It's been one whole decade since Harry Potter stepped up the battle against dark wizard Voldemort in The Deathly Hallows: Part I. Such was the vast scale of J.K. Rowling's final Potter book (clocking in at 607 pages) that the story had to be chopped in half and presented in two big screen instalments.
The penultimate movie in the blockbuster franchise left its family-friendly roots far behind in this darkly engrossing entry, which for the main throws Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) into the wilderness. There, they must survive on their wits alone and attempt to avert the coming apocalypse, all the while as Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) Death Eaters have infiltrated the Ministry of Magic.
This was the first act in a staggering climactic two-parter that closed one of the biggest film franchises of all time. But unlike the action-packed Deathly Hallows: Part II, this is a more contemplative affair that adds depth to the increasingly complex Harry/Hermione/Ron triangle.
To celebrate the film's 10th anniversary, here are 10 fun facts you may not know about the movie. Of course, someone could have used an obliviate spell on you. Whatever – scroll down to check out our list.
1. Executive producer Lionel Wigram suggested splitting the story into two parts and although initially resistant, director David Yates came round to the idea, eventually scoring J.K. Rowling's approval
2. Yates described this particular film as "a road movie" and also a "verite documentary" (verite describing a handheld, realistic aesthetic).
3. Guillermo del Toro was interested in directing the movie, but at the time he was deep in production on the Hobbit series, a job he would eventually pass on to Peter Jackson.
4. The Deathly Hallows Parts I and II were shot back to back, principal photography beginning at Leavesden Studios on 19th February 2009 and concluding on 12th June 2010.
5. That said, the '19 years later' King Cross scene at the end of The Deathly Hallows: Part II was completed in winter 2010, officially rounding off 10 years of filming on the series.
6. Harry and Hermione's dance scene in The Deathly Hallows Part I, a favourite of director David Yates, was invented specifically for the film and doesn't feature in Rowling's original book.
7. This is the only Harry Potter movie not to feature Maggie Smith's Minerva McGonagall.
8. With this film and The Deathly Hallows: Part II, Alexandre Desplat became the fourth composer to work on the series, following John Williams, Patrick Doyle and Nicholas Hooper.
9. The movie became the second in the series to be nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar, following Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
10. With a total box office gross of $976 million, The Deathly Hallows: Part I was the third most successful movie in the series, trailing The Deathly Hallows: Part II ($1.34 billion) and The Philosopher's Stone ($1 billion).
What is your favourite Harry Potter movie of them all? Let us know @Cineworld. And don't forget that the Potter universe expands further in Fantastic Beasts 3, now scheduled for release on 15th July 2022.
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