Ben Share, 11, does not want to see the Harry Potter film series end, even as the last movie arrives in theaters at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
Share, a Ventnor resident, is the same age now as the fictional Harry Potter is when he discovers he is a wizard in the first book by author J. K. Rowling, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" from 1998.
"I bet the finale is just going to be amazing," said Share, who plans to see the last film on its opening day. "Whenever I get bored and need something to read, I will probably pick up one of the books and read. Or, if I'm laying around one day, I will probably put on one of the movies."
Potter fans and librarians with the books and the DVDs believe the character's popularity will continue into the future, even though "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" will be the final movie based on the popular books series.
Robert Thompson, Syracuse University's professor of television and popular culture, said he has spoken to a number of people who are feeling somewhat traumatized the last of the original material will end with this film. The window of new Harry Potter stuff is closing, and that is sad, Thompson thinks, for people who were big fans.
"There are people now who are 18 years old for whom Harry Potter was an important part of the culture of their entire life. A 15-year-old barely remembers a world without Harry Potter," said Thompson, who recalls children having Potter-themed birthday parties.
The Harry Potter books started Share reading fantasy.
Two years ago, Share's mother suggested he read Harry Potter while they were browsing in Atlantic Books in Ocean City. But he thought the 300-page book would be too long for him to make it through. His mother said reading one long book is like reading two separate books. The son complained at first, but then, he agreed to read it.
"I read it on the way home in the car and when I got home. I was just hooked. It was amazing," said Share, who added it took him three weeks to read the first book.
Share's routine would be to read the softcover version of one book and then convince his father to purchase the film on DVD, so they could watch it together. The first film Share saw in a theater was "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" during its opening weekend at the Towne Stadum 16 in Egg Harbor Township.
"I think I like it more now because I'm more into it," Share said.
Share has read other fantasy titles, including "The Hobbit" and "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel," since discovering Potter, but he likes the boy wizard's adventures the best.
"The books are pretty much classics. The books are just so good that nobody is really ever going to forget them," Share said.
Caitlin Ewell, 20, of Galloway Township, has been involved with Harry Potter for half her life. When "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was released in theaters in November 2001, Ewell, then age 10, saw it as a fifth-grader attending Smithville Elementary School.
"It was awesome. I think all the movies are great. The first one, it was different from any movie that I had seen before," Ewell said.
Ewell's grandmother took the family to the films. Her father is the biggest Harry Potter fan in the family. Ewell already had purchased midnight tickets for "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" by the end of last month.
"I have always watched the movies as a kid, but actually just recently read them (the books) as an adult, and I really liked them. For some reason, I didn't get into them when I was younger, but now, I really appreciate them more," said Ewell, who added she grew up with the actors who played the main characters as they aged.
Ewell saw "Deathly Hallows: Part 1," released in November, four times in movie theaters.
"I really liked how the story develops. This was before I read the books. I thought it was so cool. The story is a little childish in the beginning (of the series), but then by the end, it's like 'Oh my God, this is some heavy stuff.' I thought it was really good, and the acting has gotten really good. I think it's probably my favorite one, other than 'Prisoner of Azkaban.'"
Ewell read all the Potter books from December last year through March, but stopped at the point where the "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" movie ended, so she could be surprised watching "Part 2."
Similar to George Lucas' "Star Wars" movies, Ewell doesn't believe Harry Potter will be going away with this last film.
"I work in Ocean City. In the front of our store, we have a bunch of 'Star Wars' toys. There are still little kids, 5 to 6 years old, who want to buy 'Star Wars' toys from 'The Empire Strikes Back.' So, I think it's going to be one of those where that was my dad's generation, we had the "Star Wars' stuff passed down to us, and we will pass Harry Potter down to our kids," Ewell said.
The appeal of the Harry Potter stories spans generations, even though the books could be classified as children's literature.
JoAnn Schailey, 67, was already retired and living in Brigantine part time when she discovered Potter on her own. She found she couldn't turn on the news and not hear something about the first book.
"With fiction, it's always the suspension of disbelief. Once you get beyond that, you can really get absorbed in any good book that's fiction," Schailey said. "I never read those books that had the swords and the dragons and all of that. I think probably 'Harry Potter' opened up a different world, and I was reading it as an adult."
Schailey owns the seven Harry Potter books and the DVDs that have been released so far.
"As soon as the books came out, I was at the bookstore, not the first one, but thereafter," said Schailey, who purchased her copy of the last Harry Potter book at midnight.
Schailey has mixed feelings about end of the Harry Potter movie series.
"We're all sad," said Schailey, who volunteers at the Atlantic County Library system's Brigantine branch. "J. K. Rowling is done with the books right now, and she has finished 'Deathly Hallows' in such a way that it really is complete. ... There's a certain bittersweet feeling about it because I would love to see more books. I would love to see more movies."
The Brigantine branch will still host a Harry Potter party in October, even though the final film is being released Friday. The library has hosted Potter events since 2000. Thirty-two children will probably participate. They will make hats and wands. They will take a potions class and play a version of Quidditch.
"Harry Potter will never be dead," Schailey said. "The Harry Potter book series is going to be a classic. It has encouraged a lot of children to read, and I think that as kids start to be old enough to really read it and really enjoy the things that the movies don't capture, I think you are gonna have an audience for many years to come."
Share, a Ventnor resident, is the same age now as the fictional Harry Potter is when he discovers he is a wizard in the first book by author J. K. Rowling, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" from 1998.
"I bet the finale is just going to be amazing," said Share, who plans to see the last film on its opening day. "Whenever I get bored and need something to read, I will probably pick up one of the books and read. Or, if I'm laying around one day, I will probably put on one of the movies."
Potter fans and librarians with the books and the DVDs believe the character's popularity will continue into the future, even though "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" will be the final movie based on the popular books series.
Robert Thompson, Syracuse University's professor of television and popular culture, said he has spoken to a number of people who are feeling somewhat traumatized the last of the original material will end with this film. The window of new Harry Potter stuff is closing, and that is sad, Thompson thinks, for people who were big fans.
"There are people now who are 18 years old for whom Harry Potter was an important part of the culture of their entire life. A 15-year-old barely remembers a world without Harry Potter," said Thompson, who recalls children having Potter-themed birthday parties.
The Harry Potter books started Share reading fantasy.
Two years ago, Share's mother suggested he read Harry Potter while they were browsing in Atlantic Books in Ocean City. But he thought the 300-page book would be too long for him to make it through. His mother said reading one long book is like reading two separate books. The son complained at first, but then, he agreed to read it.
"I read it on the way home in the car and when I got home. I was just hooked. It was amazing," said Share, who added it took him three weeks to read the first book.
Share's routine would be to read the softcover version of one book and then convince his father to purchase the film on DVD, so they could watch it together. The first film Share saw in a theater was "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" during its opening weekend at the Towne Stadum 16 in Egg Harbor Township.
"I think I like it more now because I'm more into it," Share said.
Share has read other fantasy titles, including "The Hobbit" and "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel," since discovering Potter, but he likes the boy wizard's adventures the best.
"The books are pretty much classics. The books are just so good that nobody is really ever going to forget them," Share said.
Caitlin Ewell, 20, of Galloway Township, has been involved with Harry Potter for half her life. When "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was released in theaters in November 2001, Ewell, then age 10, saw it as a fifth-grader attending Smithville Elementary School.
"It was awesome. I think all the movies are great. The first one, it was different from any movie that I had seen before," Ewell said.
Ewell's grandmother took the family to the films. Her father is the biggest Harry Potter fan in the family. Ewell already had purchased midnight tickets for "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" by the end of last month.
Ewell saw "Deathly Hallows: Part 1," released in November, four times in movie theaters.
"I really liked how the story develops. This was before I read the books. I thought it was so cool. The story is a little childish in the beginning (of the series), but then by the end, it's like 'Oh my God, this is some heavy stuff.' I thought it was really good, and the acting has gotten really good. I think it's probably my favorite one, other than 'Prisoner of Azkaban.'"
Ewell read all the Potter books from December last year through March, but stopped at the point where the "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" movie ended, so she could be surprised watching "Part 2."
Similar to George Lucas' "Star Wars" movies, Ewell doesn't believe Harry Potter will be going away with this last film.
"I work in Ocean City. In the front of our store, we have a bunch of 'Star Wars' toys. There are still little kids, 5 to 6 years old, who want to buy 'Star Wars' toys from 'The Empire Strikes Back.' So, I think it's going to be one of those where that was my dad's generation, we had the "Star Wars' stuff passed down to us, and we will pass Harry Potter down to our kids," Ewell said.
The appeal of the Harry Potter stories spans generations, even though the books could be classified as children's literature.
JoAnn Schailey, 67, was already retired and living in Brigantine part time when she discovered Potter on her own. She found she couldn't turn on the news and not hear something about the first book.
"With fiction, it's always the suspension of disbelief. Once you get beyond that, you can really get absorbed in any good book that's fiction," Schailey said. "I never read those books that had the swords and the dragons and all of that. I think probably 'Harry Potter' opened up a different world, and I was reading it as an adult."
Schailey owns the seven Harry Potter books and the DVDs that have been released so far.
"As soon as the books came out, I was at the bookstore, not the first one, but thereafter," said Schailey, who purchased her copy of the last Harry Potter book at midnight.
Schailey has mixed feelings about end of the Harry Potter movie series.
"We're all sad," said Schailey, who volunteers at the Atlantic County Library system's Brigantine branch. "J. K. Rowling is done with the books right now, and she has finished 'Deathly Hallows' in such a way that it really is complete. ... There's a certain bittersweet feeling about it because I would love to see more books. I would love to see more movies."
The Brigantine branch will still host a Harry Potter party in October, even though the final film is being released Friday. The library has hosted Potter events since 2000. Thirty-two children will probably participate. They will make hats and wands. They will take a potions class and play a version of Quidditch.
"Harry Potter will never be dead," Schailey said. "The Harry Potter book series is going to be a classic. It has encouraged a lot of children to read, and I think that as kids start to be old enough to really read it and really enjoy the things that the movies don't capture, I think you are gonna have an audience for many years to come."
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