The previous five Potter movies have generated $7.2 billion in worldwide box office and DVD sales, reaping huge profits for the studio and Potter's creator, author J.K. Rowling.
"There's been a fairly substantial shrinkage in the overall DVD market since the last 'Harry Potter' film came out," said Tom Adams, a home video industry analyst. According to Adams, DVD sales were down 9 percent in 2008 and he's projecting that they will fall another 8 percent in 2009.
Though the "Potter" movies have historically been huge DVD sellers, each sequel has sold far fewer units than its predecessor. Sales of the last release were off 15 percent in the first eight weeks compared with sales of the first film during the same time span. Even a small decline in DVD sales is a challenge for expensive movies because it raises the stakes for profitability.
And the bar for Harry Potter is higher than ever. Warner Bros. spent $250 million to produce "Half-Blood Prince" and will invest another $155 million to market and distribute the movie, according to people familiar with the situation.
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