Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a Template:Fy fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth film in the Harry Potter film series. It is directed by David Yates, the director of the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. David Heyman and David Barron produced the film,^[5] and the screenplay was written by Steve Kloves, the screenwriter of the first four films.^[6] Filming began on 24 September 2007, and the film was released in cinemas worldwide on 15 July 2009, one day short of the fourth anniversary of the corresponding novel's release. Unlike the previous film, the sixth film was not simultaneously released in regular cinemas and IMAX 3-D in all countries, due to a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen several week commitment.^[7] The film was released instead in IMAX 3D on 29 July, two weeks after its original release, in these countries.^[8]

The film opened to critical acclaim and instant commercial success, breaking the records for biggest midnight opening gross of all time as well as biggest single-day worldwide gross of all time. In five days the film made $391 million, breaking the record for biggest five-day worldwide gross in history. The film is dedicated to the memory of actor Rob Knox^{[citation needed]} who portrays Marcus Belby in the film and was killed in May 2008.

Plot

Having returned to power, Death Eaters attack both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, while Lord Voldemort has given Draco Malfoy an assignment. Bellatrix Lestrange goads Severus Snape into making an Unbreakable Vow with Draco's mother, Narcissa, to protect Draco while he works to carry out the assignment if he fails. Scarred by his experience at the Ministry of Magic with Voldemort, Harry is reluctant to return to school. Dumbledore encourages Harry to continue and takes his help in enticing former Potions Professor Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts. Later, while leaving Fred and George's new shop in Diagon Alley, Harry, Ron and Hermione notice Draco associating with Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback and Narcissa Malfoy in Borgin and Burkes, leaving Harry suspicious.

At Hogwarts, Harry and Ron borrow textbooks from the school for Slughorn's Potions class. The previous owner of Harry's copy, the "Half-Blood Prince", has annotated the book with additional instructions and spellcraft that allow Harry to excel in class and win a vial of the luck potion Felix Felicis. After making it as Keeper in the Quidditch team, Ron becomes a Quidditch hero and he forms a relationship with Lavender Brown, which leaves Hermione heartbroken. At the same time, Ginny Weasley is in a relationship with Dean Thomas, which in turn, leaves Harry distraught. He hides his feelings from all but Hermione, however, knowing Ron is very protective of Ginny and would never allow a relationship between them. Harry spends Christmas Break with the Weasleys, during which he discusses the situation at Hogwarts with Order of the Phoenix members Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. During this time, he becomes closer to Ginny, who has since broken up with Dean Thomas. Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback attack the Burrow and attempt to kidnap Harry. The Order is able to keep everyone safe, but the Burrow goes up in flames.

Draco continues to elude Harry while perfecting the use of a Vanishing Cabinet inside the Room of Requirement. Harry suspects Draco is behind two attempts on Dumbledore's life: one through a cursed necklace (which accidentally hospitalizes Katie Bell), and another through a bottle of poisoned mead which nearly kills Ron. In his comatose state, Ron mumbles Hermione's name in his sleep, causing his relationship with Lavender to end.

During a confrontation with Draco, Harry hits him with a curse from the Half-Blood Prince's book which severely injures him. Snape arrives and heals Draco as Harry retreats. Fearing that the book may be filled with more Dark Magic, Ginny convinces Harry to leave the book in the Room of Requirement to prevent using it ever again. While Harry closes his eyes, Ginny hides the book and before he opens his eyes, she kisses him passionately, starting a relationship between them.

During private meetings held throughout the year, Dumbledore shows Harry memories of a young Tom Riddle and reveals Slughorn retains a memory critical to Voldemort's defeat. Harry manages to retrieve the memory using Felix Felicis. The memory reveals that Voldemort had been seeking information creating seven Horcruxes, devices that safeguard a portion of the creator's soul, thereby granting him immortality until the Horcruxes are destroyed. Dumbledore reveals that two of Voldemort's Horcruxes have already been destroyed: Tom Riddle's diary, and his mother's ring. After locating another Horcrux, Dumbledore requests Harry's help to retrieve it. Deep inside a seaside cave, Harry is forced to make Dumbledore drink a foul, mind-altering potion that hides the Horcrux, a locket. Though gravely weakened by the liquid, Dumbledore is able to defend them from a horde of Inferi and Apparates himself and Harry back to the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts.

Once there, Dumbledore first tells Harry to fetch Snape for help, but tells him to hide when footsteps approach. Draco appears and reveals that Voldemort has chosen him to kill Dumbledore, but is unable to follow through. Snape arrives, motions to Harry to stay hidden, and joins the throng of Death Eaters that arrive through the Vanishing Cabinet and surround Draco as he hesitates. To Harry's horror, Snape casts the Avada Kedavra curse to kill Dumbledore and then escapes from the castle with the other Death Eaters. In their wake, they cast the Dark Mark, wreck the Great Hall, and set fire to Hagrid's Hut. Harry tries to stop them, but Snape deflects Harry's spells and Bellatrix stuns him. Before departing, Snape reveals to Harry that he is the Half-Blood Prince. As Harry returns to the castle, the teachers, staff, and students of Hogwarts illuminate their wands in respect to their fallen headmaster.

While Hogwarts mourns Dumbledore's death, Harry reveals to Ron and Hermione that the locket Horcrux was a fake. The locket contains a message from an "R.A.B." stating he has already taken the real Horcrux and hopes to destroy it and the rest of the Horcruxes. Rather than return for their final year at Hogwarts, Harry and his friends vow to seek out R.A.B. and the remaining Horcruxes as Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, flies into the horizon.

Cast

• Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, now entering his sixth year at Hogwarts, with the wizarding world at war.
• Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, one of Harry's two best friends.^[5] Although he begins flirting with Hermione, he develops a shallow relationship with Lavender Brown, whom he abandons later in the film.^[9]
• Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, one of Harry's two best friends, who has romantic feelings for Ron and becomes jealous of his girlfriend.^[5] Watson considered not returning for the sixth film,^[10] but eventually decided that, "the pluses outweighed the minuses," and could not bear to see anyone else play Hermione.^[11]
• Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, the newly appointed Hogwarts Potions master. Broadbent described his costumes as "tweedy", and his character as "comic",^[12] while Radcliffe noted that "[Slughorn's] tragedy will outweigh the comedy".^[13]
• Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's principal Death Eaters, older sister of Narcissa Malfoy and aunt of Draco. The character's role in the film is larger than in the book.^[6]
• Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid,^[6] the Hogwarts gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Harry's first friend from the magical world.
• Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy,^[6] a rival of Harry's, whom Harry suspects of carrying out a task for Voldemort throughout the year. At first, it is implied that Draco is pleased to be Voldemort's chosen one, but as it becomes harder for him, he begins to crumble. His final task is to kill Dumbledore, but Draco cannot bring himself to do it. Son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and nephew to Bellatrix Lestrange.
• Sir Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore.^[6] The legendary wizard and headmaster of Hogwarts. The revelation of Dumbledore's sexuality prompted Gambon to "camp up" around the set when off camera,^[14] but his on-screen performance remained unchanged from the previous films.^[15]
• Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother and younger sister of Bellatrix. McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange in Order of the Phoenix, but had to drop out due to pregnancy.^[16] Naomi Watts was previously reported as having accepted the role,^[17] only for it to be denied by her agency.^[18]
• Alan Rickman as Severus Snape,^[6] the former Potions master, who finally achieves his goal of becoming Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He turns out to be the Half-Blood Prince in the end.
• Dame Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall,^[6] the Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher, deputy headmistress and head of Gryffindor. McGonagall is a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
• David Thewlis as Remus Lupin,^[6] former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Lupin is a werewolf and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
• Mark Williams and Julie Walters as Arthur and Molly Weasley respectively,^[6][19] Ron and Ginny's parents. They treat Harry like another son.
• Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley,^[6] Ron's younger sister in her fifth year, with whom Harry forms a relationship. Other than Chamber of Secrets, this is the first time the character has had screen time matching the size of the role in the book.

Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane each play Tom Riddle, the child who becomes Lord Voldemort, at age eleven and as a teenager respectively.^[6] Tiffin is the 11-year-old nephew of Ralph Fiennes, who plays the adult Voldemort in the fourth and fifth films.^[20] Christian Coulson, who played Riddle in Chamber of Secrets, expressed an interest in returning;^[21] Yates responded that Coulson was too old, nearing 30, to be playing the role.^[22] Jamie Campbell Bower, who appeared in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, previously noted that he had his "fingers crossed" he would be cast as a young Riddle.^[23] Bower was, however, later cast as the teenage Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. An open Casting Call was held for the part in July 2007, with applicants reading from a scene involving Riddle trying to persuade Horace Slughorn to explain what Horcruxes are.^[24]

Jessie Cave joined the cast as Lavender Brown,^[9] Ron's new girlfriend. Watson described her as "perfect for the role,"^[25] although Cave did not attend the open auditions.^[26] An open casting call was held for the part on 1 July 2007. Over 7,000 girls turned out for the audition and read from a scene with Madam Pomfrey, Ron, and Hermione.^[27] Yates said he planned to test Grint with the top five choices for Lavender, reading certain lines and kissing, to see which pairing had the best chemistry.^[22]

Evanna Lynch reprises her role as Luna Lovegood. Dave Legeno appears as Fenrir Greyback, a savage werewolf who is greatly feared in the wizarding world. Ralph Ineson plays Amycus Carrow and Suzanne Toase plays Alecto Carrow,^[28][29] while Lord Johnpaul Castrianni and Rod Hunt play Yaxley and Thorfinn Rowle respectively. Tom Moorcroft portrays Regulus Black.^[30][31] Gemma Jones appears for the first time since the Chamber of Secrets, playing Poppy Pomfrey although she has no lines. Timothy Spall appears briefly in the beginning of the movie, reprising his role as Peter Pettigrew.

Both Clémence Poésy, who has played Fleur Delacour, and Chris Rankin, who has played Percy Weasley, were interested in returning, but did not appear in the film.^{[32][33][34][35]} After Bill Nighy expressed an interest in appearing,^[36] Yates confirmed that Nighy would be his first choice for the role of Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour.^[37][37] Scrimgeour's character was ultimately cut from the film, but Nighy has been confirmed in the role for Deathly Hallows.

Production

Development

Before David Yates was officially chosen to direct the film, many directors had expressed an interest in taking the helm. Alfonso Cuarón, the director of the third film, stated he "would love to have the opportunity" to return.^[38] Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell declined a spot to direct the fifth film, and was not approached for this one.^[39] Terry Gilliam was Rowling's personal choice to direct Philosopher's Stone. However, when asked whether he would consider directing a later film, Gilliam said, "Warner Bros. had their chance the first time around, and they blew it."^[40]

From the fifth film, Yates retained composer Nicholas Hooper, who included a reworking of John Williams's Hedwig's Theme, which has recurred in all scores including Patrick Doyle's. Also maintained were costume designer Jany Temime, visual effects supervisor Tim Burke, creature and make-up effects designer Nick Dudman, and special effects supervisor John Richardson from the third film.^[6] Since February 2007, Stuart Craig, the production designer of the first five films as well, has been designing sets, including the cave, and the astronomy tower, where the climax of the film takes place.^[41] Academy Award nominated Bruno Delbonnel is the film's cinematographer.^[6] David Yates remarked Bruno's work on the film as "The choice of angles, the extreme close-ups, the pacing of the scenes...It's very layered, incredibly rich."^[42]

Yates and Heyman have noted that some of the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows may have influenced the script of the film.^[43]

Sets

The film's production designer is Academy Award winner Stuart Craig. Several new sets have been introduced in this film, including Tom Riddle's Orphanage, Astronomy Tower and the Cave. In one of the sneak peeks for the film, Stuart Craig said that Tom Riddle's Orphanage is based on buildings in Docklands, Liverpool and it is designed from Victorian-Georgian architecture. The interior of the Orphanage uses Victorian glaze bricks, to give the set a very harsh appearance.^{[citation needed]}

He noted that the film used several CGI sets, noticeably the interior of the Cave where Harry and Dumbledore both go for hunting Horcruxes. The exterior of the cave scene was filmed in Cliffs of Moher in the west of Ireland. The interior of the cave is made up of geometric crystal formations. Craig noted "Apart from the point at which Harry and Dumbledore first arrive and the island formation on which everything inside the cave happens, the set is entirely virtual, designed in the computer. We'd had our first totally virtual set on the last film, so we approached this one with a bit more confidence."^[44] Two of the scenes where filmed at Gordonstoun School near Elgin, Scotland.^{[citation needed]}

Filming

Following a week of rehearsals, principal photography began on 24 September 2007 and ended on 17 May 2008.^[45] Before filming commenced, there was belief that filming might move from the UK, where all of the previous five films have been shot. This is North Scotland reported that the filming would take place in New Zealand, due to the "more agreeable economy and climate" and lack of Scottish funding.^[46] The Sunday Business Post in Ireland noted that the film's producers and WB executives had been scouting there, specifically Leinster and Munster because they "believe they have now exhausted possible locations in Britain." They are "particularly keen on Ireland, as the landscape is similar to Britain and will appear similar to the settings of the previous films."^[47] The crew also scouted around Cape Wrath in Scotland, for use in the cave scene.^[48] Filming returned to Glen Coe and Glenfinnan, both which have appeared in the previous films, to preserve the continuity of the landscape.^[49]

On the weekend of 6 October 2007, the crew shot scenes involving the Hogwarts Express in the misty and dewy environment of Fort William, Scotland.^[49] A series of night scenes were filmed in the village of Lacock and the cloisters at Lacock Abbey for three nights starting 25 October 2007. Filming took place from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, and residents of the street were asked to black out their windows with dark blinds.^[50][51][52] On set reports indicated that the main scene filmed was Harry and Dumbledore's visit to Slughorn's house.^[52] Further filming took place in Surbiton railway station in October 2007,^[53] Gloucester Cathedral, where the first and second films were shot, in February 2008,^[54] and at the Millennium Bridge in London in March 2008.^[55]

Though Radcliffe, Gambon and Broadbent started shooting in late September 2007, some other cast members started much later: Grint did not begin until November 2007, Watson did not begin until December 2007, Rickman until January 2008, and Bonham Carter until February 2008.^[56][57]

Visual effects

Tim Burke and Tim Alexander are visual effects supervisors for the film. Tim Alexander said completing the Inferi-attack scene took several months. He said, "It's certainly much bolder and scarier than we imagined that they'd ever go in a 'Potter' movie. Director David Yates was cautious of not making this into a zombie movie, so we were constantly trying to figure out how not to make these dead people coming up look like zombies. A lot of it came down to their movement — they don't move fast, but they don't move really slow or groan and moan. We ended up going with a very realistic style." He also noted that Inferi are skinnier, waterlogged and grey.^[58]

About Dumbledore's ring of fire, he noted that the effect would look as if someone sprayed propane and then lit it. He added, "We did a lot of research on molten volcanoes, which have a lot of heat going on but no actual flames, and collected a bunch of other references, including flares that burn underwater, and showed them to the Potter folks." The visual effects team emulated these six fire parameters: heat ripples, smoke, buoyancy, viscosity, opacity, and brightness. Since the whole fire scene was very time consuming, computer graphics artist Chris Horvath spent eight months finding a faster way to conjure flames.^[59][60]

Differences from the book

Much of the book's ending has been changed, with the climactic battle in the castle and Dumbledore's funeral being removed. Heyman commented that the end battle was removed to "[avoid] repetition" with the forthcoming adaptation of Deathly Hallows. The funeral was removed as it was believed it did not fit with the rest of the film.^[61]

Marketing

Warner Bros. has spent an additional estimated $155 million to market and distribute the film.^[3] The special edition two-disc DVD for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix contained two sneak peeks of the film,^[19][62] while the US edition included an additional clip.^[63] A 15-second teaser for the film was shown alongside the IMAX release of The Dark Knight.^[64] The first full-length domestic teaser trailer was released on 29 July on AOL's Moviefone website.^[65] An international teaser was released on 26 October and the U.S. theatrical trailer was released on 14 November. Another trailer was screened on the Japanese TV station Fuji TV during a screening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on 18 January 2009.^[66][67] Scenes from the film were aired during ABC Family's three day Harry Potter marathon, which aired during 5–7 December 2008.^[68] On 5 February 2009, the first three promotional teaser posters were released, featuring Dumbledore and Harry.^[69] On 5 March and 16 April 2009, new trailers were released by Warner Bros.^[70]

Warner Bros and MSN ran an online Order of the Phoenix quiz, with the prize being a walk-on part in the film.^[71] As with the previous films, EA Games will produce a video game based on the film.^[72] On 10 March 2009, it was announced that there would be a video game soundtrack, which was released on 17 March 2009.^[73] On 27 March six character posters were released: Harry, Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Professor Snape.^[69] An English version of the international trailer since a Japanese international trailer was released online 10 April.^[74] On 8 May, CW Channel aired 30-second TV Spot, which focused on the romantic side of the film.^[75] On 20 May, first clip from the film was released through The Ellen DeGeneres Show's official website, showing love-struck Ron.^[76] Another clip of the film, showing Dumbledore visiting Tom Riddle's Orphanage was released on 31 May 2009 at MTV Awards.^[77] Also a short clip featuring the Weasley twins' shop Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was released on 22 June.^{[citation needed]}

Release

The film was released in the United Kingdom, United States, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, New Zealand, India, Brazil, Spain and Mexico on 15 July 2009.^[1][78] It was originally set to be released on 21 November 2008 (UK, US, CAN, IRE) and 11 December 2008 (AUS, NZ),^[79] but was pushed back by eight and seven months to 17 July, despite being completed. Warner Bros. executive Alan Horn noted that the move went ahead "to guarantee the studio a major summer blockbuster in 2009," with other films being delayed due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.^[80] The box-office success of summer WB films Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Dark Knight also motivated the decision.^[81] An unnamed rival studio executive told Entertainment Weekly that the move was to "stop next year's profits from looking seriously underwhelming after the phenomenal success of The Dark Knight," as "they don't need the money this year anymore."^[82] Dan Fellman, WB head of distribution, said that the studio had considered the date change for three to four weeks prior to the announcement, but gave it serious consideration a week before they came to their final decision.^[83]

The date change was met with a heavily negative reaction by Harry Potter fans, as the Los Angeles Times noted: "Petitions were circulating, rumors were flying and angry screeds were being posted on Internet sites within minutes of the Thursday announcement."^[81] The move was mocked by Entertainment Weekly which had Half-Blood Prince on the cover on its "Fall Preview Issue". Despite each being owned by Time Warner Inc., EW was unaware of the change until it was publicly announced by WB and noted that readers would now be in possession of a "Dewey Defeats Truman collectible".^[82] Several days after the announcement, Horn released a statement in response to the "large amount of disappointment" expressed by fans of the series.^[84] Following the date change, Half-Blood Prince's release slot was taken by Summit Entertainment's Twilight.^[85]

Three months before its release in July, the date was again changed by 2 days from 17 July to 15 July in the United States and Canada.^[86] It was later confirmed the same date change applied to the UK as well. The Australia and New Zealand release dates which were then 16 July, were also changed to 15 July. The premiere dates for the film were 6 July in Japan, 7 July in the UK (Leicester Square, London) and 8 July in the US. The Belgium premiere was on 11 July.^[87]

The sixth film did not simultaneously release in regular cinemas and IMAX 3D, due to a conflicting agreement in which Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be given a four week window by itself in IMAX. Therefore, the IMAX 3D version of the film was released on 29 July 2009. However, it is releasing in India, Mexico and Australia in both 2-D and 3-D simultaneously, on 15 July.^[88] The film's opening sequence featuring the destruction of the Millennium Bridge will be in 3D.^[89] The film had been chosen to be screened at the 2008 Royal Film Performance on 17 November,^[90] but was not shown. Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund chief executive Peter Hore noted he was "very disappointed" with Warner Bros' decision.^[80]

Advanced ticket sales on Fandango.com for Half-Blood Prince surpassed advanced ticket sales for Transformers 2 at the same point in sale cycles. It is also MovieTickets.com's top 25 advance sellers of all time, promising a very successful cinematic run.^[91]

The film is 153 minutes (2 hours 33 minutes and 19 seconds) long,^[92] making this film the third longest of the series so far, coming behind Chamber of Secrets (161 minutes) and Goblet of Fire (157 minutes).

Reception

Critical reception

As of 26 July 2009^[update], the film had an overall approval rating from critics of 83% on the film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes with 190 "Fresh" reviews, and 38 "Rotten",^[93] with the reported consensus "Dark, thrilling, and occasionally quite funny, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is also visually stunning and emotionally satisfying." Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop critics, the film had an overall approval rating of 86%.^[94] By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from critics, the film received an average score of 78 ("generally favorable") based on 36 reviews.^[95]

BBC News's Tim Masters has praised the film's cinematography, visual effects, production design, improved acting and darker plotline.^[96]

The first review of the film came three weeks before the official release. Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com ranked the film with The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and called the film a "possible Oscar contender". He highly praised the performance of Sir Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman and Daniel Radcliffe. He commented, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a tour-de-force that combines style and substance, special effects and heart and most importantly great performances from all of the actors young and not-so-young".^[97] Another early review came from the UK tabloid The Sun, whose anonymous reviewer called the film "masterful" and "very emotional". The reviewer praised David Yates' directing and called Jim Broadbent's portrayal of Horace Slughorn "perfect".^[98] Devin Faraci of Chud.com called the film not only the best Harry Potter film yet, but also one of the best films of the year.^[99]

Andrew Pulver of The Guardian wrote a positive review, and gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars rating.^[100] Todd McCarthy of the trade magazine Variety said that the film is "dazzlingly well made" and "less fanciful than the previous entries". He praised Alan Rickman's performance and he described Helena Bonham Carter as "mesmerizing" and Jim Broadbent as "grand eccentric old professor".^[101] The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt noted that the film's first half is "jerky and explosive", but in the second half, the film finds better footing. He adds, "Composer Nicholas Hooper, cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel and designer Stuart Craig deliver a singularly muscular and vigorous chapter".^[102] Screen Daily called the film "[s]tunningly shot by Bruno Delbonnel in metallic hues leavened by buttery tones and the thumping beats of Nicholas Hooper’s score bear little resemblance to the original and the overall effect is much less tween, much more grown-up".^[103]

Chris Tilly of IGN UK commented on the length of the film, saying "while on occasion it drags, the 153 run-time never feels too long, thanks in no small part to the astonishing visuals and (largely) marvellous performances," and goes on to say, "This is by far the best-looking of the Potter films thus far," commending the "beautiful" Quidditch match and the "stunning" finale.^[104] However, Dave Golder of SFX magazine found some aspects of the film to be a disappointment, largely due to the large number of opportunities the director had sacrificed to devote "huge swathes of the film to subplots of Harry and his chums' teenage romances," but nevertheless found the film to be a large enjoyment, praising the performances of Jim Broadbent and Alan Rickman.^[105]

David Stratton, of Margaret and David At The Movies, gave the film a 2.5 out of a possible 5 stars, remarking, "For non-readers [of the Harry Potter series] the films are now borderline incomprehensible", and that the film was "a little tedious" and "generally less interesting visually than its predecessors." He praised the cast, describing them as "consummate", adding Sir Michael Gambon "really makes Dumbledore an imposing character" and Jim Broadbent was "wonderful". Margaret Pomeranz, the co-host of the television show, gave the film 3 out of 5 stars.^[106]

Brogan Mckenna reviewed the film and gave it 3 out of 5 stars, explaining "If this movie was looked at by itself then I’m afraid it would not be rated very highly. On the other hand, if we look at it as a build up to the big finale of The Deathly Hallows then it does its job."^[107]

Box office

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince broke the record for biggest midnight showings, making $22.2 million in 3,000 theatres. It beat previous record-holders The Dark Knight, which made $18.5 million during its midnight runs only a year earlier, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which made $16.9 million in 2005. Half-Blood Prince opened in the same Wednesday slot that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix did in 2007, which grossed $12 million in midnight runs, on its way to $139.7 million in its five-day debut in the US.^[108]

The film grossed $58.2 million on its opening day in North America, the second-highest Wednesday opening of all-time behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It is also the fourth-highest single-day gross of all time, and the highest for a film in the Harry Potter franchise so far.^[109] It earned an additional $46 million overseas for a worldwide total of $104 million, breaking the record for highest single-day worldwide gross, previously held by The Dark Knight.^[110]

On 20 July, the film's $394 million haul broke the record for biggest ever worldwide 5-day opening, surpassing Spider-Man 3's $381 million. This makes the film the fastest to reach the $350 million mark in worldwide box office of all time. It also took in $159.7 million in the US in five days, surpassing all of its predecessors by a wide margin and achieving the sixth-largest ever 5-day opening in the US.^[111] In the UK, the film grossed £19.75 million (equivalent to about $38.13 million), the highest opening for both the series and releases of 2009.^[112] In seven days, the film grossed $177,457,914 domestically, considerably higher than the seven day gross of $129,490,758 that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone made upon release in 2001, and that film was the highest grossing of the franchise. So far, the film is reported to have made an estimated $273,800,000 in North America and, as with all of the previous films in the franchise, has proven to be extremely successful overseas with a total foreign gross of $542,200,000, totaling an estimated $816,048,633 worldwide, which has made it the second highest-grossing film of the year behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, so far.

In South Africa the film opened with the number 1 position grossing $789,176,^[113] it maintained a number 1 position during the second week too with a total of $242,336.^[114] In Australia, as in most of the world, the film broke records with a debut of $11,492,142 and thereby opening at number 1, it maintained a second week at number 1 with a total of $5,278,096 (down 54%), and has grossed a total of $24,208,243.^[115] In France the film had an impressive debut with $20,541,239 from 949 theaters. ^[116]

References

External links

• Official website for the film
• Official website for the film series
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at IMDb
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at AllMovie
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Box Office Mojo