The long goodbye

Harry Potter celebration kicks off record-breaking weekend; vote for yourfavorite character now

Fans anxiously awaited the end of an era at CityCentre's Studio Movie Grill.
Young Potter fans wielded wands as they celebrated the release of the eighth andfinal film.
A host of characters showed up at the event, including Hagrid, Ron, and SeverusSnape!
A young Harry Potter waits to be counted in attempt to set the Guinness WorldRecord.
Even the Dark Lord could not stay away from the festivities.

For those who grew up with the Harry Potter franchise, the release of the final installment of the films is a truly sad event. To mark the end of an era, many celebrations have popped up worldwide for the opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, including one in our own backyard of CityCentre.

Fans gathered for the midnight showing Thursday night to celebrate the undeniable fact that all good things must come to an end by shopping for their own wands at a makeshift Ollivanders and attempting to set the Guinness World Record for the most Harry Potters in one place.

The highlight of the gathering was the wildly creative costumes typical of such premieres. Many fans were dressed in typical Gryffindor robes, while others opted for less traditional characters. Dolores Umbridge was in attendance, as well as He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named and a lion, Gryffindor's mascot. There was even a group of House Elves, ears and all.

While the event did not quite live up to its billing of a transformation of CityCentre into Diagon Alley, it did seem to give revelers an opportunity to stretch out the party one last time. Instead of just lining up an hour before showtime, fans were able to make the whole evening a party and share the joy of Harry Potter with hundreds of their closest friends.

The movie set the record for midnight box office, bringing in a staggering $43.5 million in ticket sales. The old record was held by Twilight: Eclipse, which did $30 million from midnight showings last year. The Hollywood Reporter estimated the movie could have pulled in as much as $80 million or more at the Friday box office, the best single day gross of all time domestically.

For lots more photos of the CityCentre celebration from Channel 13, click here.

Who's your favorite Harry Potter character? Vote now in our latest CulturePoll. Right now, Hermione Granger leads with 16 percent, followed by Severus Snap at 13 percent, with Neville Longbottom and Dobby tied at 11 percent. Poor Harry and Ron Weasley trailed behind, at 6 percent each.

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The Holidays Are Brutal

Free holiday rage room lets Houstonians smash the stress of the season

Photo courtesy of Pluto TV

Get ready to drop-kick that pile of presents.

Be honest: Are the holidays getting to you yet? Does the stress of shopping, wrapping, traveling, visiting, cooking, baking, decorating, and moving that darn Elf around have you ready to break something?

Instead of attacking your lawn decorations like Clark Griswold, channel that festive frustration into a safe and controlled catharsis. For one day only, Pluto TV, the free streaming service from Paramount, is bringing a free pop-up rage room experience to Houston. Yes, free (though you do have to RSVP).

On Thursday, December 11, from 4-10 pm, visitors can step into a holiday-themed rage room and unleash their inner action star by smashing ornaments, drop-kicking wrapping-paper disasters, and “decking” the halls.

The tie-in is Pluto TV’s new “Holidays Are Brutal” collection, an assembly of 70-plus action films including Charlie’s Angels, Bad Boys, Rush Hour, The Expendables, Gladiator, and others that are featured all December long.

It's all going down at Break Life, a year-round rage room located at 5805 Centralcrest St., Houston.

Four rage rooms are available for the holiday experience on December 11. Each session is 30 minutes and accommodates up to four people, who must all be 18 and over. Reserve your slot here.

Rage rooms were invented in Japan in 2008, first as art installations before opening as commercial endeavors worldwide in the mid-2010s.

They really had a moment pre-pandemic, with The Real Housewives of Dallas even visiting one in 2018 (season 3, episode 6, in case you're interested) and The Bachelorette's Becca and Blake smashing it up in season 14 with some help from rapper Lil Jon.

The Houston holiday rage room is one of several that Pluto TV is hosting around the country this season; they're also popping up in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Fort Worth, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Raleigh-Durham. Find out more on their website.

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