ABC Family has acquired the final two films in the "Harry Potter" franchise, including "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1," which, according to the LA Times, opened with an estimated $125.20 million in domestic ticket sales over the weekend.
ABC Family's deal with Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution gives the network the first window for basic cable for all eight "Harry Potter" films to date. The final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," is scheduled to debut in theaters on July 15, 2011. "Deathly Hallows, Part 1" will premiere on ABC Family in Spring 2013, and "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" will make its basic cable debut on ABC Family in Winter 2013, according to ABC Family.
"Our viewers have come to know ABC Family as the television destination for the ‘Harry Potter' films. They're enormously beloved by our audience and the world over," Tom Zappala, executive VP, Program Acquisitions & Scheduling, ABC Cable Networks Group, said in a statement. "We're thrilled to extend our long-standing relationship with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to include the final two installments."
"ABC Family identified very early that the ‘Harry Potter' movies were destined to become an enormously popular franchise, and they committed to making ABC Family the television home for ‘Harry Potter,'" said Ken Werner, president, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, also in a statement. "This strategy has paid huge dividends for them and all ‘Potter' fans. We are thrilled by our collaboration over the years and excited to extend the relationship through the final two films."
