Harry Potter Weaves His Magic in China
Fans indulge in “cosplay” and dress up as their favorite Harry Potter characters at the Beijing premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, August 2007.
ON a stormy night so severe that dozens of trees were knocked down in the inner-Beijing suburb of Dongzhimen, local girl Zhang Jing braved the harsh weather and empty streets to make her way to a cinema. Inside Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was playing on the silver screen. “HP fans” with Zhang Jing’s dedication are by no means rare in China. Despite hitting local screens a month behind the global release date, enjoying only limited publicity and suffering from a small number of film prints in circulation, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a certified blockbuster in China, grossing over RMB 110 million in just nine days.