Potter Star Arrives In T.O. As Fifth Film Opens In Theatres

The name Rupert Grint might not mean much to the average “muggle” but to fans of the Harry Potter series it’s enough to elicit screams and scrambling for autographs.

Eighteen-year-old Grint, who stars as Harry’s wizard sidekick Ron Weasley greeted fans outside Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre at John and Richmond Sts. Wednesday to mark the opening of the fifth film in the series Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Upon stepping out of a black Hummer splashed with artwork from the film, Potter fans, some of whom had been waiting to see him for hours, went ballistic.

“It’s all really crazy,” the British actor said. “It’s really exciting and I’ve really enjoyed it, but getting recognized and that is really sort of a strange experience, and I don’t think I’ll ever really sort of get used to it.”

Grint, on his first visit to Canada, spent time outside the theatre signing autographs and talking with fans. “It’s really cool,” he said. “It’s really good to see everyone sort of excited about the film and stuff.”

Order of the Phoenix, which sees Harry and his friends form a secret club in part to help ward off attacks by the evil Voldemort, has so far received lukewarm reviews but industry experts call the films “review-proof” (meaning the books’ millions of fans will go see the films regardless of the reviews).

The first four Potter movies in the series have taken in an astounding $3.5 billion in theatres, and this film is expected to do just as well. It also has the advantage of being released 10 days before the final book in J.K. Rowling’s series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, hits bookshelves.

Rumours have been swirling about what will happen to the boy wizard in the final book, with pleas to keep him alive coming from fans young and old, including famed horror novelist Stephen King.

As for Grint, he’s amazed at the kind of stardom playing Potter’s best friend onscreen has given him.

“When we first started, I didn’t really think of this far on,” he said. “It was enough of a crazy experience as it was because obviously I came from quite the normal background.”

Reviews on RottenTomatoes.com

So who’s a fan of the Potter books? You might be surprised. Check out the results of a recent Angus Reid poll on the popularity of the wizard novels:

Two-in-three Canadians (64%) have seen at least one Harry Potter movie, and one-in-four (28%) has read at least one Potter book

Two-in-five (39%) Potter readers have either pre-ordered the latest book or will buy it as soon as they can

Over half of readers (55%) think the books will endure as children’s classics

Three-in-five Potter readers (59%) want to be in Gryffindor house at Hogwarts; Quebec and Ontario have a high number of Slytherins

Wealthy Canadians, university grads, young Canadians and women are more likely to read or watch Potter

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