Harry Potter theme park rights?

[HauntedMansionFan]

Does anyone know who owns the theme park rights to Harry Potter? I've heard a ton of different stories, that Warner Brothers still has control, Disney now has them, Warner Brothers is licensing it out to Six Flags for their US parks, etc, etc....

Any thoughts?

 

[AnNaNiCoLe]

Most likely SIX FLAGS due to the fact that those are Warner Bros. parks and Harry Potter is a Warner Bros. film. Not at ALL sure, though.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by HauntedMansionFan
Does anyone know who owns the theme park rights to Harry Potter? I've heard a ton of different stories, that Warner Brothers still has control, Disney now has them, Warner Brothers is licensing it out to Six Flags for their US parks, etc, etc....

Any thoughts?

Warner Bros. Parks has them. In Australia last year, at Warner Bros park on the Sun Coast, there was an entire Harry Potter 'land', with Diagon Alley and several other areas from the books/films brought to life. To my knowledge, they have not been leased out to Six Flags. Disney definitely does not have them.

 

[manning]

And Eisner took a pass on Harry Potter.

One thing about Walt, he wasn't afraid to take a risk now and then.

 

[Lewisc]

A few years ago I read Universal had the rights to HP and LOR. About a year ago the rumor was Disney had the rights.

There seems to be some question as to if the rights belong to Rowlings (the book) or with Warner Brothers (the movie). I even read somewhere that it's possible both have the rights to license HP for theme park use. That would certainly account for the delay.

 

[jlambrig]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
Warner Bros. Parks has them. In Australia last year, at Warner Bros park on the Sun Coast, there was an entire Harry Potter 'land', with Diagon Alley and several other areas from the books/films brought to life. To my knowledge, they have not been leased out to Six Flags. Disney definitely does not have them.

WB has the rights for Australia alone, has nothing to do with any other country or the ability to have an HP land here. Rowlings still controls the rights for everything else. The only thing stopping Disney is Disney.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by manning
And Eisner took a pass on Harry Potter.

At least that was one smart move he did. I would hate to see at HP attraction or themed land.

 

[manning]

At least that was one smart move he did. I would hate to see at HP attraction or themed land.

Sure was a heck of a price to pay!!

 

[BRERALEX]

One thing about Walt, he wasn't afraid to take a risk now and then.

what it even a risk? I mean HP is so loved throughout the world the books were proven to be gold. Its just stupid.

LOTR yeah ould have been a risk giving an unknown director all that loot. CSI would have been a risk noone knew if a jerry bruckheimer 'show' could create ratings but passing on Harry was just dumb.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by BRERALEX
what it even a risk? I mean HP is so loved throughout the world the books were proven to be gold. Its just stupid.

Well Harry Potter is kind of a fad, will he still be remembered years after the movie franchise and books have died out?

 

[mizlady]

Originally posted by BRERALEX
what it even a risk? I mean HP is so loved throughout the world the books were proven to be gold. Its just stupid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well Harry Potter is kind of a fad, will he still be remembered years after the movie franchise and books have died out?


__________________
Since JKR is now talking about writing about harry in college and the fad continues, I guess we will get to see what happens when the fad dies out in another 5 or six year. ( The way shes putting out the books it will be more like in another 10 or 12 years)

 

[BRERALEX]

Well Harry Potter is kind of a fad, will he still be remembered years after the movie franchise and books have died out?

A fad? hmmm fads usually don't last this long.

Sorcerers stone did 975.8 worldwide

chamber did 869.4 worldwide

November 17, 2003
Harry Potter sales reach 250 million worldwide
LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The world's most famous boy wizard set a new record on Monday -- sales of the Harry Potter books have hit a quarter of a billion.

Rowling's agent, Christopher Little, told Reuters worldwide sales of the first five books have now reached 250 million.

They have been sold in more than 200 countries and translated into 60 languages, ranging from Gujarati to Ancient Greek. The latest, launched in India this month, was in Hindi.



doesnt sound like a fad. Actually hasnt harry been out long enough to not be considered a fad. there are hundreds of websites devoted to harry. Plus hasnt she said she may continue to write more books after harry graduates hogwarts
J.K. Rowling Hints at More 'Harry Potter'
Thu Mar 4, 7:42 PM ET


LONDON - Harry Potter (news - web sites) may be set to grow up. Writer J.K. Rowling (news - web sites) hinted Thursday that she may not stop at seven books about the adventures of the young wizard and may write a further installment featuring the adult Harry.
In a live Web chat to mark World Book Day, Rowling — who has always insisted she'll write only seven Potter books — was asked by a fan if she intended to write books about Harry after he leaves Hogwarts, the academy for wizards.


"Probably not. But I'll never say never because every time I do I immediately break the vow," she replied.


Rowling, whose wealth was recently estimated at $1 billion, is writing the sixth Potter book. The most recent installment is "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."


"I can't say when it will be released because that's down to my publishers," she said. "But it's going really well. I am loving writing it."


She promised the latest book would include more romance for the boy wizard, but hinted he would also face a terrible ordeal. She added that she planned to try a "completely different genre" of writing when she has finished the seventh book, but did not specify.


More than 16,000 Potter fans submitted questions during the hour-long discussion.

Plus she won book of the year five times in a row from USA TODAY Best-Selling Books.

Sorry i love me harry

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by manning
And Eisner took a pass on Harry Potter.

One thing about Walt, he wasn't afraid to take a risk now and then.

That's SO easy to say in hindsight.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by BRERALEX
A fad? hmmm fads usually don't last this long.

Sorcerers stone did 975.8 worldwide

chamber did 869.4 worldwide

And the next ones up are expected to bring in less. Because people are realizing that the magic of the books is in the books. I love the Harry Potter books .... don't much like the Harry Potter movies. When I saw Sorcerer's Stone, I wanted to be amazed and delighted. But it was like watching someone read me the book. A scene would happen and you could almost hear the pages turning and someone saying, "OK ... chapter two ..." And I'd be sitting there thinking, "But you didn't show ...." or "Wait -- what about .... " There wasn't anything in the films that was more amazing than what my imagination had painted from the books. Even the Quidditch matches, for as wonderful as they were from a special effects standpoint, were somehow less than I'd imagined them. I saw Sorcerer's Stone the week it came out. I saw Chamber a couple of days before it left the first-run theatres. I don't imagine I'll see any of the others ... maybe I'll rent the DVD or something. But I'd much rather just read the books.

As for longevity -- the books will be around a long time, and I think end up as classics like the Narnia Chronicles. The films? I don't think so. And the Harry Potter merchandise -- action figures, LEGO kits, etc -- not doing well at all.

 

[BRERALEX]

And the next ones up are expected to bring in less. Because people are realizing that the magic of the books is in the books.

But i dont think thats why i think its because they are tryin tto release one movie almost every year, and every year at hogwarts the books got bigger. I don;t know how POA is gonna be made into a 2 hour movie the book had too much in it.

A scene would happen and you could almost hear the pages turning and someone saying, "OK ... chapter two ..."

You could definatly see the actors mouthing each others lines.

the books will be around a long time, and I think end up as classics like the Narnia Chronicles.

which is what im trying to say, Hp is not a fad.

 

[manning]

That's SO easy to say in hindsight.

Risk is part of the equation. Something Eisner is now afraid to do. Without risk the company is ..... well where it is now.

Risk is where the big payoffs are. You have to know how and when to take them. It won't be 100 percent. That's why it's called risk. Like baseball, you don't swing the bat, you don't have any chances for a home run.

Do your research. Walt took some risks. If he didn't, you wouldn't be where your at right now. There wouldn't be a Walt Disney World.

 

[wtg2000]

That's SO easy to say in hindsight.

Harry and Rings were pretty much no brainers. Instead Eisner opted for Reign of Fire - one of the worst movies in recent memory, the Titanic-ripped off Pearl Harbor, and the seven-years-too-late-to-jump on the Jurassic Park bandwagon Dinosaur. Of course, prior to Eisner Disney passed on Star Wars and tried to catch up with The Black Hole so it's nothing new. Reports said that Eisner complained that JK Rowling wanted too much money. I guess he was afraid she'd cut into his bonus.

Harry Potter a fad? Let's face it. Mickey Mouse would have been a fad if not kept alive in the Disney theme parks. Same goes for many other Disney characters. Any drop off in Harry box office can be attributed to the fact that kids know they can get it on DVD and don't need to return to the theatre for multiple viewings.

 

[manning]

Reports said that Eisner complained that JK Rowling wanted too much money.

Eisner also said it was too much money to build Splash Mountain and couldn't afford to build it. Thank goodness Frank Wells was still around. He said they couldn't afford not to build it.

 

[AnNaNiCoLe]

STOP FIGHTING!!!

 

[WDSearcher]

Anna Nicole ... there is a difference between fighting and having a conversation where not all the parties agree. Nothing in anyone's tone has been mean or cruel, and there is no name-calling or nastiness. We are simply having a discussion. If it makes you uncomfortable that we do not all agree, then just bypass this topic and move on to something else.