Words: Jag Communications
Hey Harry Potter fans, get ready to be transported to Hogwarts heaven! All eight of the Harry Potter movies are now available to watch on VIDI, South Africa's premier online streaming service. Says VIDI spokesperson Janene Matsukis: "We thought we'd give Potter heads a real tooth-flossing, ton-tongue toffee treat by running all eight films at once so they can really binge watch their favourite boy wizard."
So put down that wand, pack away the broomstick, pop the popcorn and settle down on the sofa to watch:
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The eight Harry Potter movies went on to amass a remarkable US$7,7 billion in total (or R97 billion in SA terms!) with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows standing at number seven in the top highest grossing movies of all time!
And even if you've watched all eight movies and think you know everything about them, here are top 15 things you may not have realised ... until now!
1. Steven Spielberg was originally approached to direct Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and allegedly wanted to make it an animated movie with Haley Joel Osment voicing the title character.
2. The lead singer of The Stone Roses, Ian Brown, made a cameo in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - he was seen hanging out in the Leaky Cauldron pub.
3. Harry's eyes in the films weren't the bright green ('You've got your mother's eyes') described repeatedly in the books because Daniel Radcliffe's eyes reacted badly to the contact lenses.
4. Ian McKellen was offered the role of Dumbledore, but he turned it down.
5. During the filming of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, director Alfonso Cuarón told Daniel Radcliffe to pretend he was looking at Cameron Diaz in a thong when he had to act awkwardly.
6. Helen McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange, but gave up the role after becoming pregnant. Helena Bonham Carter nabbed the part, and McCrory went on to play Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix's sister.
7. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, one of the posters in the London café Harry, Ron and Hermione apparate to, is for Daniel Radcliffe's play Equus.
8. Due to the many young cast members, Harry Potter producers had a dentist on standby to fit fake teeth for children who lost milk teeth during filming, to avoid continuity issues.
9. The 40 moving kittens on the plates in Dolores Umbridge's office were real kittens who all went on to become domestic pets - although many of the new owners were not told about the cat's acting pasts.
10. More than three thousand girls turned up to audition for the role of Cho Chang in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Katie Leung nabbed the part.
11. Rupert Grint had to be removed from the set during Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson's kissing scene, because he couldn't stop laughing.
12. While filming Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Tom Felton's Hogwarts robes had their pockets sewn shut because he kept trying to sneak food onto the set.
13. Director Alfonso Cuaron asked the film's three main stars to write an essay about their characters to help them understand them before filming. True to their characters, Emma Watson wrote a 16-page essay, Daniel Radcliffe wrote a simple one-page paper, and Rupert Grint never even turned his in.
14. It took six months to teach the many owls used during filming how to carry letters.
15. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson didn't see the Great Hall until they filmed the Sorting Hat scene - so the shock and awe you see on their faces was real.
For more information on the Harry Potter movies and much much more, visit www.vidi.co.za.
ABOUT VIDI
VIDI, internet TV built for South Africa, is the first South African video on demand streaming service to offer both a monthly subscription option and/or an instant rental option across one platform. There is no programme scheduling but rather instant access to thousands of hours of entertainment. Available across multiple devices, viewers have two options: Unlimited Subscription to a library of movies and award-winning TV series for only R149 per month or a daily rate of only R5. Sign up is easy with the seven days on subscription offered as a trial period. Viewers don’t require a dish or a decoder and they can cancel their subscription anytime as there are no contracts. Viewers also have the option to Instantly Rent the latest releases just off the circuit for R27and a selection of premier library titles from as little as R15. Viewers can watch VIDI content on multiple devices that can stream content, including PC, Mac, Laptop, Apple and Android Tablets and Smartphones. VIDI is not only an advert- free and schedule-free platform, but is also adaptive to internet speeds and can work from slow or fast internet connections.
