The final film in the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise is causing a mixture of tears and joy at a shopping centre.
Many fans are left crying at the end of the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part Two), that’s showing at the Odeon at Eagles Meadow in Wrexham.
On the plus side, it’s bringing people in droves to the centre and they’re not just spending their money in the cinema.
Phil Gallanders, the manager of the Costa coffee shop, said: “Since Harry Potter arrived in town he’s been weaving his magic again.
“It’s been very, very busy. We’ve roughly taken in about twice what we would in a normally good week.
“We’ve sold a lot of coffee – we’re looking at about 2,000 cups of coffee in terms of numbers during the week.
“The kids don’t drink coffee so it’s the parents coming down for the coffee and the kids stay quiet for a couple of hours.”
According to Odeon manager Andy Elvis, they’ve had their busiest week in the last 12 months.
Audiences have eclipsed the numbers that came to see Part One of the Deathly Hallows story last autumn.
Andy said: “The second part of Harry Potter was busier than part one of Harry Potter by about a good 25 per cent.
“Lots of people have grown up with Harry Potter and obviously this is the final part of the Harry Potter story so a lot of people have been upset.
“We’ve had a lot of reaction from people who have been in tears at the end – it’s a big part of people’s lives which has come to a close.
“As a Harry Potter fan who started reading the books 10 years ago, I am also disappointed that it’s come to an end.
“We’ll be showing the film probably until the end of the summer, depending on demand. But there’s no sign of a let up just yet.
“We’ve got quite a few more blockbusters on the way, including The Smurfs and a film called Cowboys and Aliens.
“One of the biggies for the teenager this summer is the Inbetweeners movie which is coming out in the middle of August. It’s the next big one to watch out for.”
Harry Potter has also been the source of delight for Eagles Meadow manager, Kevin Critchley.
He said: “It’s been a wonderful series of films and what a great thing for the Odeon and the whole film industry and, of course, for Eagles Meadow.
It’s been and still is extremely busy at the Odeon which is a great thing for the centre as a whole.
“We’re getting people, certainly now with children on holiday, coming down during the day.
“It’s a really happy, cheerful ‘let’s all watch it together’ atmosphere.”
“It’s all adding to the buzz around Eagles Meadow and we’ve actually got a few more tenants looking to come in.
“I can’t really divulge the names of at the moment but we’re looking at possibly three new tenants in the next couple of months.
“So whatever the economic situation as a whole, Eagles Meadow and Wrexham seem to be bucking the trend.
“It’s all extra employment. Since Eagles Meadow opened in 2008, it has created 1,000 jobs for the local economy that weren’t there before.
“If we can get more stores in, that’s more work, more money in the local economy and that’s good news for everybody. Now, that is magic.”
