On November 4, 2001, throngs of enthusiastic fans descended upon a London theater, all hoping for even a fleeting look at the cast of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. With the film's public release only weeks away, anticipation had reached a fever pitch. The beloved book series was finally making the leap to the big screen, and the atmosphere surrounding the event could only be described as magical.
An Unprecedented Book Craze
Long before the films were even on anyone's radar, the books themselves had already sparked a cultural wave unlike anything the publishing world had seen before.
Bloomsbury Publishing put out the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in June 1997, printing a modest run of just 500 copies. Remarkably, twelve publishing houses had already turned the book down, and expectations for sales were far from enthusiastic. The book then made its way to readers in the United States in early 1998.
Critics embraced the novel almost immediately, and word-of-mouth excitement started building around the story. By 1999, the first three installments in the series had all landed on the New York Times Bestseller list, fueling a wave of international interest. Then came 2000, and with it, full-blown Harry Potter mania. Copies flew off shelves by the hundreds of millions worldwide, translations appeared in over 85 languages, and a massive merchandise empire took shape. When the 4th novel hit stores in 2000, devoted fans lined up at bookstores, eager to get their hands on it the moment it became available.
All of this literary fervor laid the perfect groundwork for a film franchise that would prove equally explosive.
The Premiere
On the evening of November 4, 2001, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone celebrated its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square Theater. A glittering red carpet welcomed a host of celebrities, among them the young stars at the heart of the film — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. Outside, thousands of fans packed the area around the theater, which had been transformed to evoke the look of Hogwarts Castle, all hoping for a chance to see the actors who would bring their favorite characters to life.
Theater Release
Audiences finally got to experience the film for themselves on November 16, 2001, when it opened across more than 3,000 theaters in the UK and the United States — the widest theatrical release of its time. The movie went on to earn $974 million worldwide, claiming the title of highest-grossing film that year. This first installment launched what would become an eight-film saga adapting the complete book series, with seven additional movies following in its wake. Collectively, the franchise pulled in over $9.5 billion at the global box office. Even though the eighth and final film arrived in 2011, the Harry Potter series continues to stand as one of the most cherished movie franchises ever made.