by Travis
Alan Horn of Warner Bros. issued a statement today in response to the many complaints about the delayed release of Half-Blood Prince:
Many of you have written to me to express your disappointment in our moving Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to Summer 2009.
Please be assured that we share your love for Harry Potter and would certainly never do anything to hurt any of the films. Over the past 10 years, we have nurtured and protected each film, and the integrity of the books upon which they are based, to the best of our ability.
The decision to move Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was not taken lightly, and was never intended to upset our Harry Potterfans. We know you have built this series into what it is, and we thank you for your ongoing enthusiasm and support.
If I may offer a silver lining: there would have been a two-year gap between Half-Blood Prince and the much-anticipated first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which opens in November 2010. So although we have to wait a little longer for Half-Blood Prince, the wait from that film until Deathly Hallows will be less than 18 months. I am sorry to have disappointed you now, but if you hold on a little longer, I believe it will be worth the wait.
Alan Horn
President, Chief Operating Officer
Warner Bros.
Thoughts? My initial, cynical reaction: Horn says, “…although we have to wait a little longer for Half-Blood Prince, the wait from that film until Deathly Hallows will be less than 18 months.” Right. Unless you decide to move that film from November to the following July, too.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I second that response, Travis !
As we say in the Netherlands, they’re trying to make us happy with a dead sparrow !
As Greg, I think, said over at HP Progs, it’s easy for this guy to say, oh be patient, the wait won’t seem so long, because he’s already seen the movie!
He’s saying that we’ ll have to wait less between HBP and DH, but now we have to wait more between OOTP and HBP!!!
C’mon man that’s one LAME excuse!!!
All that thing SUX
I agree with someone over at HP Progs who said Horn should’ve just said nothing. Now it sounds patronizing. Don’t push the issue any farther, just let it go, WB. Hopefully in the long, long, long months before HBP comes out, people will have forgotten why they were so mad. Just don’t blame the fans when Radcliffe has to use a walker to film the second half of DH.
Okay… should I start? I am thoroughly annoyed by that statement. I was mildly irritated that I would have to wait even longer to see HBP, but now I’m full-on grouchy. I agree that it sound patronizing. Like he thinks all the fans are 8 year olds that are throwing a temper tantrum because the movie is delayed.
“We know you have built this series into what it is, and we thank you for your ongoing enthusiasm and support.” and then he forgot to say, “but making money is far more important than your enthusiasm, and we know you will come to see it, even if we postpone it another 6 months or so…” GRRRRRR.
And yeah, exactly, WOW there’s less time between HBP and DH, but there’s more time between OOTP and HBP!!! Stupid. Just stupid. And I am TOTALLY PG13 right now!