Harry Potter and its author J.K. Rowling need no introduction. A quick trivia on how well this book series did worldwide should be enough to ring bells. The entire series contains 1084170 words, 772 characters, many unforgettable, 198 chapters, and a play. Now comes the big part, as novels had become a huge franchise out of which several movies were made. These earned billions of dollars all over the world. Harry Potter series, including novels and released movies, are 20 years in the making, but their magic and appeal still grab the masses’ interest like before.
A Phenomenon
Harry Potter, the character and the series, garnered humongous success among viewers of all ages. These movies are as popular among children as young adults. Even the elderly love to watch Harry Potter movies read novels. Such uniform success worldwide is a rare occurrence indeed.
When released almost 20 years ago, the first novel in the series earned Smarties Award for achieving respectable sales. The publisher, Bloomsbury, couldn’t be happier, but the novel was yet to reach the level of success it enjoyed later. After publishing rights of the series were with Scholastic, novels in the Harry Potter series started to make it big. The publisher bought rights for $ 105000, an unheard of amount at the time.
Magic Wasn’t Perfect – But It Was There
The first book was evidently far from perfect despite earning cynicism and criticism. However, Arthur Levine had played a pivotal role in refining the books and adding the editorial touch that would make it acceptable in the US market. The trick worked, and fiction/ magic lovers began to order their copies quickly. Things were changing, and the novel was about to become one of the bigger sellers of that year.
Recognizing the potential, Scholastic invested in the series by giving it a new cover, the preface, and other key improvements turned parts that were subsequently released featured these improvements. The investment paid off, and books now had millions of fans worldwide. To this day, Harry Potter novels and movies are among the most successful franchises ever.
Adults Were Equally Obsessed
A 2012 study claimed that adults bought over 55% novels of the series. The biggest reason was the main protagonist, Harry Potter himself. Adults, like children, were admired and loved the character to the extent that they bought books watched movies in theaters upon release multiple times over.
Some Controversies Surfaced
The biggest criticism of the franchise is due to its portrayal of magic and witchcraft. Children were found to copy scenes from the movie and novels. They chanted spells as depicted in the movies even when they were at school. Rowling was hugely criticized for commonly using spells and magic in movies, but the trend continued.
Rowling announced in 2007 that it created another controversy around the book and novels. Despite all the criticism, the enormous success of the Harry Potter series remains historical to this day.
