The BBFC reports that the soon to be released fifth film, Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix, will have a running time of 138 minutes - the shortest of the films so far despite being based on the longest of the books.
To give you an idea of how Order of the Phoenix compares - both Sorcerer’s Stone and the Prisoner of Azkaban were 142 minutes, Goblet of Fire was 157 minutes and the Chamber of Secrets was 161 minutes.
So it would seem that Warner Brothers is still scared and doesn’t listen to the fanbase. How can Warner, David Yates or JK Rowling allow the longest book in the series to be the shortest film of the series? The studio’s paranoia is going to the sink this series. And this still makes me wonder . . . has Harry Potter outgrown Warner Brothers with the Order of the Phoenix?
Slashfilm is reporting that Warner Brothers has ordered director David Yates to cut the running time of Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix, so that the film won’t bomb at the box office. Warner Brothers is afraid that its 191 minute running time is too long and it will have a lower box office draw because of how badly Grindhouse performed. The last four Harry Potter films have averaged over 2 and a half hours in length - Chamber of Secrets was over two hours anf fourty minutes. And all four films were box office successes. The biggest films of all time were the longest films of all time. Ten out of the top 15 movies of all time are over two and a half hours long. And three of those films are Harry Potter films. But maybe the studio believes that something has changed. Pirates of the Caribbean, The Da Vinci Code, Superman Returns, The Departed, Casino Royale - all big box office draws, and all nearing or over the 2.5 hour mark.
Continue reading Studio Shortening Harry Potter To Avoid Grindhouse Failure
Mugglenet.com has an actual Harry Potter fan reporting on the screening held in Chicago this past weekend. While the Ain’t It Cool reviewer made it out to be a decent movie, the Mugglenet review sheds light on the sacrifices the writers have made to fit into Warner Brothers time limits.
Continue reading Has Harry Potter Outgrown Warner Brothers With Sequel