The second movie to reach $1B worldwide in a series is Warner Bros’ reissue of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone. The film, originally released in 2001, is worth $1,001,260,000 worldwide following its release this weekend in a remastered 4 K 3D version in China. The whole series has grossed $7.74B by now.
When HP1, a 19-year-old re-released last Friday in the Middle Kingdom, set a record for one day in the Post-COVID era and on Saturday again. Over the three days, muggles made $13.6 million on 16,000 screens (including $2.1 million on 594 IMAX screens). The film still played solidly behind local epic The Eight Hundred through Tuesday night.
Earlier, in what feels like a lifetime ago, in the uncertainty of the coronavirus crisis, Hollywood studios were approached to bring catalog movies back to China as they worked to get back on their feet after being shuttered since the Lunar New Year. At the time, the WB Weibo post announced: “Magic is coming!” In the end, it took some time to open up in a significant way for Harry Potter, or any film, but signals are strong.
Potter movies have grown in popularity in China as the market has grown. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part II became the biggest grosser of the series there at $61 M in 2011—a time when the Middle Kingdom was hardly the biggest it had grown to be, but it was the 5th largest offshore film hub.
“We are thrilled to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone entertain a new generation of audiences, the popularity of a film with filmgoers in China, who are discovering it for the first time, proves that the appeal of these stories is truly timeless and universal,” said Andrew Cripps, Chairman, International Distribution, Warner Bros Pictures.
Chris Columbus directed this film, based on the beloved novel by J.K. Rowling, from a screenplay adapted by Steve Kloves. David Heyman produced as executive producers with Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan, and Duncan Henderson.