Harry Potter and the Half-Dead Father

By Tom Dunlap

Remember when midnight movies were rare, reserved for the high school and college crowd? Featuring only dark, twisted, or eccentric flicks? I'm talking the 1970s and 80s and the midnight showings of "Heavy Metal," "Eraserhead," and, of course, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Maybe even a Three Stooges marathon.

Since when did pre-teen movies join this trend? Last month, I let my 12-year-old son drag me to the midnight screening of the new "Transformers." (Disclaimer, in case my son reads this: "drag me" isn't fair. I wanted to see it too.) I was fading fast as the flick hit 2:30 a.m., and so was he, though he still refuses to admit it. And that was on a Tuesday.

Well, with the new "Harry Potter," the midnight movie for kids is officially a trend. Locally, a Santa Cruz theater sold out on three screens, but that wasn't enough for the young Hermoine and Harry wannabes, so the theater decided to start Potter on another screen -- at 3:10 a.m.

Thank Dumbledore, I mean God, my son did not conjure up a spell and trick me into going last night, although he tried many times. I learned my lesson with "Transformers." But tens of thousands in the country did show up last night. Theaters were packed. "Harry Potter's the New King of Midnight!" proclaims E! Online, while AP's headline writer went with, "Midnight Hour Strikes with $22M for `Harry Potter.'

As AP reported:

Harry Potter has conjured up a record-breaking witching hour.
 
The latest adventure of the teen wizard, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," took in $22.2 million domestically from midnight screenings, distributor Warner Bros. said Wednesday. That breaks the record set by another Warner blockbuster, "The Dark Knight," which grossed $18.5 million from midnight shows last summer.

The sixth installment in the "Harry Potter" franchise also topped this year's biggest hit, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which pulled in $16 million from midnight screenings on its first day in June.

"Half-Blood Prince" raked in $10 million more from midnight screenings than part five, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," in summer 2007.

We're seeing Potter tonight, if we can get in. I guess I'm glad so many kids like the flick, but I will rue the day the great cult era of midnight movies ends, if it hasn't already. And those kids (and their fathers) need their sleep.