20 Money Facts About The 'Harry Potter' Franchise

This week, "Harry Potter" fans celebrated the 20-year anniversary of the popular book and movies series.

The first book of the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone," was published on June 26, 1997. Author J.K. Rowling took to Twitter Inc TWTR to commemorate the anniversary and thank her fans.

"Harry Potter" will have a lasting impact on readers and moviegoers, but it has unquestionably been one of the most profitable fantasy series of all time.

Here’s a look at 20 numbers that tell the story of "Harry Potter’s" 20-years of success.

Related Link: Star Wars Vs. Harry Potter Vs. Marvel: An Intellectual Property Battle

 

 

  1. $7.2 billion: The collection of "Harry Potter" movies has earned more than $7 billion in combined global box office sales.
  2. $1.3 billion: The biggest box office hit of the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II,” single-handedly brought in $1.3 billion in global box office sales.
  3. 160 million: Publisher Scholastic Corp SCHL has sold more than 160 million copies of the seven "Harry Potter" novels in the U.S. alone.
  4. $105,000: Scholastic bought the rights to the "Harry Potter" series from Rowling for $105,000 after reading “Philosopher’s Stone.”
  5. $7.7 billion: The total gross book sales of the "Harry Potter" series even eclipsed the box office total.
  6. $55,650: A rare first edition of “The Philosopher’s Stone” containing a typo on the back cover misspelling “philosopher” as “philospher” sold for more than $55,000 at a 2016 auction. 
  7. 8.3 million: Sales of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” eclipsed 8.3 million within 24 hours of its release in 2007.
  8. 4.1 million: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” a script for a West End stage play set in the "Harry Potter" universe, was the highest-selling print book of 2016 by more than 3.2 million copies. 
  9. $1 billion: "Harry Potter" was enough to put Rowling in the billionaires club, with roughly a $1 billion net worth, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
  10. $110 million: "Harry Potter" has made Daniel Radcliffe a household name as well, upping his net worth to $110 million.
  11. $145,000: Back in 2000, Radcliff earned just $145,000 for his starring role in the first "Harry Potter" film.
  12. $20 million: Radcliff earned $20 million for each of the “Deathly Hallows” movies, the final two in the series.
  13. $7.3 billion: As if the movies and books weren’t enough, "Harry Potter" has also generated an estimated $7.3 billion in game and toy sales for toymakers such as Hasbro, Inc. HAS and Mattel, Inc. MAT.
  14. $2.0 billion: Even though DVDs went out of style way before the "Harry Potter" movies did, the franchise has still generated at least $2.0 billion in DVD sales.
  15. $600 million: The phenomenon outlived Blockbuster and Movie Gallery, but before they disappeared Harry Potter brought in more than $600 million in rental revenue.
  16. $200 million: Comcast Corporation CMCSA’s NBC acquired the rights to the Harry Potter movies from Walt Disney Co DIS in an eight-year deal beginning in 2018 and valued at an estimated $200 million. 
  17. $600 million: The estimated global box office of 2016 spin-off “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” demonstrated that the global passion for Potter is alive and well.
  18. $150: The total cost to get the full "Harry Potter" experience by visiting both Hogwarts and Hogsmeade at Universal Studios will cost you $150.
  19. 30 percent: When Universal Orlando opened up its own Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010, park attendance increased roughly 30 percent.
  20. $25 billion: All-in, the "Harry Potter" franchise as a whole is estimated to be valued at roughly $25 billion.
Posted In: NewsEducationMovers & ShakersEventsTop StoriesSuccess StoriesMediaGeneralDaniel RadcliffeHarry PotterJK RowlingScholastic
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