Harry Potter: exhibitionist
Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, will be at the
Powerhouse Museum tomorrow. Photo: George Pimentel
As everyone knows, the Harry Potter series is about nothing if it is not about puberty. Seriously. Think about it. A young man develops strange new powers that he must master if he is to become a man. See? No? OK then, let us agree it's about transformation (and, all right, money: lots and lots of money), and no one has transformed in the films as much as Matt Lewis, pictured, who plays Neville Longbottom. Neville started out as a goofy, stoop-shouldered 12-year-old stick of celery; now he looks like a matinee idol. We mention it because his suddenly abundant admirers will be delighted to know that he will be at the Powerhouse Museum tomorrow, at 11am, for a preview of Harry Potter: The Exhibition, an event which will kick off in November, and at which you will find paraphernalia galore from the movies. Oh, and speaking of turning a dollar from Potter, US ticket sales on Friday for the final movie were the biggest in the history of Hollywood. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 opened, just after midnight, on Friday, in both Britain and the US. Warner Bros said that the film took $US43.5 million ($41 million) for midnight showings in the US, and a further estimated $US40 million during the day on Friday. Expectations were high that, as of this morning, it would crack $US180 million, besting the $US158 million grossed by the previous biggest opener, The Dark Knight. The first seven films based on the books by JK Rowling were the largest-grossing franchise in history, with worldwide box office takings of $6.4 billion.
