Potter Conjures up Huge Interest in Themed Fancy-Dress Costumes

HALIFAX, England, July 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The media circus surrounding the release of the final Harry Potter film has sparked a huge interest in people wanting to look like J.K. Rowling's characters, according to a leading online fancy dress company.

Daniel Radcliffe returns to play the lead role of the bespectacled wizard for the eagerly-anticipated eighth and final instalment when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 hits UK cinemas from July 15. With Potter fever sweeping the nation once more, costume company Fancy Dress Ball is being inundated with orders for costumes and accessories associated with the highest-grossing film series of all time.

"It has been a magical last few weeks," said Fancy Dress Ball's Paul Howcroft, who also revealed that sales of 70s fancy dressand80s fancy dressitems are rivalling the amount of Potter paraphernalia flying off the shelves at present.

"The Harry Potter films appeal to a wide variety of people of all ages and it's no surprise really that so many people are choosing to get dressed up like somebody straight out of Hogwarts.

"We expect sales to increase further over the coming month or so as the new film hits the big screen and, given the success of the franchise already, I think I can confidently predict that becoming 'Harry Potter' for a few hours at least will be a timeless classic on the fancy dress circuit for years to come."

The last Potter film is not the only film in 2011 to make a big impact in the fancy-dress industry.

Outfits from smash-hit Hollywood blockbusters like the Green Lantern, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Transformers: Dark of the Moon are already proving extremely popular with UK partygoers as versions of comic-book heroes like Hal Jordan and Optimus Prime are appearing at birthday celebrations and special events on a weekly basis.

Cinema buffs and fancy dress fans alike can also look forward to the release of Captain America: The First Avenger (July 29), The Smurfs (August 10), Conan The Barbarian (August 26) and The Three Musketeers (October 14). And with the latest Batman and Superman films set to come out in 2012, Howcroft is expecting the boom in superhero fancy dress costumes to continue for some time.

Paul Howcroft added: "It's a really exciting next 12 months or so for film fans in general, particularly for those people with a passing interest in comic books and action-packed movies. There's certainly plenty of extra inspiration now for anyone wondering what to go as to an upcoming novelty party or themed occasion - from Captain Jack Sparrow to Papa Smurf and Captain America to the ever-popular alter egos of Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent."

SOURCE Fancydressball.co.uk