The movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has shattered industry records for box office revenues its opening weekend. The movie worked its magic on youthful audiences in the United States, Britain and Taiwan.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone exceeded $93 million in North American revenues on its three-day opening weekend. That is $3 million more than opening revenues for The Lost World: Jurassic Park, in 1997.
British weekend revenues were a record $23 million. In Taiwan, the film earned $2.4 million dollars, the biggest non-holiday opening in that country.
Based on the best-selling book by British writer J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone tells the tale of a boy who learns he has magical powers.
You're a wizard, Harry.
I'm a what?
Young Harry sets off to learn his craft at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Some critics say the film, at more than two hours in length, is too long. But a group of Los Angeles youngsters give it their highest rating.
BOY ONE: Ten.
BOY TWO: I give it a 10 million.
BOY THREE: 100 percent cool.
GIRL: I like that it was scary, and it had magic, and it was really cool.
BOY FOUR: It was good, and it was my favorite movie in the whole wide universe. Everything except the last part.
The last part, said six-year-old Sean, was a little scary.
Production began in London Monday for the sequel, called Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. A third Harry Potter film is planned for 2003.
Author J. K. Rowling is now completing her fifth book in the Harry Potter series, and hopes to write two more. The books have so far sold 100 million copies in 40 languages.