Thanks Holly for your retraction, I appreciate it. And I think you are right when you say it’s going to be a painful three weeks!

Poor Iraq and all the other countries that don’t get movies. They never have anything, especially Iraq. :(

Well Thesis we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this, and do you have proof that it was the petition that changed WB’s mind as I don’t remember hearing that at the time. As far as I could work out it was just commonsense that you couldn’t hold a film like HP back for three months – there is a huge difference between three weeks and three months.

OH YES!!!! Belgium is allways treated like an insignificant little Country.. so there to all of those that tought so… (19…. I can’t believe it…19 nov…. we’re first!!! With Turkey and Egypt of course….)

Sorry for that outburst…. I actually hadn’t seen that some Countries weren’t getting it at all…that’s actually pretty sad…

So the earliest release date is in…....Belgium.

Thats a bit undramatic isn’t it, Belgium.

Croatia 27th :( I’ll have to wait one more week, that’s not fair :(

This stinks, we get in on the 18 of DEC?! What? argh. We’re the last place to get it! Argh.

Yay!!!!!!!! I’m so freakin’ happy that Belgium is one of the first countries where the film releases. I’m going to watch the film on the 19th of November!!!!! And for those who ask why Belgium and Egypt are the first countries; films in Belgium always debut on a wednesday and this is probably the same thing for Egypt. And people who live in America don’t have to complain, there’s a lot of other stuff that releases first in America, look at the gamesindustry!!!

Could the release dates be staggered to allow some of the main stars to attend openings in the different countries?

11th of December for New Zealand? Despicable, WB. Absolutely atrocious. If anyone knows how to get a statement from WB or Village Roadshow (who I believe are the distributors) about exactly why the New Zealand and Australian release is delayed that would be great. I want to know the real reason.

I’m sorry, but the whole argument about timing the release with the start of the summer holidays doesn’t fly with me. The devoted school-age fans will watch it on release weekend anyway, the casual school-age moviegoers will watch it when the holidays start, and everyone else will watch it in the intervening two weeks. What is the big deal?

Plus they do indeed run the very real risk that people will download shaky-cam versions of the film if the film is already released overseas but is not available for them to watch in a cinema immediately. Plenty of casual viewers will do this, I guarantee. Also, some devoted fans may choose to download a pirated version, watch that a few times, then go and see the film in cinemas once when it’s finally released, rather than seeing it multiple times in the cinema as they might normally do. Some fans might not even care about the quality difference and not go and see it in the cinema at all.

Honestly, what nonsense. These distributors must think they’re really clever but they’re actually just morons that read way too much into things. Just release the freaking film. Stop insulting us by putting the rest of the anglosphere ahead of us.

OK, that’s all fine and good. I wanna know when we will see the release of the soundtrack!

And Reader511, I wasn’t aware that any of the main stars had ever attended a Harry Potter film premiere in Australia or New Zealand. It’s concieveable that they might do that for Australia but I can’t imagine anyone doing it for New Zealand, I don’t think any of the main stars have been to New Zealand at all, nevermind for a premiere. Only HP actor I know of that ever did press here was Chris Rankin, because he’s an New Zealand citizen.

Why on earth would any county see a British film before the UK? Anyone else think it unfair?

19th!!! for the first time in my life i’m happy i live in belgium : )