Potter Fans Must Pay for Trailer

NEWTON, Mass. - Muggles, be warned.
General Cinemas movie theaters, which have been showing a new trailer for ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' will not give refunds to impatient fans who go to theaters, watch the trailer - which is less than two minutes long - then ask for their money back.

A student of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Potter's training ground for magic, might invisibly float into the theater. But ordinary folks - magic-deprived ``muggles,'' as they are known in the wildly popular children's books - must buy nonrefundable tickets.

``We've posted signs that if they're to see the trailer, they can't come out and ask for a refund afterward,'' said General Cinemas spokesman Brian Callaghan. ``If they're big fans and come out to catch a glimpse of Harry Potter, they can't do it for free.''

It's a phenomenon first seen with the preview for 1999's ``Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace,'' when fans sold out movie theaters just to see the 2 1/2 minute trailer.

Callaghan couldn't say how many die-hard Potter fans were asking for refunds, but it was enough to potentially take a bite out of revenues.

Fans can see the trailer on the Internet, but they won't get the full cinematic experience if they do, he said.

``With the surround digital sound, with the screen that's 40, 50, or 60 feet wide, you really get a better sense than on a computer screen that's 2 or 3 inches wide,'' he said.

``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' due in theaters Nov. 16, stars John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith and Daniel Radcliffe as the young magician.

"Potter Fans Must Pay for Trailer"

(Associated Press, April 14, 2001)

	"Potter Fans Must Pay for Trailer" (Associated Press, April 14, 2001)
NEWTON, Mass. - Muggles, be warned. General Cinemas movie theaters, which have been showing a new trailer for ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' will not give refunds to impatient fans who go to theaters, watch the trailer - which is less than two minutes long - then ask for their money back. A student of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Potter's training ground for magic, might invisibly float into the theater. But ordinary folks - magic-deprived ``muggles,'' as they are known in the wildly popular children's books - must buy nonrefundable tickets. ``We've posted signs that if they're to see the trailer, they can't come out and ask for a refund afterward,'' said General Cinemas spokesman Brian Callaghan. ``If they're big fans and come out to catch a glimpse of Harry Potter, they can't do it for free.'' It's a phenomenon first seen with the preview for 1999's ``Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace,'' when fans sold out movie theaters just to see the 2 1/2 minute trailer. Callaghan couldn't say how many die-hard Potter fans were asking for refunds, but it was enough to potentially take a bite out of revenues. Fans can see the trailer on the Internet, but they won't get the full cinematic experience if they do, he said. ``With the surround digital sound, with the screen that's 40, 50, or 60 feet wide, you really get a better sense than on a computer screen that's 2 or 3 inches wide,'' he said. ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' due in theaters Nov. 16, stars John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith and Daniel Radcliffe as the young magician.