
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is said to do magic tricks on the box office this weekend.
Fans are expected to pack midnight shows tonight (starting as early as 11:59 pm) at theaters across the country.
Fandango, the nation's largest movie ticketing service, reports that the fourth Potter film already ranks as:
- the fastest-selling Potter movie in company history; accounting for 93% of Fandango's weekly ticket sales, as of Wednesday, November 16, 2:00 PM PT;
- the top-selling film since the summer release of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith;
- a likely box office behemoth responsible for hundreds of sold-out weekend shows.
"There's great anticipation that Harry will kick off a fantastic holiday movie season", said Fandango President and CEO, Art Levitt.
"Audiences are rooting for Harry this weekend -- and the buzz is tremendous. Based on our advance ticket sales, we are expecting a 'Hagrid'-sized hit", he added.
Meanwhile, Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. announced that the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" videogame has been released for PSP consoles. The title is also in stores for the PlayStation2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and Windows PC.
"Gamers will be able to master magic anywhere in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire videogame for the PSP", said Rob O'Farrell, Executive Producer at EAUK.
"The PSP version gives players so many options and ways to experience the game, from short burst mini-games to play with friends to a rich and magical adventure that will keep gamers enthralled for hours", he added.