FACTBOX: Fifth Harry Potter movie premieres in Japan
June 28 (Reuters Life!) - Japan held a red-carpet premiere on Thursday for the fifth Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" which is due to open in the United States and Britain in two weeks time.
Next month author J.K. Rowling unveils the seventh and final book in the successful Harry Potter series.
Following are some facts about the Harry Potter novels and their spin-offs.
* J.K. Rowling completed the manuscript of her first Harry Potter story, called "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in 1995, having written some of it in local cafes in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she was an unemployed mother living on benefits.
* After being rejected by a series of publishers, Barry Cunningham, then of Bloomsbury publishers, signed up Rowling and the author and company never looked back. Rowling is known as the world's first billion-dollar author.
* Rowling has sold 325 million copies of the first six books of the seven-book series about young wizard Harry Potter, his adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and his battles with evil foe Lord Voldemort.
* The final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," is due to be released on July 21. Rowling has said she will kill off at least two characters, but has declined to specify who. The main speculation among readers and gamblers is whether or not Harry will survive at the end.
* Warner Bros. have distributed four Harry Potter movies so far, amassing a worldwide box office tally of around $3.5 billion.
* Daniel Radcliffe, 18 in July, has played the central role of Harry throughout the film series, turning him into a household name in Britain. He has signed up to star in the final two films.
