Big Screen

Harry Potter Does Not Get Its Romantic Ideals From Twilight

By Richard Lawson on July 11, 2009 at 3:08 AM

Supernatural-obsessed youngsters are delicate creatures to cater to. Just ask the producers of Harry Potter and Twilight. The juggernauts often square off in ideological combat, but when it comes to their movies, they mostly stay far away from each other.

The Wall Street Journal does a little comparative study of the two franchises’ marketing strategies, focusing mainly on the about-to-drop (squee!) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. See, there’s a little romance in that book, and Twilight is all about romance, so is that vampire story’s mega success responsible for the HP posters that front-and-center tout hot, hot teen wizard love? The producers say no!

“With all due respect to “Twilight,” the longevity and world-wide success of the Harry Potter franchise speaks for itself,” a studio representative said.

Ha. As it should be. Twilight is a blip on the cultural radar compared to the Harry Potter phenomenon—the provenance of chastely horny teenage girls and lonely, approaching middle age hobby LARPers, whereas Harry and Co. have the mass and broad appeal of a Da Vinci Code (only they’re much, much better.) Though, if we’re honest with our Potter-obsessed selves, it’s hard to believe that the smoldering and yearning of Twilight—such catnip!—had nothing to do with the smoldering and yearning poster shown here.

The Twilight producers, for their part, are respectably cognisant of their big brother’s long shadow:

“It’s the only franchise that we ever pay attention to,” says Rob Friedman, chief executive and co-chairman of Summit Entertainment. “We are very cognisant of where they are, and we’ve always been wary of being in too close proximity to ‘Harry Potter’ because we know our fans cross over so much, and we definitely don’t want to compete with ‘Harry’ for attention.”

Damn right. Wizard beats vampire, every time.

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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • HiredGoons
    July 11, 2009 at 5:31 AM
    @metoometoo: I probably would like them, I'm sure. But when there are books out there that can literally send a shiver down my spine I can't bring myself to devote the time it would take to get through the series. I'm sure they're very good, but I'll just watch the movies.
  • jiminy.peep
    July 11, 2009 at 4:35 AM
    @BullfightsOnAcid: I tought he preferred broomstick to snitch?
  • jiminy.peep
    July 11, 2009 at 4:34 AM
    @pumpkinsoup: I still think The Prisoner of Azkaban was the best directed. No complaints here, though, as I'll be waiting in line opening weekend too.
  • metoometoo
    July 11, 2009 at 4:26 AM
    @HiredGoons: I like the Harry Potter movies but there is so much depth and detail that gets lost if you haven't read the books. I recommend them! It only takes a few hours to read each book, and they're more impressive than you'd expect, based on the movies. And this is coming from a total literary snob, by the way.
  • metoometoo
    July 11, 2009 at 4:13 AM
    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince does have more romance than the previous books, which is a fun and appealing shift, so I'm sure that would have been played up regardless of the success of Twilight. Also, how dare you besmirch the Harry Potter franchise by even mentioning the Twilight franchise in the same breath?
  • ninepeoplesfavorite
    July 11, 2009 at 4:08 AM
    I learned a new term today: "LARPer." LARP meaning Live Action Role Playing.

    ninepeoplesfavorite

  • HappyCthulhu
    July 11, 2009 at 4:07 AM
    @HiredGoons:The books are much richer in detail than the movies will ever be. Read them. Trust me, you'll be hooked.

    HappyCthulhu

  • HappyCthulhu
    July 11, 2009 at 4:02 AM
    Twilight sucks. end of line

    HappyCthulhu

  • pumpkinsoup
    July 11, 2009 at 3:59 AM
    @BullfightsOnAcid: If you're familiar with Harry Potter fanfic, then yes.

    pumpkinsoup

  • pumpkinsoup
    July 11, 2009 at 3:57 AM
    I wasn't a fan of this director's take on Order of the Phoenix, so I'm not expecting a lot out of HBP. Still, you bet your sweet Snape I'll be watching on opening weekend.

    pumpkinsoup

  • HenryLovesFonzie
    July 11, 2009 at 3:56 AM
    @BullfightsOnAcid: No she cried too much so he ditched her ass. He's on to his best friend's sister now.
  • Leege
    July 11, 2009 at 3:50 AM
    @BullfightsOnAcid: They both moved on. The girl is Ron's kid sister, so, it basically makes sense.
  • mnemonic
    July 11, 2009 at 3:46 AM
    Wizard beats vampire? Abso-friggin-lutely. Wizard: --7 consistently successful books. --movie casts that are a Who's Who in British acting. --special effects that really don't suck. Vampire: --4 craptacular, Harlequin quality books. -- movie casts that are a Who's Who in ...tabloid journalism, as far as I can tell. --Sparkling? Really? Plus, you know, Potter fans would beat out Twilight fans in a sanity contest any day. I think....

    mnemonic

  • Conchie Birdie
    July 11, 2009 at 3:46 AM
    @BullfightsOnAcid: He's the Chosen One, why would he stick with one when he can get a ton?
  • onydchic
    July 11, 2009 at 3:40 AM
    that anyone ever compares that drivel to Harry Potter is an insult on its own. :/
  • HiredGoons
    July 11, 2009 at 3:32 AM
    @BullfightsOnAcid: guess he just doesn't have the persuasion.
  • BullfightsOnAcid
    July 11, 2009 at 3:26 AM
    What happened to the Asian girl he was with in the last movie? Is Harry Potter a slut?

    BullfightsOnAcid

  • HiredGoons
    July 11, 2009 at 3:17 AM
    I refuse to read the 'Harry Potter' books because, well, there are a lot of other books I would read first - but I can't wait for this movie!
  • Alexis Brown
    July 11, 2009 at 2:59 PM
    @ninepeoplesfavorite: I'm sorry you had to find out this way.
  • pumpkinsoup
    July 11, 2009 at 12:56 PM
    @jiminy.peep: Yep. Not a perfect adaptation, but I think Alfonso Cuarón is the director who came closest to capturing the wit, mischief-making and the encroaching darkness that make the Harry Potter books such a joy to read.

    Speaking of which, I'm watching Christopher Columbus' Disneyfied HP & SS on TV. Ugh.

    pumpkinsoup

  • serreca
    July 11, 2009 at 11:29 AM
    @BullfightsOnAcid: She was too hung up on Cedric Diggory and too tore up over his death to continue seeing Harry. (Cedric Diggory, played by Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen in 'Twilight' - worlds colliding!)

    serreca

  • gzfcommenter01
    July 11, 2009 at 6:51 AM
    .

    gzfcommenter01

  • aLostLady
    July 11, 2009 at 6:04 AM
    @metoometoo: That being said, I really, really don't like this movie poster. There are much more exciting events in this book than tame ol' Harry-on-Ginny action.
  • aLostLady
    July 11, 2009 at 6:02 AM
    @jiminy.peep: I completely agree. It wasn't my favorite of the books, but the direction of the movie is pretty amazing.
  • metoometoo
    July 11, 2009 at 6:01 AM
    @HiredGoons: Fair enough! I'm feeling particularly evangelist about my Harry Potter love lately. I had an awful day at work on Wednesday and when I got home, nearly in tears, it occurred to me that re-reading Half-Blood Prince in anticipation of the movie would be the perfect thing to cheer me up. If you ever find yourself spending a few days sick in bed, or even just feeling gloomy and blah, and don't have the mental stamina for serious reading, the Harry Potter books are the perfect thing!
  • apollo89
    July 11, 2009 at 6:01 AM
    I love the comment by the studio rep. He totally just put down Twilight in one sweet sentence.

    apollo89

  • NewsFlashGordon
    July 11, 2009 at 4:11 AM
    Ah, Twilight. So new, yet already so long in the tooth.

    NewsFlashGordon

  • Tammy Garrison
    July 12, 2009 at 2:30 AM
    Well, there was also that part where Cho Chang gave up the DA. That kinda betrayal's likely to stick with a guy ;)

    Tammy Garrison

  • Adah
    July 11, 2009 at 9:37 PM
    @pumpkinsoup: Oh God damn it, I hate it when people make me admit to myself that I'm familiar with Harry Potter fanfic.

    Adah

  • Trai_Dep
    July 11, 2009 at 4:57 PM
    @Alexis Brown: Beats finding out by walking in your parents' room.
    Thankfully, the family shrink offers group rates!

    Trai_Dep

  • GardenaAkuma
    July 12, 2009 at 11:54 PM

    Metoometoo, I agree with you completely! As a fellow literary snob, I found myself eagerly anticipating each new Potter book.

    GardenaAkuma

  • unclevanya
    July 13, 2009 at 7:48 PM

    @aLostLady: For me, the start of the romance was an incredibly important part of the story. Throughout the books, even though the character gained an extended family and lots of people who had his back when he was in trouble, Harry always struck me as a deeply lonely, solitary figure. It was a powerfully touching moment to read when he finally found someone to love who loved him back the same way. He couldn't grow into the person that might finally defeat Valdemort without knowing that kind of love. I thought it was handled quite well.

    I hope it's handled just as well when I see the first midnight show at the Zeigfeld.

  • malibusleastwanted
    July 11, 2009 at 3:30 AM

    @BullfightsOnAcid: Mr. Potter's wizardry magic didn't manifest itself in the bedroom. So the Asian girl decided to whore herself out to muggles only.

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