Pottermania in England: The Telegraph

Pottermania in England: The Telegraph reports of “thousands of people queued at cinemas across the country to book advance tickets for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”

UCI Cinemas sold 10,000 tickets in the first hour of making them available to the public. The company’s central box office, which usually has 100 active telephone lines, has had to open an extra 300. “The response has been fantastic. Sales show that Harry Potter has really captured the imagination of the nation. There are a lot of people, particularly parents on behalf of children, queuing up outside our box offices for tickets. We expect ticket sales for Harry Potter to build, day on day, as more people learn that tickets are available,” a spokesman for UCI told The Telegraph.

Ron Hanlon, the marketing director of Odeon Cinemas, said: “We were expecting a tremendous response from the public, but the reaction so far has been unprecedented.” The Odeon cinemas call centre has taken many inquiries from corporate customers wanting to book the entire Leicester Square cinema for their employees. Their preview screenings sold out by Friday afternoon. Special previews of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will take place at cinemas across the country on November 10 and 11, after the London premiere at Odeon Leicester Square on November 4.