A view of the banner for the premiere of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in London.
Sydney schoolchildren prepare to watch the movie premiere of Harry Potter at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia.
Nine-year-old Phoebe Lett (left) poses with Harry Potter glasses at the Scholastic Store in New York City. Three-year-old Christian Robb (right) of Centennial, Colorado, stares up at the movie poster announcing that Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone is now showing at the United Artists Continental 6 Theaters.
Harry Potter fans look at a statue of Hagrid during the premiere of Harry Potter in Hong Kong.
Young Harry Potter fans take part in a march to a Berlin cinema for a showing of the film non the day of its general release in Germany.
With a fire-breathing magic book, the magician Gunther Veh (left) performs for a group of children at the premiere of the Harry Potter film in a Hamburg cinema. Eight-year-old Kelly O'Connell (right) attends a Harry Potter costume party at The Scholastic Store's Hogwarts Castle in New York.
Eric Fonacier holds up his movie ticket for Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone in New York, NY.
Daniel Radcliffe and Robbie Coltrane (left) arriving to the premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York. Rupert Grint (right) sits at a dinner table during the movie premiere's after party.
Richard Harris attends the Harry Potter premiere in London with his grandchildren.
Tom Felton (left) and Emma Watson (right) arrive at the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at the Odeon Leicester Square cinema in London.
J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter books, and Daniel Radcliffe arrive at the world film premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square cinema in London.
A sign with a list of sold out tickets for Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone is on display outside the Union 14 movie theater in New York City.
A line forms outside the Uptown Theater in Washington D.C. to see the film.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson attend a news conference about the film near Stevenage, 35 miles north of London.
Children from a school in Tribeca watch a movie trailer for the Harry Potter film at The Scholastic Store in New York City.
A woman looks at a talking picture as she shops for Harry Potter merchandise at the Scholastic Store in New York City.
Harry Potter toys are seen crowding the shelves at Hamleys toy store in London.
A Harry Potter figure (left) on display at a Kmart store in Troy, Michigan. Various Harry Potter merchandise (right) is on view at the London premiere of the film, including a toy Baby Norbert dragon, a potion class activity set, backpack, note cards, t-shirt, hat, eyeglass picture frame and a stuffed Hedwig owl.
Children are shown playing the Harry Potter card came at Guildhall, London.
South Korean children look at various Harry Potter items at a department store in Seoul, South Korea. The movie opened in South Korea on Dec, 14, 2001.
Women walk past a billboard at a Beijing bus stop advertising the release of the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The blockbuster movie opened across the country on Jan. 30, 2001.
Young Thai students walk past a Bangkok cinema advertising the soon-to-be-released Harry Potter movie in Thailand. Tickets for the film, which opened in 120 theaters across Thailand on Nov. 30, 2001, were subject to a surcharge to cover the high costs of promoting it in the kingdom.
South Koreans dressed as witches from the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone distribute candies to children at a department store in Seoul, South Korea.
Movie customers pile into the Senator Theater in Baltimore to see the movie film at a special showing on Nov. 16, 2001.
