![harry potter chamber of secrets amazon harry potter chamber of secrets amazon](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/67/41/23/67412303e63ae6d37ac40c94754d2892.jpg)
![harry potter chamber of secrets amazon harry potter chamber of secrets amazon](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/1400_opt_1/64cd6f98511931.5ede2bf3c6790.png)
Alongside Spider-Man the next year, Harry Potter would personify the kind of movie Hollywood was making instead of making, well, anything else.
![harry potter chamber of secrets amazon harry potter chamber of secrets amazon](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5124YCSVAKL._SY445_.jpg)
It also, through no fault of its own, set the course for the next wave of attempted blockbusters, with at least a decade’s worth of young white males discovering that they were the special amid a fantasy adventure designed to appeal to all quadrants all around the world. It was indeed a watershed moment, in that a star-free (all due respect to some very respected British thespians making up the supporting cast) and entirely IP-specific brand sell would be absolutely expected to become one of the biggest-grossing movies of all time. It easily dethroned The Lost World: Jurassic Park ($74 million Fri-Sun/$92 million Fri-Mon over Memorial Day 1997) as the opening weekend champion. Rowling’s first four books, nabbed a then-record-breaking $32 million Friday gross and $90 million Fri-Sun debut. The first Harry Potter, coasting on oodles of free media as a preordained champion and a massive fan base related to J.K. It was a fitting climax to a year which saw an increase in previously unthinkable opening weekends, with the likes of Tomb Raider ($47 million), Shrek ($42 million) and Hannibal ($58 million) scoring massive debuts and the likes of The Mummy Returns ($68 million), Planet of the Apes ($68 million) and Rush Hour 2 ($66 million) coming within inches of setting new weekend milestones. Today is the 20th anniversary of the domestic theatrical release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.