“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” to get 4K 3D release when Chinese cinemas reopen

Warner Bros. announced today on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone will be re-released in Chinese cinemas in a remastered 4K 3d format when they re-open after their closure to stem the spread of COVID-19. It has been reported on Deadline that several major Hollywood studios have been approached to bring back popular films, such as Interstellar, Inception, and The Avengers to Chinese cinemas, which have been closed since January in an effort to fight the current coronavirus pandemic. Sorcerer’s Stone was first released in 2001, ultimate earning $978 million, with Chinese audiences contributing a larger portion of film revenues as the series progressed. The final film in the series, Deathly Hallows Part II, grossed over $61 million in China alone when it was released in 2011.

China is eager to get back to business as usual after the coronavirus lockdown, and cinemas are planning to lure back moviegoers with popular Chinese films, foreign films that were cleared for release just before the outbreak, such as 1917, and some older Hollywood favourites like the Harry Potter films. So far, Sorcerer’s Stone is the only film confirmed for re-release, but it is possible that others in the series will follow.