A bit more on the decision to change the release date of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” from November of this year to July 17th, 2009 is now online. The Canadian Press has a new article on the timing of the move and the large feature on the film in the current issue of Entertainment Weekly. The article cites a rep for WB saying the studio had “mulling the date change for three or four weeks,” but “it really didn’t kind of get on the front-burner until sometime within the last seven days,” Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. head of distribution, said Sunday.
Entertainment Weekly’s “deadline must have been earlier than the decision, than when we started to get serious about making the decision,” Fellman said. The online version of the feature which we told you about here and here contains an update about the release date change as well as the following as noted on the magazine’s Hollywood Insider blog: “EW and Warner Bros. share a parent company, but they clearly do not share, you know, important … information.”
The blog goes on to joke that the date change will leave Entertainment Weekly “readers in possession of a ‘Dewey Beats Truman’ collectible.” It also notes that British film magazine Empire features Harry Potter on its current cover, though that issue is not strictly a fall preview, touching on big 2009 releases, as well.”
It’s post-production problems. The film is not ready. WB would never admit it publically, but I guarantee we’ll eventually find out about it through non-WB sources.
There’s no valid business and financial reason to push to summer. The films make great money in November, shareholders don’t like delayed films, and WB knows it. The only logical reason for the delay is post-production issues.
I just love these people who come on here and post under anonymous things like “L” and “AA” telling us to cool down. Why don’t you at least post your real screen name and stand by what you are saying when you call other people by name and tell them they are being “childish”, “L”? At least The Confederate Lady has the guts to sign her posts when she states her opinion. You may be oh-so-well-adjusted that disappointments don’t affect you, and bully for you if you are. You know nothing about me or my situations, however, and no I don’t need a “break” from the internet, thank you very much. Who assigned you to be my life coach?
So let me tell you something. I have a had a CRAP year. I have lost loved ones, and am about to lose more. I have friends that are losing their loved ones. There are ten billion other things that have sucked this year, but those are the most important. I come here because Harry Potter is my escape, my RELEASE from “dealing with” all sorts of “real life” issues. HBP was the ONE bright spot I and many other HP fans had to look forward to this year and their yanking it at the last minute has destroyed that. So, yes, I am PISSED. And for such a totally insulting reason as taking advantage of our passion and obsession to increase the lining of their already bulging pockets with more of our movie money, it just disgusts me.
So go ahead and tell me I am acting like a child. If I am, so WHAT? Taht is my right. I have to be an adult, and a strong freaking one, in every other aspect of my life, so if I feel like coming on here and spewing about this heinous decision, I will. I will send Howlers, knowing they won’t change anything. I will sign every petition, as Joe Bitterman said. I will boycott. It makes me FEEL better, even knowing that WB does not care and is unlikely to change anything. It feels better to do something with all this rage and disappointment than to sit back and do nothing. And I will NOT see it opening weekend. Oh, I’ll see it, but I am going to make sure they get the least amount of money and benefit out of me, and my friends and family, as possible.
I would just like to point out that if all the naysayers WOULD get on board and join those of us who are actively protesting, WB would truly be forced to make some changes. If the bottom fell out of their bottom line, don’t you think they would scramble to get that money back?
But whatever, whether you agree with us or not or think we’re being childish, I really don’t care. You’re entitled to your opinion and I am so, SO happy for you that you will go merrily about your blessed life with no problems until next summer. Feel free to ignore my posts when I give the links or addresses and information for people like me, who ARE protesting, and I will do the same for yours.
Frankly the decision to move it doesn’t make the slightest sense to me. I already expected it to be garbage so that can’t be the reason. I found the editing done on Order Of the Phoenix hard to watch and since it is the same team this time around I wasn’t holding out for much. Second I don’t see how they can fail to make major money with this November release. I only had one movie on my list to watch these coming months and it was Half-Blood Prince. I can’t think of any block buster big budget films coming out in the next few months that are worth seeing or in the same category. In fact outside of Twilight no other film in being released will pull the same demographic or psychgraphic. They really dropped the ball on this. I may end up seeing the film on DVD rental whenever it comes out instead of the big screen. WB pretty much lost me on the series now.
Oh, I’m so sorry, “H.” Did you think “LemonFaerie” is MY “real name”? I meant something identifiable as an online alias, not your real name. Seriously.
Harry Potter is being delayed because Horn may not get his bonus next year if does not come up with a way to increase revenue for 2009. He does not care if Harry Potter makes more money this year or next. Sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings but since I’m not a teen or tween I have to say that you guys are fickle. With Twilight coming out Harry Potter could loose a lot of fans to that series and HP may actually take in less money next year. With Beedle the Bard, the special edition of Sorcerer’s Stone coming out, and Dan in New York doing Equus the hype is better this year. WB may also have created a lot of bad feeling since The Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF) had to cancel The Royal Film Performance which had planned to screen Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It will still make a ton of money for WB but there will an extra 8 months of promotion to go through and filming of the next film will be in full swing and actors may not be happy when they have to break to do promos.
“Do you really think that if HBP doesn’t make any money that they’re going to be all that crazy about making DH”
If they don’t then another studio will. They cannot afford NOT to make DH.
“Tell me, if you were pissed that your neighbor cut his lawn too early in the morning, would you steal his lawnmower?”
Non-sequitur. (I would though)