Local Teens Attend Midnight Showing of Harry Potter

Area teenagers including several from Haverford Township, pulled an all-nighter, not to study but to catch the first showing of the latest and last in the Harry Potter film series.

Ending nearly 10 years of premieres, midnight Friday marked the release of the final chapter in the Harry Potter saga, and fans of the wizard of literature were ready for the momentous event.

The Haverford-Havertown Patch followed a group of teenagers, decked out in costumes, to the IMAX Theater in King of Prussia as they waited for the midnight premiere. Expecting long lines of fans waiting to get into the theater, the teens arrived about 45 minutes before the start of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.  While there were only a few wizard fans outside, the line was growing inside the theater.

The group of teenagers was from Haverford, Radnor and Upper Darby townships, and one even traveled from Delaware to be part of the group. They all bonded over the wizardry of it all and waited anxiously in the theater as fans filed in to get a good seat. The theater was nearly filled even one hour before the movie began and the Haverford group had to sit in the front row.

Robbie Cromie, a junior at came dressed as Harry Potter. While he admits he is not a huge Harry Potter fan, he could not resist the excitement surrounding the release of the last film in the series.

“I found this to be an incredibly fun experience. I had never read the Harry Potter books so going into this was a fresh experience for me. As soon as I entered the theater, I felt an instant connection with the people there and I thought the movie to be very good,” Cromie says.

Carissa Cucchi, a senior at , is a more serious fan.

“Throughout the whole day the excitement steadily grew among my friends as the movie premier time got closer. Once we got to the theater, there was an instant bond amongst the audience as they cheered, cried and laughed with Harry on his journey to overcome Voltermold," Cucchi says. "The movie was tastefully done, revealing a deeper side to each of the characters. The overall experience of going to the midnight showing of the movie added to an extra element of excitement to the movie. Seeing all of my friends and fellow Harry Potter fans dressed up was equally as exciting and the movie was an amazing."

Meaghan Jones, who just graduated from Upper Darby High School, says the “movie was great and I loved seeing all people in costumes.”

Most moviegoers who dressed in costumes did not reveal their names preferring to stay in character.

In 2001, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was the first of the movies in the series that opened in the United States. Loyal fans have been attached to the lives of Harry, Hermione and Ron ever since as they explored Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and grew up in the wizarding world. Because the book and movie releases were staggered throughout the years, many fans grew up with the characters.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, reprising their roles as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

A Warner Bros. Pictures press release reports, “The Harry Potter film series is the most successful film franchise of all time grossing just over six billion dollars. In July 2000, the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, grossed $90 million in the United States alone, which set a record opening worldwide. This is higher than the 22 James Bond films and the six films in the Star Wars franchise.”

The eight-film series starts with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) where we meet Harry Potter who is orphaned and brought up by his hostile aunt and uncle. At the age of 11, the half-giant Rubeus Hagrid tells him that he is actually a wizard.

Harry finds out that the Dark Lord, Vodemort murdered his parents and attempted to kill then 1-year old Harry on the same night, which was Halloween. Harry also begins his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and learns about magic, along with new friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. During the year, the trio becomes entangled in the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone, which is being kept within the school.

In the next six films the characters travel through various tales and dangers through the Wizarding World in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and ending in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011).

In the last film, Harry, Ron and Hermione continue to seek Horcruxes in an attempt to destroy Lord Voldemort who launches an attack on Hogwarts School, where the trio return for one last stand against the dark forces that threaten to take over the Wizarding and Muggle (non-magical people) worlds.