California: Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled a new web experience dedicated to the world of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on its site www.harrypotter.com.
In addition to serving as a comprehensive site and community forum devoted to the magical world of Harry Potter, the newly expanded Harrypotter.com features exclusive content, interactive fan opportunities and news about the upcoming film, the second instalment in the Harry Potter film series.
The newly-expanded website will continue to capture the magic and spirit of Potter, while providing an exclusive entrée to the live action adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In the first year of its launch in 2001, Harrypotter.com attracted 25 million unique visitors, drew one million subscribers to the web-based newsletter and welcomed fans from over 40 countries to view the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. This year, Harrypotter.com has attracted 459 million pageviews, with over three million interactive postcards sent and over 3.6 million magical creatures made via the site's interactive destinations, claims an official release. In addition, the recently re-launched community forum has experienced near exponential growth, with viewers registering over 11 million pageviews per month on the message boards, the release says.
Developed by Warner Bros. Online in conjunction with DNA Studio, the re-launched Harrypotter.com features a new animated short film welcoming fans to the site, a new homepage and the interactive game Escape From the Dursleys in which participants can help Harry Potter escape the clutches of his controlling family and return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The site will be regularly updated with news and other Potter-inspired interactive destinations, including: Wizard Duels, in which fans can challenge each other to spell-casting contests.
Warner Bros. Pictures plans to roll out customised versions of the expanded Harrypotter.com in nine languages, including the full roster of features available on the English-language site. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is scheduled for a November 2002 release.
