg that the increase in sales for the eighth “Harry Potter” installment is partly due to the engagement of fans over the social media. She also believes that the success of the entire franchise is partially because of how “consumers built the brand.”
“The marketing team was always trying to catch up. What is so amazing about the branding of Harry Potter was that it was unintentional,” said Gunelius who is also the CEO of KeySplash Creatives Inc.
[Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images]
The hype on the “Harry Potter” event is exceptional and Barnes & Noble’s Amiccuci confirmed just that.”It’s very rare that we will open up the stores for a midnight release, so this is really a one-of-a-kind for the Harry Potter franchise,” she said, noting that the publishers and the fans “never really let go of Harry.”In their website, Barnes & Noble are counting down to the official release of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” scheduled on midnight of July 31.
In Los Angeles, “Harry Potter” fans are making scenes only those who know the seven-book magical story would appreciate.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported about a fan group called “Dumbledore’s Army” who plan to meet at “King’s Cross Station” which is actually the Union Station, according to their leader Adrienne Alwag-Aipia.
From there, they will board the Metro Red Line which will serve as their “Hogwarts Express.” During the journey, Dumbledore’s Army will be singing the Hogwarts House song while waiting for their arrival at the 1939 Public House in Los Feliz that poses as their version of “the Leaky Cauldron” where they will have “Harry Potter”-themed cocktails.
[Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images]
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is actually a rehearsal script of a two-part play written by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.It shows how fan-favorite “Harry Potter” characters have grown into adulthood: Harry working for the Ministry of Magic. It also focuses on Harry’s eldest son Albus who is struggling to cope with the family legacy.According to the synopsis of the play posted in the official “Harry Potter Play” website, both Harry and Albus will undertake a journey to battle evil as the legendary wizard did when he was still a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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