Don your cloaks and get out your magic wands, because “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” hits theaters all over the country at midnight. The first half of the final installment in J.K. Rowling’s phenomenal saga about The Boy Who Lived has avid Potter fans and mere movie-going Muggles alike scrambling for tickets to see the premiere.
Tuscaloosa is no exception. Cobb Hollywood 16 Cinemas on Skyland Boulevard had already sold out 12 of 14 open theaters for the midnight premiere as of noon Wednesday, and could open the final two showrooms for ticket sales if the first 14 sell out.
“Deathly Hallows” opens on hero Harry Potter and his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, dropping out of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to search for a way to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort once and for all. The Deathly Hallows, three legendary magical objects, might just be the key to winning, but Voldemort has his eye on them as well. With his power growing, it won’t be easy for Harry and the rest to do anything safely.
Part 2, which will include the epic Battle of Hogwarts, will be released in July 2011.
Midnight premieres have become a staple of popular movies such as the Harry Potter series. Fans from miles around come to see the film, but it’s about more than that. It’s about magical camaraderie. People dress up in costumes of their favorite characters, bring the books along to read before the movie starts and sometimes hold activities like trivia contests to pass the time standing in the horrendously long lines.
“I grew up with Harry Potter,” said Kaycee McFalls, a sophomore majoring in French and international studies. “I think it’s the best kind of book for so many ages. So many people are able to read it and enjoy it.”
McFalls said, as a Harry Potter “purist,” she is not a huge fan of the movies. Still, she has never missed a midnight showing.
She will be attending the premiere with a large group of her friends, but does not mind if the theater is too crowded for them to all sit together. She said she will probably know someone in every theater, and will be focused on the movie anyway.
“I’m excited to see Hermione kind of bust it up,” McFalls said, “and see Molly Weasley kick some ass [in Part 2].”
Jackie Clay, a junior majoring in biology, said she is also excited about seeing how the novel will translate over to the big screen.
“Since this movie is the first of two parts, I’m anticipating seeing where they will cut off in the novel,” Clay said. “I’m also really interested to see how Harry, Ron and Hermione’s relationships with one another will develop on screen in their final journey together.”
Clay also grew up reading the books, and will be going to Thursday’s premiere with her best friend of 13 years, Brett Hannan, also a junior at the University. It is a special event for the pair, who lived far apart until they began college at the University.
“When a book was released, we would buy it immediately and call each other to update where we were in the novel,” Clay said. “We would go to the book releases and movie premieres together when we could.”
Like many fans across the country holding Potter movie marathons and re-reading the books as quickly as possible, McFalls and Clay have been gearing up for the “Deathly Hallows” premiere for weeks.
They both participated in the UA Quidditch on the Quad World Cup on Sunday and said the experience was a blast.
“If they don’t do Quidditch on the Quad next year, I’m leaving Alabama,” McFalls said.
Tickets for the midnight premiere of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” in Tuscaloosa are available at the Cobb Theatre and online at Fandango.com, but fans should swish-and-click fast to avoid getting sold out.
