The Harry Potter Economic Boom

We are in the midst of a Harry Potter film festival around our house right now. Early in December the first four films in the series were broadcast on ABC Family Channel and I had my TiVO grab them. We started watching them last week, movies that we saw in the theater when they were first released and more than once on tape since then.

It's good stuff. I enjoy them despite the rants of some of my Christian brethren who are convinced that watching Harry Potter will immediately result in devil worship (I've also read all seven books more than once and there's not a pentagram in sight in my house).

My wife went out today to rent movies 5 and 6 and we'll watch those in the next few days.

Author J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series have created a booming economy all of their own, as The Economist today reports. Some 800 people are employed just in the making of the movies, and thousands more benefit from the books and theatrical showings. It's interesting to see how this whole thing got going and the firms that made millions along the way.