Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
'Harry Potter' Film Takes in $29 Million on Opening Day
Aired November 16, 2002 - 17:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Once again, the boy wizard Harry Potter is working a little magic at the box office. The new movie took in $29 million when it opened yesterday. As CNN's Jodi Ross found out the magic off screen may have a lot to do with the magic onscreen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JODI ROSS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To bring "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" to life, you need a flying car, 25 Cornish pixies and one heck of a howler. Special effects are the key to making Potter magic and Director Chris Columbus learned that the hard way.
You've been really honest with the press, Chris, and you've said now the first movie wasn't as good as you wanted it to be, is that true?
CHRIS COLUMBUS, DIRECTOR: Well, I felt that certain aspects of the first movie could have been better, particularly the visual effects. So, we spent three times as much time working on those effects and in this film they're seamless. There's very little I could ask for as a director in terms of visual effects to hope that they could be better. I think we've really improved the visual effects.
ROSS: Improved and increased, there are at least 900 effects this time around and now they're more a part of the story. Dobbie (ph), the elf who comes to warn the boy wizard about the danger he'll soon face is completely CGI, a computer generated image. Columbus calls it groundbreaking.
COLUMBUS: Groundbreaking in terms of the fact that we have a CGI character who the audience actually feels empathy toward, and I think the effects themselves are more seamless than I've seen in earlier, any other film I have to say. They are truly stunning at times.
ROSS: Not surprisingly, his young daughter agrees. Thirteen- year-old Eleanor Columbus is, of course, a fan of the film. One of her favorite scene is Quittage (ph), the wizard game played on broomsticks.
ELEANOR COLUMBUS: It's like when the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) comes in front of you, you want to grab it. You feel like Harry. It's really cool.
ROSS: And that's just what her filmmaker father is aiming for. COLUMBUS: People respond to the idea of magic. In this day and age, people respond to the idea that maybe there's some magic, maybe there's some hope in our lives.
ROSS: Jodi Ross, CNN Entertainment News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 16, 2002 - 17:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Once again, the boy wizard Harry Potter is working a little magic at the box office. The new movie took in $29 million when it opened yesterday. As CNN's Jodi Ross found out the magic off screen may have a lot to do with the magic onscreen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JODI ROSS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To bring "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" to life, you need a flying car, 25 Cornish pixies and one heck of a howler. Special effects are the key to making Potter magic and Director Chris Columbus learned that the hard way.
You've been really honest with the press, Chris, and you've said now the first movie wasn't as good as you wanted it to be, is that true?
CHRIS COLUMBUS, DIRECTOR: Well, I felt that certain aspects of the first movie could have been better, particularly the visual effects. So, we spent three times as much time working on those effects and in this film they're seamless. There's very little I could ask for as a director in terms of visual effects to hope that they could be better. I think we've really improved the visual effects.
ROSS: Improved and increased, there are at least 900 effects this time around and now they're more a part of the story. Dobbie (ph), the elf who comes to warn the boy wizard about the danger he'll soon face is completely CGI, a computer generated image. Columbus calls it groundbreaking.
COLUMBUS: Groundbreaking in terms of the fact that we have a CGI character who the audience actually feels empathy toward, and I think the effects themselves are more seamless than I've seen in earlier, any other film I have to say. They are truly stunning at times.
ROSS: Not surprisingly, his young daughter agrees. Thirteen- year-old Eleanor Columbus is, of course, a fan of the film. One of her favorite scene is Quittage (ph), the wizard game played on broomsticks.
ELEANOR COLUMBUS: It's like when the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) comes in front of you, you want to grab it. You feel like Harry. It's really cool.
ROSS: And that's just what her filmmaker father is aiming for. COLUMBUS: People respond to the idea of magic. In this day and age, people respond to the idea that maybe there's some magic, maybe there's some hope in our lives.
ROSS: Jodi Ross, CNN Entertainment News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
