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Fans gather for Harry Potter premiere in London

(Left to right) Actor Daniel Radcliffe, author J.K. Rowling, actress Emma Watson and actor Rupert Grint pose during the global premiere of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the last film of the series, at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, July 7, 2011. (Xinhua-Yonhap News)
(Left to right) Actor Daniel Radcliffe, author J.K. Rowling, actress Emma Watson and actor Rupert Grint pose during the global premiere of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the last film of the series, at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, July 7, 2011. (Xinhua-Yonhap News)




LONDON (AP) -- Harry Potter's saga is ending, but his magic spell remains.

Thousands of fans from around the world massed in London Thursday for the premiere of the final film in the magical adventure series.

They thronged Trafalgar Square, where the stars walked a rain-sodden red carpet, and nearby Leicester Square, where the movie was being shown in a plush movie theater, braving the inevitable London rain with umbrellas, waterproofs and good cheer.

Sun broke out as cast members -- including leads Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint -- and Harry's creator J.K. Rowling began arriving on the red carpet, signing autographs and chatting with fans.

Speaking from a stage erected in Trafalgar Square, 21-year-old Radcliffe, who has played the boy wizard since he was 11, told fans that Harry's story would never end.

``Each and every person, not just here in this square but around the world who have watched these films for the last 10 years, they will always carry the films with them for the rest of their lives,'' he said.

Rowling wiped away tears as she thanked the actors for ``the amazing things they did for my favorite characters.''

The fans, who chanted ``thank you'' as Rowling and the cast took the stage, came from around the world. Many had camped out overnight, some for days. Most were young adults who grew up with the boy wizard and his adventures, and could not pass up the chance to say goodbye.

``It's our childhood -- we made friends because of Harry Potter,'' said Luis Guilherme, a 22-year-old graduate student from Sao Paolo, Brazil. ``I don't know how my life would be without it. I would be less imaginative, for sure, and less adventurous. I would never be here in London.

``We'd never forgive ourselves if we didn't come, one last time.''

``Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'' depicts Harry's final confrontation with the forces of evil Lord Voldemort -- an epic showdown rendered, for the first time in the series, in 3D.

The eighth and last film in the made-in-Britain franchise was getting a lavish premiere, with huge screens and banners in Trafalgar Square and a nearby street transformed into the magical shopping thoroughfare Diagon Alley.

<한글 기사>


'해리포터' 런던 시사회에 수천명 장사진

7일(현지 시간) 영국 런던에서 열린 '해리 포터 ' 시리즈의 완결편 시사회에 전 세계에서 온 수천 명의 팬들이 몰려 장사진을  이뤘다고 AP통신 등 외신들이 보도했다.

전 세계에서 최초로 영화가 공개된 이날 시사회는 시리즈를 끝내는 의미로 특별히 해리 포터의 고향인 런던에서 열렸다.

팬들은 특히 시사회에 앞서 진행된 출연 배우들의 레드 카펫 행사를 보기 위해 가까운 곳에 자리를 잡고 며칠간 노숙을 하기도 했다.

이들 대부분은 10여년간 이어진 해리 포터 시리즈와 함께 유년기와 청소년기를

보낸 20대 성인들인 것으로 전해졌다.

해리 포터 시리즈는 2001년 처음 개봉된 이후 전 세계적으로는 64억 달러(한화 약 7조원)의 흥행 수익을 거뒀으며 국내에서도 2천410만여 명의 관객을 동원해 시리즈 영화 사상 최다 관객 기록을 보유하고 있다.

이번에 개봉되는 완결편은 호그와트의 운명을 걸고 해리 포터와 악당  볼드모트가 펼치는 마지막 전투를 담고 있으며 시리즈 최초로 3D로 제작돼 관심을 모으고 있다.

국내에는 '해리 포터와 죽음의 성물 2'라는 제목으로 오는 13일 개봉된다.

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