Those %#@!$#*@ at Warner Bros. ...

You know, I never thought that I'd flirt with the idea of boycotting a Potter film. I've been at the theater on opening weekend for every film ... and saw each film in the theater multiple times. I adore Harry & Co. I've read the books more times than I can count and I defend them against the ignorant diatribes by the likes of Laura Mallory and A.L.L.

I actually took the weekend of the Potter release off this November because I was going to drive to the nearest town with an IMAX theater (a little over 2 hours away) for the opening night showing. So imagine my ire when I find out that those greedy bastards at Warner Bros. have moved the release date to July 17, 2009. Freaking July! They announce the release, put the teaser trailer in theaters, and then move the release back eight freaking months?!?!? Are you kidding me?

Their reasoning? MONEY. Freaking money. They think that they can rake in more cash if they release in July than in November ... plus it will allow them to release the DVD around time for Christmas 2009. Ass. Hats.

From the press release:

BURBANK, CA, August 14, 2008 – Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that it has moved back the release date of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” to Summer 2009. The sixth installment of the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise will now open day-and-date domestically and in the major international markets on July 17, 2009. The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.

In making the announcement, Mr. Horn stated, “Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”

Oh my word. I am livid. I have decided that I am not going to go to the theater to see this movie, or to see the final chapter of the Potter saga, "Deathly Hallows." If Warner Bros. wants to screw the fans over that badly, then I am not spending any more of my money on WB things.

I hope that more Potter fans will join me in not only writing letters of complaint to Warner Bros., but in boycotting the company as well.

As I said in my letter to Warner Bros., "The books are better anyway."

UPDATE:

There is a petition at http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/harrypotter6
Here in the states, fans can also flood the voice mail and inbox of Susan Fleishman: (818) 954-1919 susan.fleishman@warnerbros.com

I've sent a comment via the Warner Bros. site at http://www.warnerbros.com/main/help/customer_service.html and just left a scathing message on the voicemail for Ms. Fleishman. Come on, Potter-ites! Let's form a real-life "Dumbledore's Army"!!