I've considered myself to be a decent Harry Potter fan, but I'm starting to rethink how much of a "fan" I really am. For those not in the loop, Warner Bros. has decided to push back the opening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and I was a little bummed at first, but then I started reading some of the backlash from other fans, and I immediately wanted to distance myself from these nutjobs.
People have been leaving posts about how they started crying when they heard the news, or how it was the worst day of their lives, or how they hate the capitalist pigs known as the WB, and so forth and so on. Seriously? People are getting that worked up over a movie being pushed back a few months?
I guess I can appreciate this kind of dedication, but it's also a little scary, and I'm not going to lie, a little pathetic. These kids need to realize that what Warners did is nothing compared to the travesties that others have to face on a daily basis. There are people who don't have the money to buy food, while these fanatics complain about having to wait eight months to drop $20 bucks to see HBP in IMAX. This was the worst day of your life? Ask some Georgians about their worst day, and see if waiting a little longer to watch a movie about a boy wizard compares.
I'm not defending what Warner Bros. did. It was sneaky, and underhanded, but I also understand where they're coming from. They needed a big-name summer movie for 2009. Harry Potter is a pretty big name, so the move makes sense. Are they trying to make a few extra bucks, sure, but the last time I checked that was business. Sure, the WB could have treated the hardcore HP fans with a bit more respect, but this move really doesn't impact the casual fan, which is the bread and butter of the movie industry. It's not like every person who saw The Dark Knight knew all of the Batman mythology. Hell, I didn't even read the HP books until after I saw the first three movies.
What I find most humorous about this whole ordeal is how fans are threatening to boycott this movie, or skip out on the opening weekend, or wait until the DVD comes out. OK, let's look at this from a different point-of-view. Skipping the opening weekend won't do much good if you end up watching the movie a few weeks later. Your money is still going to Warners. The same is true if you buy it on DVD. Now, a true boycott could work, but I doubt the die-hard fans would really do that. And that's the brilliance of the WB's move. Sure, they may have lost a few fans, but most HP fans are still going to see the flick, and they make up the difference by bringing in more casual fans. In the end, this movie is still going to make a nice chunk of change.
So, maybe I'm not a true Harry Potter fan, and I'm OK with that. It's not like I was going to be waiting hours on end in some wizard costume on November 21 to begin with. Now, that's just odd...
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