The story has been told countless times: in the mid-1990s, a struggling single mum pens a novel about a wizard boy and his magical mates. J.K. Rowling and her creation, Harry Potter, become household names, with Wizarding World, the fantasy media franchise centred on the novel series, worth billions.
As of February 2023 more than 600 million Harry Potter books had been sold globally, making it the bestselling book series in history. The seven books in the series have been translated into 85 languages.
Harry Potter has spawned films, stage plays, video and mobile games, and theme parks, all fuelling a massive merchandise machine. The franchise also waved an enormous profit wand, with Forbes naming Rowling the world’s highest-paid author in 2008, 2017 and 2019.
Today the boy wizard continues to play a major role in pop culture, and that includes a touring show, “Harry Potter: The Exhibition”, which has seen record-breaking attendance around the globe – more than 1.6 million fans have visited so far.
On December 15, the show will open in Macau at The Londoner in Cotai. Fans – they are called Potterheads – are in for a treat, with the exhibition celebrating iconic moments, characters, settings and beasts from the Harry Potter films.
Using innovative technology, the exhibition features original props, costumes and powerful storytelling. Highlights include a gallery with a first edition of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and an immersive multimedia gallery of Hogwarts Castle.
Tom Zaller, president of Imagine Exhibitions, the company behind the show, says he is excited about the Macau show, the touring exhibition’s first stop in Asia.
“Following record-breaking attendance around the globe, we’re excited for visitors of Macau to join us in celebrating this unique exhibition that is packed with original props and costumes, immersive environments, and magical media moments,” he says.
Visitors can enter Hogwarts classrooms filled with props, creatures and costumes and enjoy magical lessons and games through touchscreens to learn about behind-the-scenes secrets.
Dressing up for the exhibition is encouraged and so is sharing photos using @harrypotter_exhibition, #HarryPotterExhibition and #HarryPotterExhibitionMacao.