The Dragon over Gringotts Bank at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley. Photo courtesy of Inside the Magic.
Universal Orlando Resort unveiled the expanded “Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley” to the public July 8, 2014. The project, which was predicted to cost more than $400 million to complete, was a risky one considering that the book series concluded in 2006 and the last Harry Potter film debuted in 2010 (along with the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade campus).
But fans, including Professor of English Trish Ward, think Universal’s risk will pay off. “I think the Harry Potter books will be classics,” Ward, who teaches a course on the series, said. “The series will be passed down through generations and remain relevant because the themes – loyalty, friendship, love, sacrifice, innocence, the unlikely hero – are enduring.”
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Assistant Professor of Economics Norman Maynard points out that Universal notably focuses beyond the series. “Universal’s theme park is not just about Harry Potter, it is about the Wizarding World,” Maynard explained. “The Wizarding World is still expanding. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is currently in pre-production, with Rowling as screenwriter.”
Universal has reported more than a 30 percent increase in attendance and a substantial increase in profits since it opened the Hogsmeade portion of the Wizarding World park. Additionally, “With interest rates still low for borrowers with the best credit, and the economy showing signs of moderate growth, now may be the best time in many years for Universal to invest,” Maynard said.
Time will tell whether ticket and souvenir sales meet Universal’s expectations. Maynard cited some variables that could determine the success of the new Diagon Alley park. “Whether this potential revenue stream justifies $400 million in additional investment depends on the specific park plans and market outlook, as well as things like population growth, employment and median income growth, and the popularity of theme parks relative to ever-advancing home entertainment.”
RELATED: Check out photos of the expanded Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park
Fortunately for the park, the Wizarding World transcends home entertainment, allowing fans of the series a level of immersion between books, films, theme parks and interactive sites like Pottermore.
While Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling couldn’t have know the immense popularity her series would gain, she did contribute to its extra-literary potential by weaving a complicated and well-explored world-beyond-Hogwarts into the books.
“You could spend more than a semester just looking at how she built that whole world, how little things get dropped into the first book that don’t reappear until later books,” Ward said. “It’s this large-scale, intricate tapestry that she’s put together.”
Ward also attributes some of the series’ success to the relatable characters Rowling created in her protagonists Harry, Ron and Hermione. “I love that Harry is not perfect and that he’s really obnoxious and almost unbearable when he’s 15, but he grows up,” she observed.
So perhaps the greatest strength supporting Universal’s newest venture is that the relatable characters will extend from the books; the park will welcome new characters – the guests who visit – to make their own story lines a part of the vast and elaborate Wizarding World.
