Harry Potter ― 4
POPULARITY: Seven Harry Potter books are best-selling book series in history, with 450 million books in print; final installment Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows holds Guinness World Record for fastest-selling work of fiction in 24 hours (11 million copies in the U.S. and U.K.). Books are published in 73 languages, making J.K. Rowling one of most translated authors in history; eight films have grossed 7.7 billion dollars, making it highest-grossing film series of all time. Potter brand in its entirety is worth more than $15 billion.
FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS: 50.7 million
TWITTER FOLLOWERS: 728,000
FAN NICKNAME: Potterheads, Potterites, Muggles (though some believe "Muggles" is a term for nonfans). The very vocal subset of fans who believe Harry and Hermione should have ended up together call themselves Harmonians.
MAIN HANGOUTS: Rowling's own Pottermore for interactive reading; Mugglenet and the Leaky Cauldron for news and forums; Fiction Alley for fan fiction; the Harry Potter Companion for fan art; Mugglecast, Pottercast, and Potter Pensieve for podcasts.
AVERAGE DEMOGRAPHIC: Although nominally children's fiction, the books have attracted a much broader readership — a fact the publishers have acknowledged by releasing separate covers for child and adult readers. Both the books and the films "age" with Harry, growing progressively darker as the series continues (thus the PG-13 ratings for the later films). But unlike most fantasy series (except those that focus on romance), the convention scene skews more female.
DEVOTIONAL PROFILE: Outsiders predicted there would be a post-Potterdepression following the release of the last book and the last film, and yes, there might have been a slight slump at first, but the fandom quickly bounded back before you could say, "Accio wand!" Potter love has transcended the story's completion, especially with a new generation of converts discovering the books for the first time (which is why J.K. Rowling is still careful to avoid spoilers when she speaks). And while HP fans are happy to read (and reread) the books, part of the magic is feeling like they're part of Harry's world. They go to Pottermore to get assigned their house and wear their colors with pride, even if they've been put in Slytherin. They might have a wand at the ready, just in case. And robes. For the more elaborate props not available for purchase, fans make pilgrimages to museum exhibits, places featured in the films, and the HP amusement park in Orlando, where you can drink Butterbeer in Hogsmeade. But that's all if you're just kinda casual about it.
Serious fans aren't content to play tourist; creating something new, or placing Rowling's work in a new context, is what keeps the fandom's blood pumping. Fanfic for HP surpasses that of Star Trek, and it can get pretty pornographic — a lot of the slashfic involves pairings such as Harry/Draco, Hermione/Snape, even Dumbledore/Fawkes (and need we remind you Fawkes is a bird?). Parodies thrive, and there's much wrocking out to wizard rock — an indie underground innovated by the HP fandom that boasts some 500 bands. Rowling and Warner Bros. allow the bands to perform and sell CDs so long as they remain not-for-profit, which limits the growth of the genre, but that hasn't stopped other fandoms (Twilight, Hunger Games) from adopting the practice. Fans also play a real-world version of Quidditch — a bruising mash-up of rugby, basketball, and dodge ball, with brooms, of course, but no flying — and it's become an international sport, with 798 teams in the U.S. alone. That not dedicated enough for you? How about fans who have lightning bolts tattooed on their foreheads? Or who have legally changed their name to Draco? Fans may grumble that Pottermore isn't satisfying enough (too many technical hiccups!), and they debate whether Rowling shouldn't write another book after all — because loving Harry Potter is not something you grow out of.
From Vulture
TWITTER FOLLOWERS: 728,000
FAN NICKNAME: Potterheads, Potterites, Muggles (though some believe "Muggles" is a term for nonfans). The very vocal subset of fans who believe Harry and Hermione should have ended up together call themselves Harmonians.
MAIN HANGOUTS: Rowling's own Pottermore for interactive reading; Mugglenet and the Leaky Cauldron for news and forums; Fiction Alley for fan fiction; the Harry Potter Companion for fan art; Mugglecast, Pottercast, and Potter Pensieve for podcasts.
AVERAGE DEMOGRAPHIC: Although nominally children's fiction, the books have attracted a much broader readership — a fact the publishers have acknowledged by releasing separate covers for child and adult readers. Both the books and the films "age" with Harry, growing progressively darker as the series continues (thus the PG-13 ratings for the later films). But unlike most fantasy series (except those that focus on romance), the convention scene skews more female.
DEVOTIONAL PROFILE: Outsiders predicted there would be a post-Potterdepression following the release of the last book and the last film, and yes, there might have been a slight slump at first, but the fandom quickly bounded back before you could say, "Accio wand!" Potter love has transcended the story's completion, especially with a new generation of converts discovering the books for the first time (which is why J.K. Rowling is still careful to avoid spoilers when she speaks). And while HP fans are happy to read (and reread) the books, part of the magic is feeling like they're part of Harry's world. They go to Pottermore to get assigned their house and wear their colors with pride, even if they've been put in Slytherin. They might have a wand at the ready, just in case. And robes. For the more elaborate props not available for purchase, fans make pilgrimages to museum exhibits, places featured in the films, and the HP amusement park in Orlando, where you can drink Butterbeer in Hogsmeade. But that's all if you're just kinda casual about it.
Serious fans aren't content to play tourist; creating something new, or placing Rowling's work in a new context, is what keeps the fandom's blood pumping. Fanfic for HP surpasses that of Star Trek, and it can get pretty pornographic — a lot of the slashfic involves pairings such as Harry/Draco, Hermione/Snape, even Dumbledore/Fawkes (and need we remind you Fawkes is a bird?). Parodies thrive, and there's much wrocking out to wizard rock — an indie underground innovated by the HP fandom that boasts some 500 bands. Rowling and Warner Bros. allow the bands to perform and sell CDs so long as they remain not-for-profit, which limits the growth of the genre, but that hasn't stopped other fandoms (Twilight, Hunger Games) from adopting the practice. Fans also play a real-world version of Quidditch — a bruising mash-up of rugby, basketball, and dodge ball, with brooms, of course, but no flying — and it's become an international sport, with 798 teams in the U.S. alone. That not dedicated enough for you? How about fans who have lightning bolts tattooed on their foreheads? Or who have legally changed their name to Draco? Fans may grumble that Pottermore isn't satisfying enough (too many technical hiccups!), and they debate whether Rowling shouldn't write another book after all — because loving Harry Potter is not something you grow out of.
From Vulture
No comments:
Post a Comment