Harry Potter and the Billion Dollar Industry

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The series is about the life of a young wizard, Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The three friends are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Since the first novel, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ came out on 30 June 1997, the books have had huge popularity, and success worldwide. The series has also been read and enjoyed by adults.  The books have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide, making the series the best-selling book series in history and they have already been translated into 73 languages. The last four books have set records as the fastest-selling books in history.

The books have been made into an eight-part film series by Warner Bros. Pictures. The series also produced a lot of merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth more than $15 billion.

Because of the success of the books and films, Harry Potter-themed areas, called The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, have been created at several Universal Parks & Resorts theme parks around the world. Since 2012, fans have been able to take a studio tour in London. There is also a stage play and a trilogy of films coming out in 2016.  When you are passing through King’s Cross Station in London, you can stop at Platform 9 3/4 and take a selfie as you travel from the ‘muggle’ world to Hogwarts.