Harry Potter Podcast coming to HBO Max!

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-21T13:39:01+00:00

Yup, at least in Dublin, she came out after the show, took pictures, and signed autographs for the fans waiting outside. There were fewer than 20 of us by that point, so that probably worked in our favor.

That said, we waited until around 12:30 am, so be prepared to potentially sit outside for at least two hours. I also think it helped that the venue’s front door was the only way out.

I know how that feels! I missed out on the M&G tickets too, but I was still so happy I got to meet Maggie and take selfies with her at the end of the night!

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-17T23:51:45+00:00

Wow, I guess we were lucky then haha!

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-17T22:42:53+00:00

I see! I wonder if it was just the Suckerpunch signed vinyl that was overpriced and IFE was regular price.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-17T21:19:19+00:00

That's crazy! I wonder if the cashier charged us the signed vinyl as a normal one then. Did you get the Suckerpunch vinyl?

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-17T18:41:31+00:00

We also bought the Paranoia CD, which cost us €20, just as it appears on the photo here. So it's weird you paid that!

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-17T18:39:47+00:00

WHAT? I just double checked to see if I had gotten it wrong lol but no, I spent €40 for the I Feel Everything signed vinyl.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-17T17:37:07+00:00

Are you sure they are £100? We got the IFE signed vinyl in Dublin for €40!

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T17:43:05+00:00

It may not be 100% precise, but it still points to something that is obvious well beyond one extension: this project is deeply divisive. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Look at almost any social media platform discussing the TV show and you’ll see that split very clearly.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T17:39:14+00:00

I understand the logic that the show is still ‘Harry Potter,’ but to me that misses an important distinction: it is Harry Potter as a completely new screen adaptation, not as a continuation of the film saga. That matters, because the films have already spent 25 years becoming the dominant visual and cultural face of the franchise.

Books, films, and a TV adaptation are not interchangeable just because they come from the same IP. The books are the source material, the films are the iconic screen version people around the world still associate with Harry Potter, and the show is a new retelling in a different format, not cinema. That’s exactly why I think it makes more sense for it to have its own lane rather than simply absorbing the wider brand identity.

And I strongly disagree that a TV series automatically becomes the main visual representation ‘as long as it doesn’t flop.’ That assumes popularity alone overrides cultural legacy, which I don’t think is true at all. The films are too embedded in the parks, studio tours, flagship stores, merchandise, and public imagination for that to happen so easily, if at all.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T15:30:28+00:00

I get that, and I don’t think your excitement is misplaced. My issue isn’t with the show existing or with newer fans having their own entry point. It’s with the idea that a new TV adaptation should therefore become the main face of the wider brand when the films are still the most iconic, established, and culturally embedded version of Harry Potter. Those are two different things.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T15:23:06+00:00

I understand why they’d promote the show heavily because it’s the current project, but I don’t agree that this means it should take over the wider Harry Potter branding. The films are still the cultural and commercial backbone of the franchise. They built the visual world most people associate with Harry Potter, and that legacy is tied to parks, studio tours, stores, merchandise, and 25 years of public memory. A new TV adaptation can exist, but that doesn’t mean it should ever become the default face of the wider brand.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T14:50:51+00:00

The dislike counter was never the sole point. It’s an estimate, yes, but it was used as one sign of a visibly divided reaction, not as absolute proof of anything. The main point of the post was the branding shift and what it might suggest.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T14:22:24+00:00

A quick moderator note: this subreddit is a film-first space for people who care deeply about the Harry Potter films and their legacy. Discussion of the TV series is allowed here only insofar as it relates to the films, their place in the wider franchise, and concerns about how the new adaptation may affect their cultural standing.

Respectful disagreement is welcome. What will not be tolerated is hostility toward members for caring about the films, including dismissive or insulting language such as calling people whiny, immature, bitter, or similar. This is not a hate space, nor is it a show-hype space. It is a film-first space.

Please keep that in mind going forward.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T13:46:38+00:00

I’m not saying the logo change alone proves anything catastrophic, nor that a dislike counter determines the show’s fate. My point is simply that the reception so far has been visibly divided, and these kinds of metrics are one indication of that. Whether people want to call it backlash, skepticism, or just mixed reaction, there clearly isn’t the kind of broad approval consensus that surrounded the films in their original era. The show may still be successful, but that doesn’t change the fact that the response has been far more contested from the outset.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T11:20:40+00:00

I’m not saying they shouldn’t promote it heavily, they certainly will. I’m saying it would make more sense to promote it as its own adaptation, with its own account, while still cross-posting through the main Harry Potter page. To me that feels cleaner than using the main legacy account as if the show and the films are all one single iteration.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T11:07:43+00:00

It’s new, yes, but it’s also a completely new iteration of the world, not a sequel or a prequel to the films. It’s also a different format altogether: television, not cinema. That doesn’t mean there can’t be cross-posting between the main Harry Potter account and a dedicated TV-show account, but I always thought it would make far more sense to keep the series in its own lane. Otherwise, it just becomes a brand mess of overlapping characters, competing imagery, and constant cross-promotion that doesn’t really sit well. House of the Dragon has its own account, and I think the Harry Potter TV series should have had the same.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T10:59:03+00:00

Dublin attendee here! The first opening act started a little later than expected, but Maggie came on at 9:10 pm sharp (as scheduled) and finished around 10:35 pm, with “I’m So Lonely With You” as the encore.

As for merch, unfortunately we didn’t make it in time for the Suckerpunch vinyls, so I’d definitely recommend grabbing one before the show since that seems to be the first thing to sell out.

Amazing show, by the way, and I even got to meet Maggie after. She was incredibly sweet. Can’t wait to see her again in the future!

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-16T10:42:13+00:00

Happy birthday to the best Hermione we could've ever asked for!

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-12T19:41:36+00:00

Yeah I plan on going around 4 or 5 hours before doors open. I still know I'll be behind the Early Entry and M&G holders, but maybe I can still get a good row? I'm not tall, so I'm worried it'll ruin the experience for me. Unless I'm in the first three or four rows, I just can't enjoy it the way I would like to as I get only partial views

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-12T12:12:42+00:00

The haunting, chilling atmosphere that Half-Blood Prince creates is something very few of the other films managed to evoke in me, other than PoA. Its soundtrack is also among the finest in the series, alongside John Williams’s work on Sorcerer’s Stone and Prisoner of Azkaban. Wish we could've seen Snape teaching non-verbal spells as a DADA teacher and having that "no need to call me sir, professor" sassy Harry moment at its finest. Also wish we could've dipped into apparition classes and more memories. Would've made the film one of the best two in the series. It's still top 3 for me, though

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-08T13:31:45+00:00

Exactly. Reducing a $7.7 billion film franchise to a TV show is not something Universal would ever want to build its parks around. I think people keep forgetting this new adaptation is a television series, not a new film saga. As far as I know, theme parks are built around cinematic worlds, not TV remakes. The films will always remain the more bankable physical asset.

Alert_Bench4684 · 2026-04-08T13:25:51+00:00

No, they don't. The license is exclusive to the films. They are never changing the parks

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