The more than 5,000 piece set features the iconic hidden wizard street with stores like Ollivander’s wand shop, Flourish Blotts bookstore and the colorful Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes joke shop. The set also includes 14 mini-figures including Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Ginny and several others.
Exclusive to this set are Gilderoy Lockhart, Florean Fortescue, Lucius Malfoy and the Daily Prophet photographer.
“I love how faithful the final design is to the architectural details in the film. You can barely see some of these buildings zooming past your screen, but we tracked down different photographs from the sets – some of them from nearly 20 years ago – to make sure everything is spot on. Diagon Alley is the biggest set I’ve designed to-date and I am really proud of how it has come together” said Marcos Bessa, LEGO Harry Potter design lead.
Marcos Bessa, LEGO Harry Potter design lead (LEGO)
“On the inside of the model there is so much to discover. In the Ollivander’s shop, we know there are lots of shelves with wand boxes. Some are decorative, but there a few here, and there that you can actually pick up yourself and open and find a little wand inside” said Bessa.
For Harry Potter fans waiting to jump into the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy video game, we have some bad news. According to the game’s official Twitter account, the title has been delayed to 2022.
The Twitter post states that, “we would like to thank fans from around the world on the tremendous reaction to the announcement of Hogwarts Legacy from our Portkey Games label. Creating the best possible experience for all of the Wizarding World and gaming fans is paramount to us, so we are giving the game the time it needs.”
Check out our Hogwarts Legacy hub for the latest release date info and trailers
First unveiled during the PS5 Showchase event last September, Hogwarts Legacy takes place in the 1800s and will feature a new story with a new cast of characters. The game is being developed by Avalanche Software, the team behind licensed games like Disney Infinity, Cars 2, and Toy Story 3.
Avalanche Software is also known for its original series, Tak and the Power of Juju, released on the sixth generation of consoles. By the looks of it, Hogwarts Legacy is the studio’s most ambitious title to date.
There isn’t much detail on gameplay yet, other than that it will be an RPG. So, expect some character class building, potion crafting, and following down an either good or evil story path.
While the added wait might be hard, it’s good knowing that all the Harry Potter movies can be found at HBO Max.
As we continue a tour around the Hogwarts school, right after a quick lecture on transfiguration as given by Professor McGonagall in 76382 Hogwarts Moment: Transfiguration Class, it’s time to take a seat by a pot full of a boiling potion. LEGO Harry Potter76383 Hogwarts Moment: Potion Class is the second set in the mini-series of mid-sized buildable books depicting a classroom of Professor Snape. The set consists of 271 pieces and comes with three minifigures. The set is available today for US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £27.99.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with a copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The box packaging
Like other sets in the series, the Potion Class box also features vertical artwork. Both the front and the back of the box include excellent illustrations setting the scene.
New pieces
Since the set doesn’t bring new or rare minifigure accessories, the new book cover elements (10×16 plates) remain the only pieces of interest. The print in gold on a sand green piece looks stunning.
The finished model
This finished model is a compact build in the form of a book decorated with elements in yellow. I wish those were in gold, complimenting the print on the front.
A massive center wall and several pieces of furniture fit nicely inside the folded book. The interior includes a huge wooden table, which serves as a cover holding together everything underneath it.
Similar to 76382 Hogwarts Moment: Transfiguration Class, the scene can be set up in no time at all. I love that the room set doesn’t limit the play area but instead creates a multi-layered background.
The design team made the most of what they had to play with. Although the center wall only faces one side, the’s a secret corner on the other side and additional stickers on the inner side of the left cover.
Bonus points are for avoiding too many stickers in the set. The right cover’s bottom area is decorated with brick-built stone shelves. The design is excellent for the budget.
The inner side of the book’s spine is my favorite part of the set. With two dark grey snakes facing opposite directions, this element looks very ominous and perfectly fits the scene.
When assembling the set, I didn’t expect much of the furniture. You can’t ignore that these pieces are made with as few elements as possible, which make them look like mini-builds from a Harry Potter Advent Calendar set. Still, I’m impressed with the use of stickers here.
The minifigures
The set brings minifigures of Professor Snape, Draco Malfoy, and Seamus Finnegan. I believe neither of these will be of great interest for minifigure collectors, as none of them is rare or exclusive. Still, together they make a nice trio.
Being a Gryffindor student, Seamus doesn’t seem to fit here, but his alternative facial expression makes him the star of the set. Potions has never been the easiest class, and Seamus’ surprised face after another failed experiment is a great example of LEGO humor.
Conclusion and recommendation
One of the best things about the Hogwarts Moment series is how different each set is. Despite the same format, Harry Potter 76383 Hogwarts Moment: Potion Class is almost nothing like the 76382 Transfiguration Class. Different characters, interior, and accessories create a whole other part of the Hogwarts school, still providing a ton of playability and reasons to adore these sets.
LEGO Harry Potter 76383 Hogwarts Moment: Potion Class includes 271 pieces, comes with three minifigures, and is available now from the LEGO Shop (US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £27.99).
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
“It would have to be Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom [starring Viola Davis, the late Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts]. All those actors were completely at the top of their game, both emotionally and technically, they were just stunning,” she says.
A wand used by Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter is among the showbiz-related items going up for auction in California next month.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first film in the series, the wand – which was used in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire in 2005 – is expected to fetch up to $10,000 (£7,100).
Also going under the hammer from the popular films are one of Snape’s wands, the licence plate and badge from the Flying Ford Anglia car used in 2002’s Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, and a Hogwart’s wax seal acceptance letter envelope from 2001’s Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.
Darren Julien, chief executive and president of Julien’s Auctions, said the auction is “our biggest one to date – comprising of the most coveted pop culture relics from the past half century”.
He said: “As Julien’s continues to consistently shatter Hollywood memorabilia, music and celebrity estate records at auction, we are positioned to expand and offer this tremendous selection of over 800 investment quality and museum exhibition-worthy cinematic treasures from the popular genres of science fiction, action, fantasy, adventure, and beyond.”
Image: The original pinstripe gangster style suit, worn by Al Pacino as Miami drug lord Tony Montana, is up for auction
Other items include Al Pacino’s Scarface three-piece pinstripe suit, Johnny Depp’s Edward Scissorhands gloves, Bill Murray’s Space Jam Air Jordan 2 trainers, and Michelle Pfeiffer’s original Catwoman cowl worn in Batman Returns.
Bond memorabilia includes Sean Connery’s Walther P5 from his Last Bond film, Never Say Never Again, the debut of the Walther P99 as Bond’s preferred sidearm used by Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies, and a .38 Smith and Wesson used by Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day.
The original glove props worn by Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands are expected to fetch between $30,000 and $50,000 (£21,500 and £35,700).
Image: A pair of gloves worn by Johnny Depp in the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands will be auctioned
The 1990 horror, fantasy and romance gave Depp an early star-making role and the gloves were designed at the Stan Winston Studios under the four-time Academy Award winner Stan Winston.
Al Pacino’s three-piece pinstripe suit from 1983 crime drama Scarface is expected to fetch up to $80,000 (£57,200), with auctioneers saying it is possibly the only remaining original Scarface pinstripe gangster suit in existence from the film’s climax.
The items will be exhibited in Beverly Hills between 26 and 29 April, with the auctions on 28 and 29 April.
1. Years ago I read the translation of the swedish book The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist. It’s one of those underrated books that deserves more love. It’s a scifi novel featuring an older woman who moves into a senior home that is more than what it seems. Residents get the life of luxury and all their needs and dreams met, but they are required to go through weekly blood and drug tests and many participate in questionable experiments. It’s a book about trust, good and evil, the elderly, and how far things might go in the future.
I would love to find more books featuring elderly folk, especially genre books (scifi, horror, thriller, suspense). I’ve read Fredrich Bachman, The Lido, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper – in other words (spoilers) charming, quaint books with happy, hopeful endings. Can you recommend any books with a twist or uncertainty or a hint of something unexpected? Thanks!
-Katherine
2. Hello Amanda and Jenn, big fan! Thank you for keeping me entertained through lockdown. My brother and I both love reading and keep trying to recommend books for each other but we have very different tastes. Books we have read this year that we thought might fit the bill for us both are:
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (he loved and I struggled through). We both enjoyed The Examined Life: How we lose and find ourselves by Stephen Grosz and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl
He prefers books that challenge him, that are eye opening/life changing and he’ll enjoy it if it’s really long. He likes non-fiction memoirs about war and classics that have stood the test of time. I adore what he likes to call ‘pop’ fiction; Crime, Thriller, Horror, anything recently published, fast paced and relatively short.
Can you suggest something that might work for us both? Thank you!
-Jenny
3. TIME _SENSITIVE: Hello, I am going to Northern Maine with my husband for a makeshift honeymoon since ours was canceled from covid in June and I am looking for recommendations for books to read on the ride up from Philadelphia. I am open to anything except horror, sci-fi and mystery
but something with National Park/nature feels would be nice. I would also request a Red Socks book for me (I know next to nothing on baseball but since we will be going to a game on the way to Maine and I would like to know something about the stadium or the team before going). Thank you so much and I can’t wait to hear what you can suggest.
-Carissa
4. I am looking for a book (nonfiction or fiction does not matter) that talks about relationships between semi-distant dads and daughters.
My dad left my mom for another woman (now my step mom) when I was 6, so honestly I was too young for it to be terribly traumatic. Now that I am grown up (I’m 27) we barely speak. My step brother came out as trans a few years ago and both my dad and step mom have responded terribly to it, which was the thing that made me really give up on having a relationship with my dad. I am queer and my fiance is nonbinary, and when I have introduced my previous partners to him he just dismissed their pronouns and “didn’t get it.” He does not even know I’m engaged and I have not spoken to him in 2 years now. He recently reached out to me and wants to reconnect, but honestly I am at a point where I only want to put emotional energy into relationships that are fulfilling.
So, I am looking for something with an estranged relationship between father and daughter, has queer themes/queer mc, and there does not have to be a redemption arc or anything. In fact, I would like something where the daughter gets closure with deciding to not maintain a relationship with her father. Maybe 1 nonfiction and 1 fiction?
Thank you!
-Kenna (she/her)
5. I realized recently that I kind of have Harry Potter as my ultimate favorite thing in my head as a default because like for others it was the first series I read that really drew me in and made me love the characters, etc, and I haven’t felt like I’ve ever found that with another series.
I don’t exactly want a Harry Potter readalike because I know there are lots of those.
I really want a book, preferably a series, preferably not fantasy, that has those same elements that make HP so lovable. A small cast of really well-developed characters, a really immersive and well-thought-out story, universal themes, found family, all that. I just want an adult version of it that will draw me in that way.
Hopefully this isn’t some impossible ask.
Thanks and love the show!
-Maria
6. I’m looking for books with the same feel as Ted Lasso. I don’t necessarily care if it is an American abroad story. I’m more interested in optimism, vulnerability, and humor. I don’t think I’m looking for “cozy” or “feel good” reads. If I had to describe it, I would say I want the heart and vulnerability of Ted Lasso.
Thanks!
-Casey
7. A year into the pandemic and I am having a deep craving for books that help with my wanderlust. I’m looking for narrative non-fiction or travelogues to help transport me, but also integrate deeper understanding of a place’s history and culture.
Here’s some that I recently read that I’m still having a book hangover from:
1. Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey
2. Eat the Buddha:Life and Death in a Tibetan Town
3. Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover Americas New Melting-Pot Cuisine
The PSA shows clips from the movies “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” “Casablanca,” “Creed,” “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—Part 2,” “IT,” “The Joker,” “Justice League,” “The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Matrix,” “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Wonder Woman.” Every character can be seen wearing a mask, and it’s jam-packed in a quick 30-second spot.
UPDATE:Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone has now grossed over $1 billion, nearly 19 years after it was first released.
The milestone was reached after a new 4K 3D remaster of the first Harry Potter film was released in China on 14 August, giving new fans the chance to watch it on the big screen for the first time.
In a statement issued to Entertainment Weekly Andrew Cripps, Warner Bros. Pictures’ head of international distribution, said: “We are thrilled to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone delight a new generation of audiences. The popularity of the film with moviegoers in China, who are discovering it for the first time, proves that the appeal of these stories is truly timeless and universal.”
ORIGINAL STORY: Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone is on the verge of grossing $1 billion (£746 million) at the global box office, 18 years and nine months since it was first released.
The film, which first hit UK cinemas on 16 November, 2001 is now just $2 million away from the illustrious billion dollar mark, which – to date – has only been achieved by one other Harry Potter film: 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ($1,341,511,219).
It’s all thanks to a new 4K 3D restoration of Chris Columbus’s 2001 film (released in some regions as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) which has just been released in China.
The re-release topped the box office in the market where cinemas are gradually reopening following the coronavirus lockdown. It took $13.6 million from 16,000 screens over the weekend, according to data on Deadline.
Based on JK Rowling’s book of the same name Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone, which stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris and more, grossed $975 million on its first run and has been adding to its tally through revivals and re-releases ever since thanks to the enduring appeal of the franchise.
Only 46 films have ever made more than one billion dollars at the global box office, but thanks to inflation and increased ticket prices, its an ever-growing list of titles.
In 2019 alone, nine new films joined the billion dollar club including Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Captain Marvel, Aladdin, Joker, Frozen 2, Toy Story 4, Spider-Man: Far From Home, The Lion King, and Avengers: Endgame, which is now the highest-grossing movie ever with $2.7 billion.
