Taglines: Journey beyond your imagination.
This is the tale of Harry Potter, an ordinary 11-year-old boy serving as a sort of slave for his aunt and uncle who learns that he is actually a wizard and has been invited to attend the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is snatched away from his mundane existence by Hagrid, the grounds keeper for Hogwarts, and quickly thrown into a world completely foreign to both him and the viewer. Famous for an incident that happened at his birth, Harry makes friends easily at his new school. He soon finds, however, that the wizarding world is far more dangerous for him than he would have imagined, and he quickly learns that not all wizards are ones to be trusted.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (released in some countries as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) is a 2001 British-American fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film is the first instalment in the long-running Harry Potter film series, and was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman. Its story follows Harry Potter’s first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his education. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.
Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the book in 1999 for a reported £1 million ($1.275 million) Production began in the United Kingdom in 2000, with Chris Columbus being chosen to create the film from a short list of directors that included Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner. Rowling insisted that the entire cast be British or Irish, and the film was shot at Leavesden Film Studios and historic buildings around the United Kingdom.
The film was released in theatres in the United Kingdom and the United States on 16 November 2001. It became a critical and commercial success, grossing $974.8 million at the box office worldwide. It was the highest grossing film of 2001. It was nominated for many awards including the Academy Award for Best Original Score, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.
It was followed by seven sequels, beginning with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002 and ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011, nearly ten years after the first film’s release. It is the 31st-highest-grossing film of all time and the second-highest-grossing film in the Harry Potter series behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
The film had its world premiere on 4 November 2001, in London’s Leicester Square, with the cinema arranged to resemble Hogwarts School. The film was greatly received at the box office. In the United States, it made $32.3 million on its opening day, breaking the single day record previously held by Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
On the second day of release, the film’s gross increased to $33.5 million, breaking the record for biggest single day again. In total, it made $90.3 million during its first weekend, breaking the record for highest-opening weekend of all time that was previously held by The Lost World: Jurassic Park. It held the record until the following May when Spider-Man made $114.8 million in its opening weekend.
The film held onto the No. 1 spot at the box-office for three consecutive weekends. The film also had the highest grossing 5-day (Wednesday-Sunday) Thanksgiving weekend record of $82.4 million, holding the title for twelve years until both The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Frozen surpassed it with $110.1 million and $94 million respectively. Similar results were achieved across the world.
In the United Kingdom, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone broke the record for the highest-opening weekend ever, both including and excluding previews, making £16.3 million with and £9.8 million without previews. The film went on to make £66.1 million in the UK alone, making it the country’s second highest-grossing film of all-time (after Titanic), until it was surpassed by Mamma Mia!.
In total, the film earned $974.8 million at the worldwide box office, $317.6 million of that in the US and $657.2 million elsewhere, which made it the second highest-grossing film in history at the time, as well as the year’s highest-grossing film.[80] As of 2015, it is the unadjusted twenty-sixth highest-grossing film of all-time and the second highest-grossing Harry Potter film to date after Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 55.9 million tickets in the US.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Ian Hart, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, John Hurt, Kieri Kennedy
Screenplay by: J.K. Rowling, Steven Kloves
Cinematography by: John Seale
Film Editing by: Richard Francis-Bruce
Costume Design by: Judianna Makovsky
Set Decoration by: Stephenie McMillan
Art Direction by: Andrew Ackland-Snow
Makeup Department: Jane Body, Mark Coulier
Music by: John Williams
MPAA Rating: PG for some scary moments and mild language.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: November 16, 2001
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