After Warner Bros. Pictures had to scrap 3D on its penultimate “Harry Potter” episode last year, the studio and IMAX got it right this time with the finale “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2,” opening in a record number of IMAX theaters this week and record advance ticket sales.
It’s the second major summer release in a row after “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” to offer 3D that provides a distinct visual value for attendees paying a premium for 3D on top of the IMAX premium ticket price, which is, as always, the best and most impactful way to enjoy movies, particularly of this visual caliber. While nothing pops off the screen like the dynamic 10-9-8… countdown of the IMAX pre-feature logo, there are plenty of scenes enhanced by the obvious depth between characters, backgrounds, and multiple elements in the shot.
This final “Potter,” guided for the fourth time by director David Yates, is far more entertaining and satisfying than the previous plodding Part One of this two-part installment. There are a surprising number of scenes played for laughs, which is a welcome relief, and the most unlikely of characters, Neville Longbottom, becomes the hero and gets one of the major roles of the movie. It also wraps up the series nicely with well-crafted appearances by all the major characters of the franchise, even those who have been killed, without dragging it into a bloated and self-indulgent three-hour curtain call like the final “Lord of the Rings. Rather than the bloated 2 1/2-hour running time of the last couple of Potter episodes, this one clock in at much more efficient 2-hours, including the book-following epilogue in which the three main characters are depicted in a happy ending 19 years after the big showdown between Potter and Lord Voldemort.
The movie debuts Friday, July 15, in a record 274 IMAX locations in the U.S., where it had garnered a record $8 million in advance ticket sales Tuesday, and opened Wednesday in some international markets. Globally, the movie will be playing in 395 IMAX theaters and grow to 423 over the following four weeks.
In order to meet the demand, many IMAX theatres have scheduled 3:00 a.m. shows, with multiple theatres featuring 24-hour showtimes for opening weekend.
— By Scott Hettrick