People. There is a very good reason to hate both Summit and WB: WB delayed our film. Screw them. We shouldn’t have to wait until effing JULY to see a movie that had been previously promised for NOVEMBER! But, I read a theory on here which I figure is right: WB does not want two blockbusters in one year. HBP is expected to rake in over 900 million dollars, and with Dark Knight already blockbustering like crazy this year, they’re going to delay it until next year so that they can use it as their main summer film. It’s low, it’s dirty, but that’s how corporate business works. Next summer makes more financial sense, even if it is TOTAL BS with the fans, but what do you they care? They’re a massive corporation. We’re just a bunch of crazy fans.

As for Twilight: I’m one of the fewer male HP fans, so Twilight is not my forte. And as for you people saying it’s like comparing apples to oranges? It’s not. Right now, Twilight is the closest thing in the world to a second HP, and naturally many people will try to compare the two.

Concerning Summit: A total sleazeball move. Like someone else said, we all have the 21st of November marked on our calendars, so what they’re doing is using the preexisting hype about the date to push the sales of their movie. The huge crossover between HP and Twilight fans helps things, since people will want to see something on the 21st, and Twilight will be their first choice.

I’m not at all happy with the situation, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it. WB is certainly not going to go and move the release date back to November, not a chance in hell. So we’ve got to learn to live with it.

I will go see HBP when it is finally released (if I live that long) but I WILL NOT spend another cent on a WB movie until then. I see nasty things about WB in taglines on forums that are completely unrelated to HP, so there must be widespread disgust at how WB mistreats its patrons. They love not the fans, but they love the fan’s money, so I am withholding mine just like they are withholding the release of our already long awaited film.

All of you saying I am going to forget all of this come July, speak for yourself. I won’t. I know multitudes of other fans won’t either. Remember there are millions of Potter fans in the world.

That kind of attitude is exactly why WB thinks they can do this! They think they could push back the date as long as they like whenever they like and the fans will make some noise about it but then just flock to it anyway whenever it ends up being released.

njds: Yeah I DO have more than enough willpower do boycott HBP right up to the DVD release and I will. I will be far from the only fan who does. Many if not most who boycott will still see the film in ways that do not involve paying WB any money. It’s not exactly hard. Not that I’m encouraging that sort of thing. Wink wink.

What is the point of all of you discouraging fans who want to boycott? If you want to see it, go see it, we can’t stop you. But don’t tell us our efforts are for nothing, because if we MAKE a united effort and arrange and go through with a petition in the hundreds of thousands they won’t be, will they? It can be done, it is not impossible, all it requires is a very simple choice, and many fans will make that choice.

Don’t say it can’t be done. It will be done if we can get hundreds of thousands of people to DO IT, won’t it? So no matter what you say, some of us are going to try and arrange this boycott. You don’t have to join us, but I plead with you to not discourage us, because it is not in any way whatsoever in your interest to do that. If you disagree and think it is in your own PERSONAL interests to stop OTHER PEOPLE from boycotting, feel free to explain why.

Nobody ever achieved anything by saying it was impossible.

Brad, we’re not expecting WB to move it back to the original date now that Twilight has parked themselves there to make themselves attractive to disappointed HP fans. But they could easily move it to Jan 2009. Then they’d still have the HBP gross in 2009 and there would only be a 2 month delay as opposed to 8 months. I can’t see them doing that either because WB is (foolishly and incorrectly) convinced that July is the best and most perfect time for a blockbuster release due to the success of The Dark Knight. Unfortunately WB are absolutely terrible at identifying the cause of a film’s success. The Dark Knight was successful because of the interest surrounding Heath Ledger. And Prisoner of Azkaban was the first HP film to get a summer release and it was the lowest grossing of all the HP films.

CarolynJ, here is a message I’ve posted on a couple of other threads:

The only thing, the ONLY suitable response to this move, in my opinion, is to NOT BUY TICKETS for Half Blood Prince at all. AT ALL. I am a huge fan, yet I can do this. I have to make a moral stand, even if it means depriving myself of something I really want. We have to do the hard yards. Sorry, that’s the way it is.

Boycotting all Time Warner releases (WB and New Line) and products from all of Time Warner’s child companies is a great addtion to a Half-Blood Prince boycott, but not going to see HBP makes up the meat of the boycott and without doing that, the rest is near enough worthless, you’re still giving WB the massive HBP gross that they are counting on in 2009, which is exactly what they hoped to achieve by making this move.

If you end up going to see HBP, you’re doing exactly what WB expected you to do when they made this decision: be upset with the decision, maybe threaten to boycott, but to end up going to see Half-Blood Prince anyway, because “true fans” wouldn’t or couldn’t bear to miss the movie, or cut off their nose to spite their face, or whatever other nonsense has been said against the idea of a boycott. I am a true fan. I’m certainly a hardcore fan of the books, after all, they came first. The movies are a great and hugely entertaining addition to the fandom which I look forward to, that’s why I will not support WB trashing the hopes and expectations of moviegoers with broken promises and corporate greed.

Prove WB wrong. Boycott HBP all the way to the DVD release, cable release, or the discount (1 dollar or 50c) cinema. Don’t let them mess with moviegoers and snatch longstanding release dates back this close to the release, ever again. Yeah, releases get pushed back now and again. But almost always for more sensible reasons than this. This is a COMPLETED movie.

im crying now. WHAT R THEY THINKING??? DO THEY REALLY THINK THAT TWILIGHT WILL BRING IN MORE THEN HP?I LIKE ORIGINAL DATES BETTER!!!MAYBE I WOULD BE FINE IF THEY MOVED IT BACK TO LIKE JANUARY BUT 8 MONTHS???? THATS ALMOST A YEAR!!! WHO AGREES?

arghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

I knew it! WB postponed our Harry because of Twilight! well thats one reason. money is one more. I don’t know anything about Twilight and I’m not interested at all. we want Harry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

arghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

First MuggleCast turns Twilight, and now the friggen MOVIE is delayed because of it?! Screw this.

I think obviously the reason summit bumped twilight up is so that harry potter could not possibly change back now because they will not be able to get enough theatres. therefore, no competition

I’m going to boycott, but instead of not seeing HBP, I decided that I wouldn’t see any other WB movie until Harry Potter comes out. If they’re moving the release date like that, they have to wait to get any of my money. I’m glad Twilight is moving to November 21st, even though I would much rather see HBP on that date. At least I have one thng to look foward to.

I, too, am upset about HBP being moved back 8 months!!!!!!!! I was really looking forward to Nov. 21. However, KUDOS to the higher powers of “Twilight” for moving up their release- they have the right to do that. I don’t see why everyone is making a big fuss over this. I’ve read ALL the news sources listed on the Twilight Lexicon, and Steph Meyer posted on her site that the decision to move up the release date had nothing to do with her…. they just took advantage of a good opportunity. Also, who knows, maybe they wanted to put a little more time in between Twilight and HBP since it’s gaining A LOT of popularity. Look at it this way… with the new date for HBP, we won’t have to wait as long for DH 1 (GEEZ, hopefully).

I love both series! Also, I don’t see why they are calling “Twilight” the “next Harry Potter…” the only things these have in common are the facts that they are both young-adult reads, and the movies are based on the books. I’ve read all the books in both series. There are differences that make them able to stand alone without being compared to each other.

My loathing of twilight just moved up a level! Releasing Twilight on HBP’s old release date is adding insult to injury! Now not only do HP fans have to wait another 8 months, but we have to hear from all the Twilight fans how their movie is coming out so soon. I hate Warner Brothers!

UGH!!! THIS MAKES ME SO MAD! Why would WB do that when HP would sell ten times better than twilight. Besides HBP is going to be way better! Now we have to wait a whole year! I wonder how this will offect the Deathly Hollows movies???!!!

We should boycott the first night of Harry Potter and let them feel the pain, but we shouldn’t punish ourself. If we all boycott July 17th we can still watch the movie 100 times after that. Buy a shirt and support the cause! http://www.cafepress.com/WizardsStand

Also another good idea is to wear your Harry Potter Shirts and buy tickets to Twilight to show the WB what they are missing!

This upsets me nearly as much as WB moving HBP in the first place…

Angela, boycotting the first night of HBP won’t make a difference if everyone goes and sees it opening weekend anyway… nor will going to see it 100 times after that. That’s just putting more money in the coffers and is exactly what we should not be doing.

I’ll continue to bang this drum: buy a ticket for a non-WB movie and then walk into HBP instead. You might not be able to pull that off on opening day, but you should be able to otherwise. Don’t give them your money, but don’t deprive yourself either. That’s so far off from my normal way of looking at things, it’s bizarre, but their pushing back the movie at this late date is deplorable.