Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of the Harry Potter film franchise, will debut at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday morning at the famed Rialto Theatre.
Rialto General Manager Doreen Sayegh said that the theater is expecting several hundred patrons to jam two theaters to see the special midnight screening of the movie that is based on the J.K. Rowling novels. The two theaters showing Harry Potter can seat a total of 515 movie goers. Sayegh also said that they are expecting several patrons to show up earlier to be among the first in line. In the past, some have shown up in costume for the midnight showing.
The last midnight show in Rialto was in late June for the premiere of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, which drew large crowds. Sayegh said Harry Potter will likely draw a larger crowd than Transformers based on past indicators.
“The crowds are always big for Harry Potter,” she said. “It is always long lines. Everyone is excited and we have not had problems.”
