Based on advance ticket sales alone, assistant manager Amy Brandon knew Cinema 7 was going to draw some heavy traffic over the weekend.

Monday, November 19, 2001

Based on advance ticket sales alone, assistant manager Amy Brandon knew Cinema 7 was going to draw some heavy traffic over the weekend.

&uot;Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone,&uot; the most anticipated movie of the holiday season, opened across the nation. The movie, based on the book by J.K Rowling, shattered box-office records.

&uot;We ran it on two screens and sold out two of our three shows Friday, and had big crowds all weekend,&uot; said Brandon. &uot;People seem to really be enjoying it.&uot;

Many people dropped by during the day to buy tickets ahead of time, Brandon said. But for the rest, seeing Harry Potter involved standing in line. Northbridge Mall officials asked the theater to put stanchions in the food court to help ticket buyers know where to stand.

The crowds continued to turn out Saturday and Sunday. Casey Schroader and Jordan Schumacher, both fifth graders at Sibley Elementary School, sat in the front row at Saturday’s 6:30 showing.

&uot;It was just like the book,&uot; Schroader said. &uot;It was great – I knew it would be.&uot;

Schumacher, who is waiting for his sister to finish the books before he starts the series, said the movie was surprisingly scary.

&uot;It was good, but there were a lot of parts that would scare a lot of kids,&uot; he said.

Brianna Gold and her friend Brittany Edwin, both in junior high, said they were peeking through their fingers during the scariest parts – the mountain troll and the climactic battle between Harry and arch enemy Voldemort.

&uot;Wow, I thought it was really good! It made me really nervous,&uot; Gold said. &uot;There were also a lot of funny parts.&uot;

&uot;It was just as good as the books,&uot; Edwin said. &uot;My mom said a lot of movies aren’t as good as the books. But this one did a perfect job.&uot;