Cape Girardeau theater packed for latest Harry Potter film

The latest installment of the Harry Potter movies drew people to Cape Girardeau from throughout the region.

Kim Milbach drove up from Sikeston, Mo., with her mother Wednesday to watch "Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince" at the Town Plaza Cinema. She said they had to wait for a later showtime because the 6:45 p.m. movie sold out.

"We went out to dinner and bought some time," Milbach said.

Milbach, who prefers the movies to the books, said she likes the fantasy world it creates.

"It really ventures off to another world," she said.

Harry Potter fans started lining up before 10 p.m. Tuesday for the midnight showings of the movie. It is the sixth movie based on the books by British author J.K. Rowling. Wednesday evening, crowds filled the lobby of the theater, which had 10 showings throughout the day.

"It's the busiest one I can remember," said T.J. McKinney, manager of the theater.

He said the theater sold more than 700 tickets for the three midnight showings. The tickets for those shows sold out before 10 a.m. Tuesday, he said.

Eight employees staffed the concession stands and help with the crowd.

"There's so many customers, you just take it as you go," McKinney said.

Meghan Carlisle traveled from Lilbourn, Mo., to see the movie. She said she has read the entire series many times.

"I like that the movies still give people something to look forward to," she said.

Carlisle said she was surprised there is still anticipation for the movies, even as the series winds down.

"People are still excited about it," she said. "The theater is packed 45 minutes early."

Nationwide the movie took in $22.2 million when it debuted in 3,003 theaters for midnight showings. That breaks the record set by "The Dark Knight," which grossed $18.5 million from midnight shows last summer.

The seventh and final book of the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows" will be split into two movies. The first installment is due out in November 2010.

Joe Moore was the first in line for Wednesday's 9 p.m. show to make sure he got a good seat. He said he came during the evening to avoid the earlier crowds.

"Little man, he wanted to see it," he said, pointing to his 7-year-old son, Ethan.

Moore said he enjoys the darker aspects of the books, which portray a world of wizardry and magic.

"It's there, and it can't be mistaken for anything else," he said.

The new movie has Harry trying to pry loose a hidden memory from one of his teachers, who holds key information about the wizard world's darkest enemy, Lord Voldemort.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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