The final Harry Potter book may have released back in 2007 - and the final movie nine years ago - but it remains just as a big a phenomenon today as it was back then. People of all ages love to discover and live in the world of the Boy Who Lived and, given how awesome the franchise is, who can blame them?
Amid all this, the series has made a huge amount of money over the years. From books to movies, games to other merchandise. We now take a look at 10 astonishing money facts about JK Rowling's masterpiece.
Box Office Earnings
The first Harry Potter movie, the Sorcerer's Stone, was released back in 2001. It was always a magical experience going to the theatre to see the next Harry Potter film and fans regularly filled the seats right up until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 came out, 10 years later.
To date, the series has made a staggering $7.2 billion at the box office. A huge $1.3 billion of this was from the final movie alone, making it the 11th biggest movie in box office history.
Expensive Mistake
Auctions can be weird places, right? Sometimes people end up spending thousands and thousands of dollars on something that seems trivial. And this is no different when it comes to Harry Potter merchandise.
In 2016, a rare first edition of the first book sold for a huge $55,000. The UK version of the Sorcerer's Stone, known as The Philosopher's Stone, had a misspelling of the word 'philosopher', instead, writing it as 'pholspher' - quite an expensive mistake!
Final Book Fanatics
The anticipation of the final Harry Potter book was unlike anything that had gone before it. Fans were determined to get their hands on a copy to find out just how the Boy Who Lived's final battle against Lord Voldemort and his loyal Death Eaters would go down.
It sold a huge 8.3 million copies within 24 hours of its release. This was quite an achievement and it's fair to say the final installment of the series definitely lived up to expectations.
Net Worth
JK Rowling experienced her fair share of setbacks when writing the Harry Potter books. Many publishers dismissed the story but, in the end, she got lucky. And now, all these years on, she's turned out rather rich as a result.
With a net worth of around $1 billion, Rowling is in an elite club. She's reportedly the second-richest author of all time, behind only French philosopher and historian Elisabeth Badinter. Given how popular Potter is, we're expecting Rowling to sit on top of the podium one day.
Toy Joy
As fans already know, the Harry Potter franchise has evolved from just books and movies. It's also earned plenty of money through other things, including games (both electronic and non-electronic) and toys.
As of today, it's is said that a huge $7.3 billion has been earned as a result of fans buying franchise merchandise. Companies like Hasbro and Mattel have cashed in with their offerings and it's more than likely this figure will continue to rise in the years ahead.
Popular Play
In 2016, JK Rowling delighted Potter fans by releasing the script of the popular London play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. And, while the story itself is divisive, it’s made plenty of money since it’s release.
It was the highest-selling print book of the year, selling more than 3.2 million copies and making $4.1 million in the process.
Radcliffe Riches
Daniel Radcliffe was catapulted into the spotlight when he was announced as Harry Potter himself. And, unsurprisingly, he’s made plenty of money from the popular movies.
It’s been reported that he made a sensational $95.6 million from the eight movies he appeared in. Radcliffe has spoken glowingly of his time as The Boy Who Lived and we’re hoping he reprises the role one day in the future.
DVD Success
These days, most film collectors buy Blu-rays. But this platform didn’t exist when the first Harry Potter movie released, with everybody instead flocking to buy copies of the Sorcerer’s Stone on DVD and VHS.
However, while DVDs are no longer as popular as they once were, it’s been reported that a huge $2.0 billion has been made in sales from the platform.
Roaring Rentals
Rentals have become a thing of the past in recent history, ever since the likes of Blockbuster and Movie Gallery closed down. Yet, before these stores disappeared, the Harry Potter movies brought in more than $600 million in rental revenue.
These days, it’s far easier to buy the movies rather than rent them and, once you’ve got them, they’ll sure to be treasured possessions in any fan's collection.
The Big Picture
The Harry Potter franchise is now worth a shocking $25 billion.
It’s a money-making machine and, while the books and movies have long since been completed, the fandom isn’t going to die out anytime soon. As JK Rowling herself once said - ‘Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.’