Nine dollars and seventy-five cents gets you a seat that moves, and a wand you’re apparently supposed to bring.
Regal has confirmed that all eight of Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter movies will screen in 4DX from August 27 to September 3. One film per day. The run starts with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on August 27 and works forward from there, building toward Harry Potter Day.
Regal is the only chain that’s confirmed 4DX screenings for the anniversary.
What the ticket actually costs
Tickets are on sale now at $9.75 per film. That’s per ticket, per movie, which means the full eight-day pilgrimage runs you $78 before anyone in your party gets popcorn.
The chain’s pitch leans hard into the season. “As the kids return to school and the weather gets cooler, what better way to celebrate fall than by returning to Hogwarts! A fan favorite series across generations, Harry Potter and his friends bring magic and adventure in every film. Put on your robes, grab your wands, and fly your broomstick to a Regal near you for this magical limited time event leading up to Harry Potter Day!” Regal said.
You are, to be clear, being invited to bring a broomstick into a theater with motion seats. Make your own choices.
The franchise is worth more than most countries’ film industries
Harry Potter is estimated to be worth over $34.7 billion. That figure covers the original fantasy novels, the blockbuster movies, the theme parks and the merchandise, and it’s the kind of number that explains why a 25th anniversary gets a full week of premium-format screenings instead of a tweet.
The movies are hitting 25 years since their release. Fans around the world are back in the Wizarding World, and the timing isn’t accidental.
HBO’s version is coming, and it’s playing a longer game
HBO is adapting the original novels for television, and the promise is a more “faithful” adaptation than the Warner Bros. films managed. One novel per season. Seven seasons already mapped out.
That’s the structural difference. The movies compressed; the series intends to expand.
The cast includes Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, Arabella Stanton, Paapa Essiedu, John Lithgow, Nick Frost, Warwick Davis, Katherine Parkinson and Johnny Flynn, among others.
Season 1’s official age rating was recently revealed as TV-14.
Even the crew says it isn’t done yet
Director of photography Adriano Goldman recently said “episode 1 is still far from being finished.” He went on to describe the magnitude of the adaptation, which gave fans plenty to sit with.
The series arrives December 25. Sorcerer’s Stone, the book the first season is based on, is also the film that opens the Regal run on August 27, which makes the whole thing a neat piece of scheduling: you can watch the version you grew up with four months before the version that’s meant to replace it.
Harry Potter Day is approaching fast, and the eight-day 4DX run lands right on top of it.
Bring the robes. The seat will do the rest.