| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Mike Newell |
| Produced by | David Heyman |
| Screenplay by | Steve Kloves |
| Based on | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Roger Pratt, BSC |
| Editing by | Mick Audsley |
| Studio | Heyday Films |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | November 18, 2005 |
| Running time | 157 minutes |
| Country |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million |
| Box office | $896,911,078[1] |
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a 2005 fantasy film[1] directed by Mike Newell and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the fourth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman. The story follows Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts as he is chosen by the Goblet of Fire to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, a highly dangerous competition. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and is followed by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Filming began in early 2004 and the scenes of Hogwarts took place at the Leavesden Film Studios. Five days after its release, the film had grossed over US$102 million at the North American box office, which is the third highest first-weekend tally for a Harry Potter film behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2. Goblet of Fire enjoyed an immensely successful run at the box office, earning over $900 million worldwide, which made it the highest grossing film of 2005 and the eighth highest grossing film of all time at that time. It was the third highest grossing film in the U.S. for 2005, making $290 million. As of August 2011 it is the unadjusted 21st highest-grossing film of all time. The sixth highest grossing film in the Harry Potter series.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction, and won the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design, making it the only Harry Potter film to win at the BAFTAs. It was also the first film in the series to receive a PG-13 rating by the MPAA and a 12A by the BBFC for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images. Goblet of Fire was the second Potter film to be released in IMAX. The film is one of the best reviewed instalments within the series, and is noted for the maturity and sophistication of its characters, darker and more complex plotline, writing, and performances of the lead actors.[2]
Contents |
Harry Potter dreams of an elderly man, Frank Bryce, who overhears Lord Voldemort discussing plans with Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr. Bryce is then killed by Voldemort. The Quidditch World Cup allows Harry to take his mind off his nightmares until followers of Voldemort known as Death Eaters terrorise the spectators' campsites after the match.
At Hogwarts, headmaster Albus Dumbledore introduces Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, unaware that Crouch Jr has subdued Moody and is using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate him. In their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, the students learn of the three Unforgivable Curses. The Imperius Curse causes absence of free will, the Cruciatus Curse causes unbearable pain, and the final curse, Avada Kedavra, causes death. Dumbledore announces that the school will host the Triwizard Tournament, in which one wizard from each of the three magical schools competes in three challenges. The champions are selected by the Goblet of Fire, a magical cup into which the candidates' names are placed. Cedric Diggory, a student from the House of Hufflepuff, is chosen to represent Hogwarts, Viktor Krum is chosen to represent Durmstrang Institute, and Fleur Delacour is selected to represent Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. The Goblet unexpectedly chooses a fourth champion: Harry. As Harry is underage and should have been ineligible to compete, Hogwarts teachers and students grow suspicious, and the feat drives Ron and Harry apart. The teachers want Dumbledore to pull Harry out of the tournament, but the four champions are bound by a magical contract and therefore Dumbledore has no choice and Harry must compete.
For the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, each of the champions must retrieve a golden egg guarded by a dragon. Moody advises Harry to use his talent for flying to overcome the dragon. Harry enters the first task and summons his broomstick to retrieve the egg, which contains information about the second challenge. The students are soon informed of the Yule Ball, a Christmas Eve ball held during the Triwizard Tournament. Ron and Harry have trouble finding dates to the ball and when they find out that Hermione is attending with Viktor Krum, Ron becomes jealous.
In exchange for previous aid, Cedric Diggory provides Harry with a clue that prompts him to open the egg underwater. With help from Moaning Myrtle, he learns that the second task entails the retrieval of "something precious" to each of the competitors from the nearby Black Lake. While preparing for the task, Neville Longbottom provides Harry with Gillyweed, enabling him to breathe underwater. Harry is the first to arrive at the location, and finds Ron, Hermione, Cho Chang and Fleur's sister, Gabrielle Delacour, in suspended animation. Finishing last after attempting to free Ron and Gabrielle Delacour, Harry is awarded second place for "outstanding moral fiber".
Following an exchange with Moody, Ministry official Barty Crouch, Sr. is found dead by Harry shortly after the second task. While waiting in Dumbledore's office, Harry's curiosity leads him to look into Dumbledore's pensieve, causing him to revisit one of Dumbledore's memories. He witnesses a trial before the Wizengamot in which captured Death Eater Igor Karkaroff, the current headmaster of Durmstrang, denounces a number of Death Eaters, including both Severus Snape and Barty Crouch Jr. While Dumbledore vouches for Snape's integrity, Crouch Sr. is horrified at this revelation and disowns his son, sending him to Azkaban. Upon returning to the present time, Dumbledore tells Harry that he is searching his memories for a clue as to why extraordinary events have taken place at Hogwarts since the start of the tournament.
In the Triwizard Tournament's third and final task, the competitors are placed inside a hedge maze; their challenge is to reach the Triwizard Cup. Viktor Krum, acting under the Imperius curse, incapacitates Fleur Delacour and attempts to do the same to Cedric Diggory. Harry stops Cedric from attacking Krum, and the two run for the cup. When Cedric is trapped by vines, Harry frees him and the two claim a draw and grab hold of the cup together.
The cup, which is a Portkey, transports the two champions to a graveyard where Peter Pettigrew and Voldemort are waiting for Harry. Pettigrew murders Cedric and traps Harry. Pettigrew performs a ritual that rejuvenates Voldemort, who then summons the Death Eaters (which includes Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy) and bids them to witness a duel between their Dark Lord and his nemesis. As Harry, who is tortured by Voldemort, fights him, a connection called Priori Incantatem occurs between their wands. Harry's wand forces Voldemort's to disgorge the spirits of the people Voldemort has most recently murdered, including Harry's parents, Frank Bryce and Cedric. Harry is briefly protected by the spirits and escapes with Cedric's body using the cup.
Upon his return, Harry tells Dumbledore and Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge that Voldemort has returned and is responsible for Cedric's death. Moody leads Harry back to the castle, where his questions make Harry suspicious. Upon the arrival of Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall, the false Moody's Polyjuice Potion wears off and he is revealed as Barty Crouch Junior, the person who placed Harry's name into the Goblet. The real Moody is found imprisoned in a magical trunk. As the representatives from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons depart, Dumbledore exhorts them to stand together against Voldemort.
With the Goblet of Fire novel almost twice the length of Prisoner of Azkaban, the writers and producers reduced certain scenes and concepts to make the transition from page to screen. Director Mike Newell described the problem as one of "compressing a huge book into the compass of a movie".[4] This was achieved by "putting aside" all the components of the novel which did not directly relate to Harry and his journey.[4] Even producer David Heyman admitted missing many of the scenes which were removed.
Goblet of Fire is the first film adaptation to not begin at Privet Drive; after the opening sequence, Harry awakens at the Burrow on the morning of the Quidditch World Cup.[5] This makes Goblet of Fire the first film in the series in which the Dursleys do not appear.
The game play at the Quidditch World Cup was removed for timing reasons, leaving an abrupt temporal jump which some reviewers considered awkward or "rushed". In the book, Harry and many of the Weasleys supported Ireland, while in the film Harry and Ron supported Bulgaria. However, they also love Viktor Krum, from Bulgaria.[6]
Other scenes are shortened and amalgamated to include only the most essential plot details; the three Death Eater trials Harry witnesses in the Pensieve are merged into one sequence, the characters of Ludo Bagman, Winky, and Bertha Jorkins are absent, as well as Dobby who was supposed to help Harry in the second task, there is no train scene at the end where Rita Skeeter is revealed to be an animagus, Harry is never seen either receiving the gold or giving away the gold and all of Sirius Black's lines are condensed into a single fireside conversation.[5]
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opened in the United Kingdom and United States on 18 November 2005, in Australia on 1 December, and a month later in 3,858 cinemas, including several IMAX.
After an opening day of $40m at the North American box office and staying at #1 for three weeks, Goblet of Fire enjoyed a successful 20 week run in cinemas, closing on 6 April 2006. The film set numerous records including the highest non-May opening weekend in the US and earned £14.9m in its opening weekend in the UK, a record which has since been beaten by the 2008 James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, which took in £15.4. Goblet of Fire drew $102.7 million its opening weekend at the North American box office, setting a new opening high for the franchise and selling about as many tickets as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone did in its opening weekend. The film was later overtaken in 2010 by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, which opened to $125 million; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 followed with $169.1 million opening weekend. Goblet of Fire's debut marked the fourth $100 million weekend in history and as of July 2011 stands as the 17th largest opening weekend ever. In Mainland China, the film generated 93 million yuan.
Goblet of Fire earned almost US$897 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing international and worldwide release of 2005.
The film was also released in IMAX theatres and grossed a total of US $20,033,758 worldwide for a cumulative per screen average of $188,998 thus setting a new record and a new milestone for a digitally remastered 2-D IMAX release.
In January 2006, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire surpassed the box office takings of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, to become the eighth highest-grossing film worldwide at the time, and the second highest-grossing film in the Harry Potter series, behind Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. As of July 2011 it is the sixth highest-grossing Harry Potter film behind The Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.[7]
The film ranks third in the North American box office behind Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for 2005, although both films rank lower than Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in worldwide terms.[1]
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was released to critical acclaim. As of July 2011, the film holds an 87% "Certified Fresh" overall approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[8] Likewise at Metacritic, the film received a score of 81, which indicates "universal acclaim". The New York Daily News praised the film for both its humour and its dark tone.[9] The young actors were praised for demonstrating a "greater range of subtle emotions",[10] particularly Daniel Radcliffe whom Variety described as delivering a "dimensional and nuanced performance".[11] New cast members were also praised: Brendan Gleeson's portrayal of Mad-Eye Moody was described as "colourful";[11] Miranda Richardson's scenes as Rita Skeeter were described as "wonderful";[9] and Ralph Fiennes's portrayal of Lord Voldemort was described as "sublime villainy".[12]
The maturity of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, among others, impressed most critics. While the major characters were portrayed as children in the previous films, "they have subtly transitioned into teenagers (in Goblet of Fire)" according to one USA Today reviewer. Harry has also physically matured since Prisoner of Azkaban. In the scene in the prefects' bathroom, Daniel Radcliffe's character is shown with significant axillary hair and muscle growth. Desson Thomson of the Washington Post called the film "Probably the most engaging film of the Potter series thus far".[13] Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal stated "The studio, like plucky Harry, passes with flying colors. The new one, directed by Mike Newell from another astute script by Mr. Kloves, is even richer and fuller, as well as dramatically darker. It's downright scary how good this movie is".[14]
Negative criticism included the film's pace which The Arizona Republic described as being "far too episodic",[15] while CNN.com described the film as "clunky and disjointed".[16] Another criticism was that the many supporting characters did not get enough screen time.[11][16] Some fans criticised the film for changing and leaving out too much of the source material, particularly those parts that developed character[17] and set-up events that occur later in the series.[18]
The film was released on DVD in North America on 7 March 2006. It was available in one- and two-disc editions, as well as part of an 8-disc box set that includes all four films to date.[19] The bonus disc features three interactive games, as well as seven behind the scenes featurettes. The film was also released in UMD format for PSP.
On its first day of release in North America, over 5 million copies were sold, recording a franchise high for first-day sales. Within its first week it sold over a total of 9 million units of combined sales of both the widescreen and full-screen versions of the DVD.[20]
The UK edition was released on DVD on 20 March 2006 and became the fastest selling UK DVD ever, selling six copies per second on its first day of release. According to the Official Charts Company, the DVD sold 1.4 million copies in its first week alone. It is also available in a two-disc edition with special features similar to the North American two-disc edition.[21]
The DVD currently holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest selling DVD of all time. The achievement is added to the 2007 edition of The Guinness World Records book which includes a picture of the award being presented at Leavesden Film Studios in April.[22]
In the United States, the first five Harry Potter films were released on HD DVD and Blu-ray disc on 11 December 2007. They are available individually or in a gift set containing all five films and a set of collectible cards and bookmarks.[23]
In the run up to the film, Warner Bros. approached a Canadian folk group called the Wyrd Sisters to obtain permission to use the name THE WEIRD SISTERS for its Harry Potter Band. When a deal could not be made, the Canadian band filed a US$40-million lawsuit against Warner Bros., the North American distributor of the film, as well as the members of the in-movie band (members of the bands Radiohead and Pulp, among others)[24] for the misuse of their group's name. (In a deleted scene, they are simply introduced as a band that needs no introduction) The Canadian band also brought an injunction to stop the release of the film in its country as it contained a performance by the identically named fictional rock band. An Ontario judge dismissed this motion, and to avoid further controversy Warner Bros. rendered the band unnamed in the film and many derived products. However, the Winnipeg-based group continued to pursue the lawsuit; lead singer Kim Baryluk stated in her claim that "consumers will assume that the smaller and less famous Canadian band is trying to take advantage of the Harry Potter fame by copying the Harry Potter band's name when in fact the reverse is true."[25] The injunction was dismissed, and the band was ordered to pay costs.[26][27] As of March 2010, the lawsuit has been settled, the details sealed.[28]
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