Potter fans assured of seeing movie

Harry Potter goes on general release on 16 November

Fears that corporate bookings for the Harry Potter movie will stop children from being able to get into the film have been denied by cinema chains.

There had been speculation that advance corporate bookings were so high, especially in London, that families would be made to wait.

But the biggest UK chains have said they will ensure everyone gets a chance to see the movie by showing it on as many screens as possible.

About 500,000 tickets have already been pre-booked by fans desperate to see their wizard hero on the big screen when it is released on 16 November.

Actor Daniel Radcliffe was unimpressed with the Potter books

The Odeon chain is putting Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on in 225 of its 599 screens across the country with at least four showings a day.

And UCI Cinemas has promised the film will be showing at least every hour at the majority of its cinemas.

A company spokesman said: "This means that at UCI Cinemas alone, there are over one million seats every week available to see the film.

Adult-only screens

"Children and adults who are looking forward to a day out at the cinema to watch Harry Potter will be able to book tickets and there is still wide ticket availability."

Although there has been an increase in corporate bookings it still represents a very low percentage of business, according to the Odeon.

And at UCI, the corporate bookings have mainly been focused on its four cinemas which have licensed adult-only screens.

Author Rowling has made millions of pounds from her books

Meanwhile Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the star of the movie, has said he was not that impressed with author JK Rowling's tales when he first read them.

Radcliffe, 12, made his admission about Rowling's four best-selling stories about the boy wizard in an interview with next week's Radio Times, published on Tuesday.

He said: "I read the first two when I was eight or nine but I found it really hard to get into them - I couldn't get into any books when I was that age."

'Horribly wrong'

In the interview, its young star added that he was looking forward to huge fame.

"I have thought a lot about being recognised and I think it will be quite cool," he told the Radio Times.

"I'm just going to enjoy it - after all, I might do this film and then disappear, or something might go horribly wrong and I'll never act again.

"Or in a couple of years I might have changed so much that I look wrong for the part - even though Harry grows with the books. So I just want to enjoy it while I can," he added.