In the July issue of Radio Times many of the Potter actors talked about their memories and experiences working on the Harry Potter films. You can see scans in the gallery thanks to SnitchSeeker!

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Bonnie Wright, Matthew Lewis, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter, Helen McCrory, Jason Isaacs, Timothy Spall, John Hurt, Rhys Ifans, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Gary Oldman, Richard Griffiths, Robert Pattinson, Pam Ferris, Zoe Wanamaker, and David Tennant all talk about the films. (Thanks to SS for the lovely list so I didn’t have to type it)

Starting on July 31st, Potter fans will be able to buy tickets to “A Celebration of the Harry Potter Films”, an event hosted by Warner Bros. at Universal Orlando from Friday November 11 to Sunday November 13. Packages are extremely limited and go on sale at noon EDT on Sunday, July 31. The full press release, with full ticketing information, may be read at this page!

 During this special event, guests can celebrate their favorite memories and stories of Harry Potter with filmmakers, cast members and fellow fans.  While all theme park guests will be able to enjoy The Wizarding World of Harry Potter during their visit, only a limited number of guests and those who buy special event packages will have access to exclusive benefits such as:

• A spectacular evening gala in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Autograph signings with stars from the Harry Potter films
• Q&A sessions with Harry Potter filmmakers and cast members, along with the creators of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Screenings of all eight Harry Potter films – including “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” – at the AMC Universal Cineplex 20 in Universal CityWalk.  Access to the screenings can be added to the vacation packages for an additional fee.

Thanks to Universal for mailing!

Some more record-breaking Potter news in addition to earlier this week. Harry Potter has finally surpassed Star Wars as the Top Grossing Franchise in the United States! The eight Potter films have made $2.223 billion domestically, compared to $2.218 billion for Star Wars. The series has been the top grossing franchise in the world since Half-Blood Prince, but now the total is past the $7 billion mark.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II has made $640.2 million so far (domestically and internationally) making it the third highest grossing film of 2011, but hopefully it can make it to number 1.  It has also reached the 600 million mark in 8 days which is another new record [Transformers 3 took 11 days and Pirates 4 took 12]!

Harper Collins, the publishers of Harry Potter Film Wizardry [Read my review here], will be publishing a comprehensive look at the Harry Potter film series entitled Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey to be released on October 25th 2011. The book will be 528 pages long and will cost $75.00. The cover may be seen below as well as a few details on the book. You can pre-order the book at Barnes and Noble for $49.

Harry Potter: Page to Screen opens the doors to Hogwarts castle and the wizarding world of Harry Potter to reveal the complete behind-the-scenes secrets, techniques, and over-the-top artistry that brought J.K. Rowling’s acclaimed novels to cinematic life. Developed in collaboration with the creative team behind the celebrated movie series, this deluxe, 500-plus page compendium features exclusive stories from the cast and crew, hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and concept illustrations sourced from the closed film sets, and rare memorabilia. As the definitive look at the magic that made cinematic history, Page to Screen is the ultimate collectible, perfect for Muggles everywhere.

[Click the photo of the cover to enlarge it]

We had posted about this book a couple months ago but had to remove the post at the request of WB. But now that there are pre-orders I think it’s okay to post. Thanks to Mugglenet for the tip about pre-orders!

Bonnie Wright is making her film directing debut by releasing a film called Separate We Come, Separate We Go as part of a school project. The film is about the story of a 10-year-old girl who is neglected by her manic depressive mother and runs away. More about the film may be read here.

The film will be part of The LCC Graduate Film project and will be presented in 2012 in the Graduate BAFTAS. The film needs funding by voluntary donations, so to donate to the film visit this page!

Thanks Amortentia!

This coming weekend ABC Family is having a “Potions and Pirates” weekend where they will be showing a bunch of the Harry Potter films along with Pirates of the Caribbean. [They are also showing all three Back to the Future movies on Sunday starting at 7am. Too bad I will be on a beach all weekend] The schedule is as follows:

Saturday:

• 1:30pm/12:30c: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• 4:30pm/3:30c: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Sunday:

• 2:30pm/1:30c: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• 5:30pm/4:30c: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• 9pm/8:00c: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix