'Harry Potter And The Deathly...' highest global grosser

"Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1" has become the highest international grosser of "Harry Potter" franchise.

It has earned over USD 657 million at the world box office, reports contactmusic.com.

"It's tremendously gratifying to reach this benchmark as we enter the final stretch of this remarkable journey. We share this achievement with Jo Rowling, whose books are the foundation of this rich and vibrant world, as well as the talented people who brought her vision to life on the screen," Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said in a statement.

Warner Bros. representative Veronika Kwan-Rubinek said: "These numbers speak to the phenomenal and enduring strength of this property, which has captivated audiences across all borders, regardless of age or culture."

The success of the franchise has also made actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint - who play Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley respectively - among Britain's richest young celebrities.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" will be the last of the historical "Harry Potter" franchise. It may hit the screens July 15.

Emma Watson to launch 'green' fashion line

'Harry Potter' star Emma Watson is busting into the high-fashion world, by collaborating with fashion house Alberta Ferreti to create an eco-friendly collection.

Watson, 20, is working on the 'Pure Threads' collection meant for "sensitive people, who want to be supportive of these kind of issues," the New York Post quoted Ferretti as telling WWD.

The designer said she was attracted to Watson because of her "freshness...spontaneity and simplicity."

"She is intelligent, with a strong personality, a young, modern girl," she said of the actress.

This is not Watson's first foray into the world of fashion; she modelled for Burberry's Autumn/Winter campaign in 2009 and appeared in their 2010 Spring/Summer campaign alongside her brother, Alex.

The British actress also began working as a creative adviser for People Tree, a fair trade fashion brand, in February 2010. Part of the proceeds of her Ferretti line will benefit People Tree.

"I'm pleased that a luxury brand such as Alberta Ferretti has decided to create ecological clothes," Watson said in a statement about her latest venture.

"I believe this is a big step forward for all of the international fashion industry, but also an important step for an increased sensitivity to the problem of ecology," she added.

Harry Potter, Broadway producers battle for Daniel Radcliffe

Actor Daniel Radcliffe's commitment to appear in a Broadway show has clashed with the premiere of the final Harry Potter, leaving producers of the two shows to battle over him.

Radcliffe, 21, had committed to appear in the revival of 'How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying' at the Hirschfeld Theatre, which started previews on February 26 and runs until at least November 6.

But Warner Bros. chiefs were furious that his Broadway deal meant he might not be available to promote 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2', to be launched with a lavish premiere at London's Trafalgar Square on July 7.

In tense negotiations, 'How To Succeed' producers refused to release Radcliffe for the days when Warner needed him -- forcing the studio to buy out the whole theatre for the nights he'd have to miss.

"Warner Bros. is furious that Radcliffe committed to Broadway when he should be promoting 'Harry Potter'," the New York Post quoted a source as saying.

"This is the final film, so it's a big deal. A grand world premiere is being planned as well as a US premiere and a press tour.

"They absolutely couldn't do it without their big star. But the theatre producers dug their heels in and said they wouldn't release Radcliffe unless Warner bought out the entire theatre for the nights they need him.

"Studio bosses are furious, but they have no choice but to pay up for five nights costing over 500,000 dollars," the source stated.

A Telecharge sales agent said that while tickets are being sold up to November 6, tickets for July 5 and 6 have "not been released", although they haven't yet been cancelled. Tickets for July 9 are currently on sale.

"Everything is fine, Dan is promoting the film and is happy to do so. With all productions there are scheduling issues but everything has all been worked out," Radcliffe's rep said.

"Warner Bros. is very supportive of Dan, and there is no issue," the rep added.

Kingston Harry Potter nominee flies out for Oscar ceremony

The man who helped bring Harry Potter elves Dobby and Kreacher to life is flying to Hollywood after being nominated for an Oscar.

Kingston University illustration graduate Christian Manz was shortlisted in the best visual effects category for his work on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

The 36-year-old visual effects supervisor helped redesign Dobby to appear more human in his final, darker appearance in the series.

Mr Manz's team at Framestore removed the bodies of the two actors playing the elves and replaced them with animations.

He said: “It's rare to have the chance to work for 16 months on one project. There were only about 60 of us which, believe it or not, is quite a small team.

“Dobby is a central character in part one of the Deathly Hallows, as he dies at the end. We created more than 300 different facial expressions for him.”

He and his three fellow co-nominees are competing against Alice in Wonderland, Hereafter, Inception and Iron Man 2 at the awards show on Sunday, February 27.

'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling's story to be made into a movie in Canada

'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling's rags to riches story is to be made into a movie in Canada.

The film based on Rowling's rise from struggling single mum in Edinburgh to multimillionaire author of the Harry Potter book series is set to begin shooting next month.

Scotland's The Herald newspaper reported that film producers initially toured Edinburgh in their search for shooting locations, but decided to move production to Canada to save money because they found similar buildings there that could be used as backdrops.

Rowling, 45, has not authorised the television movie, reports News.com.au.

She refused to comment on the film, which has the working title 'Strange Magic'.

Australian actor Poppy Montgomery, who stars as FBI agent Samantha Spade in the hit US television series Without a Trace, will play Rowling.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1

We all know the end is near. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 breaks the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's epic modern literary classic into two movies, and haunting every frame of this assured and beautiful first half is the knowledge that soon, in 2011, the screen journey will be over. I don't know which had the greater effect: my real melancholy at the thought of looming finality, or the elegance of this necessarily dark and serious penultimate film, in which characters/actors we have watched since childhood are now resourceful young adults. But I do know I felt a swell of love and awe wash over me from the very first wickedly creepy scene until the profoundly moving last one. Under the direction of David Yates — in Goldilocks terms, he's Just Right, having gently guided the series to more consistent excellence in pace and tone with the last two installments — Part 1 is the most cinematically rewarding chapter yet.

What a marvel it is, this Harry Potter movie business! What a spell the experience casts, now that every detail is so familiar to us, from the ghostly sound of the signature minor-key musical theme to the sight of Voldemort's hideous noseless face! All the grand British thespians who bring Rowling's convocation of wizardly characters to life, from Alan Rickman and Imelda Staunton to Michael Gambon and Robbie Coltrane, do so with utterly serious gusto. As for Hogwarts besties Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, we've lived side by side for so long with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint that their (re)appearance carries honest emotional weight: We've known them since they were kids!

In The Deathly Hallows, of course, Harry, Hermione, and Ron are deep in their struggle toward adulthood, truly on their own and unprotected, except by one another. (Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is nowhere to be seen this time.) The final showdown between the Chosen One (Harry) and the Dark Lord (Voldemort, embodied with chilling, hairless silkiness by Ralph Fiennes) is still to come. Meanwhile, the schoolmates are on a continued mission to find and destroy the Horcruxes, those magical bits of his black soul that Voldemort has hidden in order to hang on to immortality. The world is an anxious, paranoid place, what with the Dark Lord's Death Eaters on the loose. The look of the movie is apocalyptically desolate too — when it's not baroquely sepulchral, as it is in the bowels of the Ministry of Magic. An early scene at Voldemort's dinner table, surrounded by his senior Death Eaters, is terrifying.

All this takes a toll on Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Or maybe, as Rowling so astutely weaves into her books, it's the not-so-magically dispelled fears, doubts, and longings of true adulthood that weigh the trio down. Either way, Yates, working with cinematographer Eduardo Serra (Girl With a Pearl Earring), keeps the picture poised between the gaping future (i.e., Harry's scheduled showdown with Voldemort) and the groping present, as the three friends test their adult support of one another. In one of the movie's sweetest wordless moments, Harry comforts Hermione. Ron has stormed off after a fight with Harry, Hermione is sad and troubled, and Harry spontaneously leads his dear friend in a dance. The scene isn't in the book; it's the rare deviation of an addition to the sacred text, rather than an unavoidable cut made for Muggle-driven movie purposes. Yet the gesture is so tender, and such a welcome breath of warmth in such a dark time, that the grace note demonstrates an integrity I feel sure Rowling would applaud. This is who Harry Potter has grown up to be: a young man strong enough to love his friends (including dear, devoted Dobby the house elf; O Dobby!), clever enough to outwit his foes, and brave enough to face his future. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 also bravely faces the future, slipping with expert ease among the thrilling mass of complications (and complicated set pieces) that Rowling throws fans in the final sprint, then guiding the faithful to the fate that awaits everyone in this world, the moment called The End.