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Daron Aldridge: I am with Shalimar on the non-reading front. I haven’t even cracked open one of the books in the series but am now a huge fan of the films. I am glad that Edwin pointed out the timing of both the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series kicking off almost simultaneously. I was in the camp of LOTR all the way and viewed Potter as a kids’ movie (side note: I was several years removed from being classified as a "kid" in 2001). So, by the time I relented and began watching the Potter films, I saw Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban over the course of a single weekend. I loved them and was hooked, even from the comforts of my living room. Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will be the first one I will have seen in a theater but I have watched the others immediately upon DVD release. Edwin is spot-on, to me, this series is “cinematic escapism of the highest order.” After each film, I was anxious about what the next chapter was going to hold.

For the bulk of the series, I have been captivated by the character of Severus Snape, due primarily to the ability of the brilliant Alan Rickman to say so much with a sneer or a stare. I completely bought into Snape as the red herring in the Sorcerer’s Stone and with each film, my attention would gravitate to him whenever he would show up. The character seems to be the most dynamic because you aren't sure what he will do next.

There really isn’t a subplot that I could do without but I wish the Ron’s jealous streak of Harry would have been less recurring. It felt too convenient and almost sitcom-esque that they fight about the same thing and then make amends nearly every film. Also, I felt that I wanted more Sirius Black in the films and am curious if there were parts of the book with him that didn’t make it on screen.

The Dark Knight set an incredibly lofty goal and I think he will stay on the perch following this weekend’s final numbers. The consistency of the series is the reason why. I believe it is close to reaching critical mass. At $317 million, the first film is still is the highest grossing one in the series and is ten years old. I believe Part 2 will topple it finally because of people like me, who have never contributed to its box office but will this time. As it stands now, in order for Part 2 to best The Dark Knight's opening weekend, it would need to make more than half of what the highest grosser in the series made. That seems like a long shot to me. I will give it $135 for opening weekend and just shy of $400 million as a final gross. I'd be happy to be wrong about this and have Part 2 blow the roof off the box office.

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