Fans prepare to farewell wizard

Conjuring up some magic for the final episode of the Harry Potter saga are Birch, Carroll and Coyle Lismore staff, from left, Olivia Ware, Lucy Verrall, and Kurt Brewer-Charles.

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AFTER seven previous instalments and more than $6 billion dollars in box offices takings, the final episode of the Harry Potter film juggernaut is set to plough through the pop culture landscape one last time tonight.

The eighth, and final episode of the film phenomenon will screen just after midnight in Lismore, Ballina and Byron Cinemas.

All three cinema complexes will replay last year's Deathly Hallows Part 1 prior to screening Part 2, to ensure the crowds are whipped into a frenzy by the time the premiere kicks off.

Lismore and Ballina will have 2D and 3D versions of the film, while Byron will show it in 3D.

Lismore audiences for the 3D screening will also see four extra minutes of 2D, behind the scenes footage prior to the movie commencing.

Ballina Fair Cinema manager Paul McGrath said there had been a big build up to tonight's movie.

“We've heard people will be having Harry Potter parties at home before coming to the screenings,” he said.

He said the success of the film was in its appeal to a wide audience.

“There are the kids that have grown up with it, new kids coming through, and the parents come along and enjoy it just as much,” he said.

Dr Caroline Webb, from Newcastle University, an English lecturer and expert in fantasy fiction, said the Harry Potter films have forged a strong connection between the characters and the movie's fans.

“One of the things I think fantasy in general can do well is to explore basic human concerns about growth, about the challenges of life, ” she said.

THE SUCCESS OF HARRY POTTER

The Harry Potter film series has been a handy money spinner for Warner Bros, the distributors of the Harry Potter films:

The previous seven movies in the Harry Potter series all have a place in the top-30 highest grossing worldwide films of all time, according to figures maintained by film website international movie database (IMDB).

The first Harry Potter film, 2001’s The Philosophers Stone, remains the most successful film within the Harry sub-genre, taking more than $968,000,000 at the box office worldwide. It is the ninth most successful box office film in history.

However the penultimate flick, Deathly Hallows Part 1, has already made $946,000,000 since its release late last year.