The 'Harry Potter' saga has generated the biggest number of ticket sales of any film series in the history of film, with the eight films earning more than US$7.7 billion worldwide.
The iconic castle from the films has also been recreated in real life, also at Universal Studios. Incredible, right?
It doesn't taste anything like actual beer. There's no alcohol content and it has a caramel base. It's sold at Universal Studios in three different ways: as a slushy, as a drink, or frozen.
Michael Jackson saw the potential in the story. The "King of Pop" even made a proposal to the author to create a musical inspired by the adventures of the wizard, but she didn't agree.
Emma Watson wrote 16 pages about Hermione, Daniel Radcliffe wrote one page about Harry, and Rupert Grint didn't hand anything in about Ron. He said he was too busy with his school work.
Ron Weasley was almost killed off from the series: "Midway through, which I think is a reflection of the fact that I wasn't in a very happy place, I started thinking I might polish one of them off,' Rowling said, according to The Guardian.
Six of the eight films were nominated 12 times for Oscars, but never won. The saga did, however, win various other awards.
Professor Snape was inspired by J.K. Rowling's old chemistry teacher. He taught at a school in Chepstow, Wales, where the author studied as a child.
The capes used by students at Hogwarts School were inspired by the outfits worn by the Portuguese university students. The tradition still continues today.
J.K. Rowling is on the list of billionaires released by the American magazine 'Forbes,' with an estimated fortune of US$1 billion. She is the first writer to appear on the list.
The names of some of the characters were changed. Draco Malfoy had the name Spink. Hermione Granger was Puckle, Neville Longbottom was Puff and Luna Lovegood was Lily Moon.
To mark two decades since the release of the first film, the cast, directors, and producers reunited in an hour-and-a-half special called 'Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts,' to dish on old secrets and funny memories. For example, during the special, which aired on New Year's Day on HBO Max, Emma Watson revealed she "fell in love" with Tom Felton and crushed hard for years even though he always saw her as his little sister. Watson also said kissing Rupert Grint was "the most horrifying thing either of us have ever had to go through," since they were like siblings.
Daniel Radcliffe had a good laugh about how Richard Harris, the original Dumbledore, thought the animatronic phoenix was a really well-trained real bird and how no one told him otherwise. Radcliffe also shared that Alan Rickman, who played Snape, was the only one who knew from the beginning who Snape would turn out to be.
One big gaffe became quickly apparent from the special, however, as fans pointed out that the producers included an archival photo of what they thought was Emma Watson as a young girl, but was actually a photo of Emma Roberts. Oops! Other than that, the special was filled with delicious nostalgia.
See also: 30 must-watch foreign films to expand your cinematic horizons
Both the books and films have become a cultural sensation, still pervasive around the world despite the fact that it's been more than 20 years since the first 'Harry Potter' book was released. Since then, there have been eight films that have generated billions in revenue, attracting a loyal legion of fans. There's even a 'Harry Potter' theme park!
And now Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to close a deal to produce a 'Harry Potter' television series. According to Bloomberg, the series would be based directly on J.K. Rowling's books and each season would reportedly draw from one of the books, suggesting a guaranteed seven seasons. Though the talks are in a preliminary state, if it actually goes through then Rowling would maintain a degree of creative involvement with the series, which would be housed on HBO Max.
In this gallery, celebrate the legacy with some surprising and unexpected facts about 'Harry Potter.' Click on!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: curious facts about the series
May 3 is International Harry Potter Day!
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These books and films have become a cultural sensation, still pervasive around the world despite the fact that it's been more than 20 years since the first 'Harry Potter' book was released. Since then, there have been eight films that have generated billions in revenue, attracting a loyal legion of fans. There have been multiple spin-offs such as the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise, video games, and now, an upcoming TV series on HBO Max. There's even a 'Harry Potter' theme park!
Celebrate the legacy with some surprising and unexpected facts about 'Harry Potter.' Click on!