Where Harry Potter Really Messed Up

I have to admit, I was really looking forward to Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince – due out in November 2008… That was until I heard the astounding news that the Warner Brothers Studio was pushing it back until July 2009.

I call this astounding news because the only reason that I’ve heard sited for bumping it back was so that the studio could make more money.

In other words, they made a killing on The Dark Knight and so they didn’t need a big blockbuster this fall to end out the year… so why not push it back so that they can seed their profits for next year? In addition, the kids are out of school and movies are more accessible to them, and they’ve also got the DVD/Christmas season release to consider.

HUGE mistake.

Let me tell you why I think the studio has really messed up on this one…

What Are They Saying To Loyal Fans?

Look, the Harry Potter franchise is a business… first and foremost. Believe me, I totally get that, so I understand that it may be better for the studio to release the movie in July… provided that was their original game plan. It makes sense from a business stand point.

Hind sight is 20/20, so they may even wish that they had planned for a Summer 2009 release.

However, if you have children, you know that Harry Potter isn’t a franchise or a business to the millions of loyal fans of the series. It’s a story that people all over the world, across every age group, deeply identify with.

Harry has become an icon.

Movie studios shouldn’t mess with icons. Studios also shouldn’t tell fans that they’re trying to dig a little deeper into their pockets while handing them a huge disappointment with a bump in the release.

Beyond the fact that I think it’s morally wrong, it’s also really stupid from a PR perspective. After all, the movie has already been completed and is ready for release… they’ve even started running trailers and getting sneak peaks in several magazines.

Fans know it’s all about the money… and I think they’ll remember when it comes time to buy some of the movie paraphernalia (at least I know this parent will!).

Here’s a couple of quotes I’ve read from fans:

“I have to wonder if this isn’t just some big ploy on Warner Bros. part to create a big controversy to draw even more attention to the movie. They make this big announcement that they’re moving the release date to next summer, we all freak out, the press publishes tons of articles on the topic, pressuring Warner Bros. to move the release date back to November, we all rejoice because we “won” and we all see the movie five times instead of once or not at all, like we’re threatening here. I mean, the movie’s finished. Perhaps this is just a big marketing/publicity experiment. With the same end for WB, of course: to make MORE MONEY.”

That was a possibility that I hadn’t thought of . Here’s another telling quote:

“This is absolutely disgusting. You have done this, not so kids can enjoy it during the holiday or so that it doesn’t clash with your other titles or make the audience sick of the sameness. You have done this so you can get a DVD release for Christmas 2009 because you left it too late for this year – you make me absolutely sick – you cannot expect your public (paying public and paying heavily I may add) to be messed around like this. This is really bang out of order. I will watch, of course I will because I am a potter fan but I will seriously think about funding your empire by watching any other WB movies or buying any of your future merchandise. You really do suck – big time. I hope it all backfires on you and someone steals it from you and plays it on the net or something – you deserve it for disappointing fans who have anticipated this release for a very long time. Boo warner Bros – Boo boo boo – you should be ashamed”

Of course I could go on and on with quotes from angry Harry Potter fans… there are thousands of people reacting on blogs and forums everywhere…

Frankly, WB would have been better off to create some kind of controversy or the need for additional scene filming that would delay the film release. Fans wouldn’t have liked it, but it would have been a much easier pill to swallow… especially since studios pull that kind of bunk all the time.

But they didn’t do that… they alienated their customers by telling them the truth. It’s all about money.

When you’ve worked so hard to build a fan base and create deeply felt rapport with your customers, why would you jeopardize all that with such a move?

If Warner Brothers moved the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as purely a business decision, then they should fire the guy who made that decision… it’s very bad business.

No related posts.

Filed under: Backend Marketing • Direct Marketing • Other Gurus • Web 2.0

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!