“Harry Potter” was sold out on opening day, Friday (all three shows). The first two on Saturday also went fast. Which is why an excited crowd, having bought tickets early for the 10:15 p.m. show on Saturday night, stood on
“Harry Potter” was sold out on opening day, Friday (all three shows). The first two on Saturday also went fast. Which is why an excited crowd, having bought tickets early for the 10:15 p.m. show on Saturday night, stood on the staircase leading to the Coconut Marketplace theater and waited.
And waited.
Three adolescent boys mock-wrestled on the lawn downstairs to pass the time, but most of the people waiting to be seated stood and talked, mostly about the books that had started the phenomenon.
“Harry” has broken box-office records its opening weekend, though it’s a rather lengthy movie – two and half hours.
At the top of the line, having waited for four hours, was Sister Jan Villemura (with another sister and a brother who said they were too shy to be identified).
“I’ve read every word of the four books,” said Sister Jan proudly. “And so have all my kids.”
Sister Jan is the principal of St. Theresa, a private Catholic school in Kekaha.
“Harry Potter (the books) got kids to read again,” she added. And that’s one of the best aspects of this series.
Two kids from Fremont, California, agreed with these statements.
Nina Tabrizi (fourth grade) and her brother Adam couldn’t contain their excitement (being at the top of a very long line didn’t hurt, either).
“When I heard a movie was coming out,” said Nina, “I said ‘We must go! We must go! We must go!”
Adam added that they had only arrived on Kaua’i on Friday (the movie’s opening day), and right away tried to purchase tickets for the movie. Alas, the movie had been sold out, so they tried again Saturday night.
Apparently, you don’t have to be a Harry Potter fan to enjoy the movie. Blake Rafael of Anahola hasn’t read the books, but he was impressed with the movie’s previews and didn’t mind waiting in line for what promised to be an entertaining evening. He was heard giggling throughout the movie.
Two teenage girls had also waited for hours.
E.W., a 7th grader at Kapa’a Middle School, said she had read the first three books and was still “working” on the fourth one. Her favorite character in the book is Harry “because he’s cool.” Harry’s friend, Hermone “is just a show-off,” in her opinion.
Her friend C.S., a 6th grader in Chiefess, has read the first two books. She says she had never read long books such as Harry Potter before. She mostly reads fairy tales.
Leaving the movie, people seemed in good spirits. Melissa Wasano had brought her 8-year-old son Isaiah, because she had read the first book and enjoyed it, and thought her son would have fun too.
Will and Stephanie Leonard of Kilauea didn’t bring a child with them. They had taken a babysitter for the first time since their baby was born, 16 months ago. Stephanie loved the movie, and said she couldn’t wait for the next one (it’s coming out next year).
Leonard had this to say: “It was lots of fun!”
