Harry Potter films turns 25 ahead of new TV series' release

In 2001, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" hit cinemas and took the world by storm. Today, anticipation for the new series is high, but its creator, J.K. Rowling, remains a controversial figure. On November 4, 2001, London's Leicester Square became a world of witches and wizards.

The occasion was the world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (released in the US and India as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"). "Thousands of excited fans, some dressed up in wizard hats and cloaks, gathered to catch a glimpse of arriving celebrities," the BBC reported at the time. Daniel Radcliffe , who played Harry Potter , was just 12 years old and clearly impressed by the spectacle. The BBC quoted him as saying, "It is so cool.

I have never heard my name shouted so much in an hour." The first Harry Potter book was published by Britain's Bloomsbury in June 1997, with an initial print run of just 500 hardcover copies. Today, first editions are prized collectors' items, with hardcover copies commanding high prices at auction .