Hundreds of Harry Potter fans gathered last night to attend the midnight premiere of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” at Carmike Cinemas at Albemarle Square.
The line to enter the theater for the sixth movie installment of the 7-book series snaked halfway around the building and into the side parking lot.
In order to get the best seat in the house, many fans arrived hours early to stake out their spots in line.
Emma Weiss, Peyton Brandt, Olivia Beavers and Diana Stan were among those avid fans, arriving just before 9:30pm, almost three hours before the start of the premiere.
The four moviegoers, who call themselves “huge fans” and claim to have read the books over and over again, tailgated while they waited for the crowds to roll in. While the fans poured into the parking lot sporting their Harry Potter scarves, robes, broomsticks and wands, many felt the event was poorly organized.
“There were really long lines and they were really poorly directed,” said moviegoer Michael Fish.
Though fans remained disappointed with crowd management, readers of the much-loved series walked into the movie with high expectations.
“If they don’t do the cave scene right then the whole movie is going to fall apart,” said Stan.
For many, though, the film lived up to those standards. “I thought it outlived even my own expectations,” Fish says. “It was awesome.”