UNDER HIS SPELL FANS LINE UP EARLY FOR FIRST CRACK AT 'HARRY POTTER' VIDEO.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer Fans of ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' came out in droves Tuesday - some just after midnight - to buy the DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. or VHS (Video Home System) A half-inch, analog videocassette recorder (VCR) format introduced by JVC in 1976 to compete with Sony's Betamax, introduced a year earlier. version of the movie that is poised to become the biggest home video seller ever. A multimillion-dollar advertising and merchandising campaign has accompanied the home video release of the Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . film that ruled at the box office last holiday season. Disney's ``The Lion King,'' which grossed $28.8 million on home video, is the current all-time sales leader. But ``Potter'' should surpass its total because it is debuting in DVD format See VOB and DVD. while ``Lion'' made its bow only on VHS when it hit stores seven years ago. While countless fans dashed to the store to pick up a copy of ``Potter'' during their lunch hour, some diehards were lined up at midnight to make their purchase. Several chains, including Tower Records and Video and Wherehouse Music, had extended hours and began selling the movie at 12:01 a.m. ``We had a lot of people come in for the midnight sale,'' said Angela Lewis, video manager at the Tower Records and Video in Woodland Hills. ``It's done better than any of the other midnight sales of DVDs that we've had.'' ``Potter,'' based on the popular book by J.K. Rowling, follows the adventures of an 11-year-old wizard named Harry and his friends as they enter the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft witchcraft, a form of sorcery, or the magical manipulation of nature for self-aggrandizement, or for the benefit or harm of a client. This manipulation often involves the use of spirit-helpers, or familiars. and Wizardry wiz·ard·ry n. pl. wiz·ard·ries 1. The art, skill, or practice of a wizard; sorcery. 2. a. A power or effect that appears magical by its capacity to transform: . The checkout lines at Best Buy in Canoga Park were six people deep, with most customers holding at least one copy of ``Potter'' in one hand and a credit card in the other. ``People are buying two or three copies; it's been like this all morning,'' said one harried cashier CASHIER. An officer of a moneyed institution, who is entitled by virtue of his office to take care of the cash or money of such institution. 2. The cashier of a bank is usually entrusted with all the funds of the bank, its notes, bills, and other choses in . Among those in line was Valencia resident Terri Taylor, who had already been to nearby Circuit City but came away from there empty-handed because the store didn't have the film's wide-screen version in stock. ``I'm here on my lunch hour buying it for my son because he's got to have it today,'' Taylor said. ``He saw it at the theaters three times and now I have a feeling it's going to be on every day.'' John Riddle, 24, was among the minority who didn't see the movie in the theaters. But after seeing the heavy television promotion in recent weeks and reading a lot about ``Potter'' on the Internet, the Internet, the, international computer network linking together thousands of individual networks at military and government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, industrial and financial corporations of all sizes, and commercial enterprises Woodland Hills resident wanted to get his hands on the DVD. ``I'm really looking forward to seeing it,'' Riddle said. ``There's a lot of extra scenes that weren't in the theater which I read about on the Internet.'' Winnetka resident Barry Veverka-Brownlie ventured to the Best Buy store early Tuesday morning to buy a copy of ``Potter'' but the store was still closed. So he drove to nearby Fry's Electronics Fry's Electronics is a specialty retailer of software, consumer electronics, computer hardware and household appliances with a chain of superstores headquartered in Silicon Valley. Starting with one store located in Sunnyvale, California, USA, the chain now boasts sales of $2. to make his purchase. ``I'm most interested in the extras although I kind of wish they were a bit more adult-oriented,'' he said. The two-disc ``Potter'' DVD offers such extras as never-before-seen footage, an interactive tour that allows fans to experience Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a first-year student, and interviews with director Christopher Columbus and producer David Heyman about the second ``Potter'' film, set to hit theaters in November. Several retailers, including bookseller chains Borders and Barnes & Noble, were also selling the film, with the Borders in Canoga Park marking the occasion with a festive afternoon party complete with balloons and face painting. But many consumers didn't bother to wait until retailers had the movie stocked in stores. When pre-orders for ``Potter'' began in February, the film immediately shot to the top of the video sales charts of Amazon.com, Wherehouse Music and Walmart.com, and has remained ensconced en·sconce tr.v. en·sconced, en·sconc·ing, en·sconc·es 1. To settle (oneself) securely or comfortably: She ensconced herself in an armchair. 2. there ever since. ``The response has been overwhelming,'' said Cynthia Lin, spokeswoman for Walmart.com. ``It has been our most popular title online to date. There has been strong interest since the first day of pre-orders.'' Although Walmart.com does not release sales figures sales figures npl → cifras fpl de ventas , Lin said ``Potter'' has already surpassed ``Shrek'' as the site's biggest-selling movie title. The film is currently in eighth place on the movie industry's all-time list of blockbusters, with a domestic gross of $317.6 million. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Borders bookstore employee Brenda Gilpin sets up the ``Harry Potter'' display for the hit film's video release on Tuesday. (2 -- color) Industry experts predict ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' will become the best-selling best·sell·er also best seller n. A product, such as a book, that is among those sold in the largest numbers. best video release to date. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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