Wizards and muggles gathered this week to watch the curtain rise on the final installment of the Harry Potter series.
The epic finale to the highest-earning movie franchise in Hollywood history, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, began screenings as early as Tuesday.
Fans across the world have eagerly anticipated the last chapter, many of them showing their support by dressing up as their favorite character from the series.
At the new Empire Theatre in Waterloo their was a little more than just movie magic happening on the screen when the movie opened July 15.
DJ Carroll, the drama teacher at EDSS, and a group of young actors prepared a promotional event at the theatre, dressing up as characters from the film and interacting with the audience.
“We are going as characters from the films including wizards and students and will have interactive games for the audience to participate in, including a wizard duel where they have to out draw one of our wizards by getting their wand out faster,” Carroll said Wednesday.
The film is being shown in 3D, prompting Carroll and his troupe of wizards to hand out limited edition 3D glasses to audience members who participate in the Harry Potter trivia contest.
The interactive promotion has moviegoers getting up close and personal with a death eater, a dark character from the film series who is commanded by Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter’s main nemesis. Audience members looking for more heroic characters will be pleased to see members of the Order of the Phoenix, the force aligned against Voldemort.
“It’s a lot of fun, people really get a kick out of the show we do for them,” said Carroll.
A few of the actors are also practicing magicians and will be performing tricks for audience members in the lobby of the theatre.
“People love it; it’s just another level of experience and adds to the whole event of going to the theatre – people really get into it,” said Carroll. “For this show we plan to teach a few magic tricks as well as long as the participants swear to never reveal the trick to anyone.”
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is expected to be one of this summer’s biggest blockbusters.
