It All Ends: Harry Potter Fans Say Their Final Goodbyes at a Midnight Matinee

Magical. Exciting. Sad. Bittersweet. These were all words Harry Potter fans used to sum up the feelings they have about the end of the saga, as they waited to be the first people to see the second part of The Deathly Hallows at the AMC Dine-in Theater at Menlo Park Mall.

Die-hard fans came at 9 pm for The Deathly Hallows Double Feature. The theater sold special tickets that allowed the few fans who managed to snag them the opportunity to watch The Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2 back-to-back.

“I rushed to get these tickets a week ago when I found out the theater was doing this,” said Adrienne Guistwite, a Flemington resident and fan of both the Harry Potter books and movies.

Many patrons had already seen part 1 of the final film, but they wanted to see it again to remember everything that happened before they watched the last installment of the series.

“I want to watch the two parts back-to-back so I can see the whole novel play out in one sitting,” said Nora, a Highland Park resident and fantasy novel enthusiast.

The double feature was an exclusive offer that sold out fast, but getting tickets to see The Deathly Hallows Part 2 proved to be just as difficult. The theater was showing the film at midnight in ten different theaters, which all sold out in advanced ticket sales almost a week ago.

“I bought my tickets online a week ago,” said Guistwite, who originally tried to buy a ticket for the Bridgewater Theater but all showings had already sold out.

The Dine-in theater staff got into the spirit of opening night. Every staff member was either sporting a wizard’s hat and cape, carrying broomsticks and wands, wearing Harry Potter glasses and Gryffindor scarves, or had drawn Harry’s scar on their foreheads.

Posters bearing a character from the film—Draco, Voldemort, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville—with “IT ALL ENDS” written across the bottom were hung on the walls of the lobby, and each theater the movie was playing in acquired the name of a Hogwarts house. Guests were sorted into Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin according to their tickets.

The bar even served Harry Potter drinks, such as Butter Beer, Felix Felicis, and Polyjuice Potion.

Fans wanted to come see the film on opening night to experience the excitement. Since it’s the last movie, coming to opening night is their way of bidding the Harry Potter franchise farewell.

“This is my first time coming to one of the opening nights,” said Angie from Colonia. “This is the movie I’m most excited to see, and it’s also sad because it’s the end.”

“I try to go to the opening nights whenever I can, but I’m a high school teacher and usually had to wake up early for work whenever the other films were first opening,” said Nora from Highland Park.

“We’ve gone to every midnight opening for the books and the movies,” said Jessica Cullen and Adrienne Guiswite.

“I have all the books in the American and British versions,” added Guistwite.

Most of the fans have read all the books, seen all the movies, and find the movies to be, for the most part, faithful to the books.

“I think most of the movies are faithful to the books. Sometimes I’m upset with things they leave out, but I usually like the additions that are made to the movies,” said Joy, a Piscataway resident dressed in a “Muggle” t-shirt.

For Brooke from Edison, seeing Harry Potter on opening night was a great way for her to celebrate her birthday.

“It all started when I was in eighth grade, and now I’m graduating from college; it’s the end of my childhood,” said Brooke.

Fans who grew up with the series feel the final movie marks the end of an era, and they aren’t sure what they’re going to do with their lives now that the Harry Potter saga is officially over.

“I feel lost,” said Casandra from Piscataway, “but I will probably get better grades now that I don’t have Harry Potter to distract me.”

One fan, who wishes to remain anonymous, always felt that Hogwarts was closed for summer vacation whenever there wasn’t a new book to read or movie to see.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without Harry Potter,” Joy confessed, “but I need to move on, leave it behind in my childhood.”

The Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling was widely read by children, teens, and adults alike. The popularity of the seven-volume book series that chronicled the lives of Harry, Hermione, and Ron at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, prompted the adaptation of each book in the series into a blockbuster movie.

For ten years, the movies have always filled the gaps between book releases, but this isn’t the case with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. At 2:35 AM, the Harry Potter saga came to an end, and the fans who waited in the theater lobby to be the first ones to see the movie they already knew the ending of because they read the book four years ago must now face a new chapter in their lives without Harry Potter.