That's LAME. Can't Warner just think of a better lie?

They're just trying to milk more the Harry Potter Franchise. They're scared of having Twilight win them in the box office this year. WB SUCKS!!!!!! Now I have to wait longer to see this movie.

Come on Warner Bros.

Why torture us Harry Potter fans like this?

Oh balls, I was really looking forward to this!

omg im so pissed
now wat r they gonna do w/the video game
will it still be realeased in fall or will they have to postpone dat 2!

This is pretty stupid

Warners are suffering because of their 'lag' with their 2009 lineup during the strike. So i'm not surprised.

But at the sametime, 'fantasy' based movies work better during November. It's almost like a tradition.

wtf why can't it just still be november because the deathly hallows opens in 2010 and if they push that back its just going to be pathetic, hopefully warner bros. will set it back to november and all will be right thats the only thibg I had to look forward to in november

This pretty much assures that Paramount will be the winner for total gross receipts in 2008.

I'm seriously angry. First they move back Star Trek and now HP? Why are these studios tormenting me??? I just want a nice holiday movie season and this is not helping. D:<

everyone wants to be the big summer blockbuster, pfft! PFFT!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo!!!!!!

wow, and I thought we were getting close to release because they actually put out a teaser.
sounds like a huge mistake to me.
is there a link to the official announcement somewhere?

Well, this really sucks. And here, I was looking forward to November for this release.

Fuck that.

This is a big mistake, a potter film would have done really well for an ending summer movie..

FUCK.

While I think that a simple comparison of fall and summer isn't quite enough to prove the point, Peter, you're right that the reason doesn't make any sense: Phoenix did, yes, improve heavily on the performance of the previous two films but it also had the benefit of opening amidst total Potter mania thanks to the launch of Deathly Hollows. If we take that out as an aberration, then, we have only Azkaban that launched during the summer and that is the worst performer of the films by far on a Worldwide level.

Considering that, then, this decision seems like it's more about averaging out next year's financial results - even if the overall launch of the film is less due to more competition and it doesn't live up to the performance of OotP, it will allow for the DVD release to fall within the same financial year and give a leg up to all ends of the business.

I do hope that the extra time with the film might give them an opportunity to fine tune the editing (Something that every Potter film has always struggled with) and the special effects to really pull the film together. It also does, as noted, make the gap between this film and the final two faster - this is good considering that the book feels like little bit a prologue to the finale of the series in many ways, and could really benefit from the shorter span.

How did the writer's strike affect the release? WB claimed that the filming had wrapped up on HBP and they were in post production. How the hell do their explanations make any sense?

Hmm, maybe Warner Bros. thinks T4 will underperform?

Greyson, I think the Writers' Strike argument is that, thanks to the strike, they don't have many projects in the pipeline for summer, and thus moved HBP in order to fill the gap left as a result.

Fuck you Warner Bros!!!

Ugh, I'm pissed and disappointed. I was really looking forward to the November release, I've missed the fall HP movie release dates.
Now we have wait almost another year?? Sigh.

Worst movie news I've heard in a LONG time. I'm pissed.

I don't like Harry Potter. But damn even I have to admit that was stupid.

I also think they ran themselves a bit dry on The Dark Knight.

They focused so much energy on the hype machine for this movie that I feel that Half-Blood Prince faced some serious neglect.
They just weren't managing the publicity for this movie very well at all. At least, now,they have time to hype it up, and maybe give it half of what the Dark Knight got. Just maybe.


And Twilight as competition? LOL.

So much for the record breaking year...

Isn't WB putting out Watchmen in late May

this has nothing to do with twilight.

ahh that sucks :(

They should have at least lied and said that they're making it look better than ever. :)

Oh, one thing... I did want to point out that when you say "The november release had virtually no competition until a month later when Twilight hit theaters on December 12th"... are we not counting Quantum of Solace as competition which releases November 7th? Just curious... sure Bond and Potter are 2 very different audiences, but they are both high profile movies, so inevitably there would have been some competition there, no?

@ Orren Jensen

Watchmen comes out MArch 6th.

and while that will probably make them money, it won't make them nearly as much since it's gonna be R rated, so if they're lucky, which they should be since 300,000 people have purchased "Watchmen" since the release of the trailer with TDK, they'll make as much money or even more than 300 did.

if they're lucky.

THAT'S BULL! I AM SO PISSED I CAN'T EVEN FIND THE RIGHT WORDS TO EXPRESS IT.
HOW CAN THEY GO OUT, LIE LIKE THAT AND EXPECT US TO BELIEVE A WORD THEY'RE SAYING! I AM SOOOO UPSET!!
I MEAN, IT'S ONE THING TO PUSH THE RELEASE BACK A COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH!

They moved it to the weekend Dark Knight released on this year.

Unfortunately, they don't have a juggernaut like Dark Knight was.

Expect this move to suck about 60 million out of its final gross.

I'd say it just dropped from about 310 domestic to 250.

Harry Potter is the best, why can't they leave the Dark's Knights' money to the side and get Harry Potters money. The director needs a vacation and they should get a new one. WB is so horrible to Harry potter, I mean all the fans out in the world are probably crying casue of this. They better not changer Harry Potter 7 to like 2012 or nobody will like the director. I mean they should have HP 7 part 1 in march 2009 and HP 7 part 2 in like July 2009. The Wb people like Dark Knight, and I saw with my friends. I thought it was stupid. How the trailer's out , huh? I hate WB, they better change Harry Potter back to November. They should also pay the price to the world for making The Dark Knight, they better love Harry Potter.
I like Harry Potter. Even all my friends like it too. I hate WB. Boo you! Harry Potter rocks, go Harry potter!

there idiots there just scared of the dark knight because its record breaking yeah sucks balls pussy's 2008 doenst need you

Well to tell u the truth i don't think this is a trable is going to make harry poter fans mad bud i can't say i blam them but i think it will give us somthing to look forward to for summer 2009 and with this gone this will help out james bond alot.

Best news of the day.

Now INDY IV could finish the year as the highest grossing film internationally. Deservingly so.

haha they're totally scared of Twilight ;)

With America killing off the entertainment industry in apparent stages, as they have no real use for it, it seems like a typical and expected move.

Boy, this stinks. My wife and I had one of our most favorite Thanksgivings ever in 2005, thanks to her great big, wonderful dinner, and a walk to the movie theatre later in the blustery autumn eve to see HP & GOF. And on the way home we stopped for eggnog. We were looking forward to recreating that good time in November.

FUCK YOU, WARNER BROS!

Join the movement, and (Boycott Harry Potter's opening weekend. !!!!)

Boycott Potter 2009. !!!!

Re @ 790:
Anybody who's sane won't join some bullshit boycott. How old are you? 12? Grow up, seriously.

Dylan, all im suggesting is that the hardcore fans boycott the opening weekend, since opening weekend is VERY important to the studio.

If you fans cant agree to do that then hell with ya. Serioulsy.

And why are you doing it? Because they pissed you off and you want to get back at them? Like I said, grow up. It's just a movie, and most of us are going to see it anyway and will be excited once the marketing kicks in next year. I don't think some of you realize that the studio aren't the only ones affected by it, as are the cast and crew members who had NO decision on this at all.

I don't want to come across like a rude bitch, I'm just myself annoyed by the immature temper tantrums over it and boycotting nonsense.

Is it too much to ask fans to see the film the second weekend. You have to wait 8 months, another week wont be hard and it would make the studio crap itself.
Dylan, if you dont want to take part thats cool,,,,, but how cool would it be if the fans sent the sudio a lesson?

I just want to see the studio crap itself when the opening weekend its 50% what they expected,,,, after that ill grow up,,, promise. Hahaaa

i am going to boycott the movie to teach WB not to mess with Potter fans

WB has made a HUGE mistake!! They have underestimated HP fans. WB has seen the last of my money. I hope they have enjoyed it!!

WB. were really disappointed. damn it , they made a BIG BIG BIG BIG MISTAKEEEEE !

the film is finished, people have already seen it and liked it, so the push back has NOTHING to do with fine tuning the movie. the movie is completely, 100% finished. the only reason why WB pushed back the movie was to rake in as much profit as possible. WB execs have said that when comparing summer and fall releases, their summer release of harry potter pulls in more money than do their previous fall releases.

i will NOT be seeing the harry potter movie in the theaters. i'll show them that i am more than just a movie ticket statistic and i will not let them bully me.