In anticipation of the latest film in the Harry Potter franchise, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," the full lineup of Harry Potter will be returning to theaters for a week beginning on Thursday.
Time Warner is looking to further cash in on an eight-film franchise that has already earned more than $7 billion in box office revenue since 2001. Scholastic, which sold more than 160 million copies of the seven Harry Potter novels in the U.S., also published the screenplay for the film. At $24.99 for the hardcover, that adds to the nearly $8 billion in book sales that have already been wrung out of the series.
As in the Star Wars franchise, the value of toy sales shouldn't be underestimated. Hasbro and especially Mattel have both made money on Potter games and toys, and total sales so far are estimated at over $7 billion. All told, the total value of the franchise so far has been around $25 billion.