While most Thai movies failed to rake in the profits in 2017, it would be unfair to call it a bad year for the industry. Hope of regaining our position on the regional stage came with the international success of the GDH film “Chalard Games Gong” (“Bad Genius”), which not only wowed our neighbours in Asean but won the hearts of moviegoers in the notoriously tough Chinese market, grossing Bt1.13 billion in box office takings.

A clever caper centred on a group of straight-A students who dream up a scheme to cheat in the international exam by using different time zones, picked up Bt112.5 million at the local box office, making it the highest scorer of the year.

Two other movies also proved successful at home – “Mr Hurt” and “Som Phak Sian” – both of which earned more than Bt100 million. The former gave new hope to indie studio Transformation after a series of flops, leading the company to announce four new movie projects. The first of these, “Premika Paa Rab”, hit cinemas yesterday.

In another first for Thai cinema, Thanwarin Sukhaphisit’s 2010 drama “Insects In the Backyard” finally opened at a mainstream cinema. Banned under the provisions of the 2008 Film Act for its subject matter – two teenagers being raised by their transvestite father – Thanwarin battled in the courts for seven years to get the ban lifted.

It wasn’t a very good year for veteran producer Visute Poolvoralaks, who walked away from GTH to set up his own company T Moment. His debut release, the comedy “Oversize Talai Phung”, failed to stir up much excitement and left the big screen even more quietly than when it arrived. The studios other projects seem to be on hold but movie buffs will be hoping this changes in 2018.

And speaking of 2018, the programme for the year is all set to kick off with the animation “9 Satra” (“The Legend of Muay Thai”), a strange blend of computer game, movie and animation that combines Thai kick boxing with action fantasy. It centres on a lad trained in muay thai who takes the powerful weapon known as 9 Satra to the prince in order to protect their land and take down a monster. Film fans are already speculating whether a local anime can complete with topstandard animations from Hollywood and Japan.

Also coming up next month is “Rak Kham Luad” by veteran TV drama director Marut Sarowat. It’s about a transvestite showgirl who wants a perfect family like other women.

February will see the homecoming of two Thai movies that have been earning rave reviews and accolades from international festivals. First up is Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s long-awaited opus “Samui Song”, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. Being released here as “Mai Me Samui Samrab Ther”, it tells the story of Viyada (Chermarn Boonyasak), a famous actress who is married to Jerome (Stephane Sednaoui), a devout disciple of a strange cult led by “The Holy One” (Vithaya Pansringarm). When Viyada decides she can no longer stay in her marriage, she hires Guy (David Asavanond), a mysterious man with a sick mother to kill him. From there the story takes several strange turns, but the thrust, according to Pen-ek, is an examination of the identity of women in Thai society.

Also opening in February is “Malila” (“The Farewell Flower”), Anucha Boonyawatana’s award-winning film that won her Best Director at the Singapore International Film Festival and Best Film at the Busan International and Golden Horse festivals.

The film, which opens on February 15, has Sukollawat Kanaros and Anuchyd Sapanphong in the roles of Shane and the terminally ill Pitch, two men reunited after years apart. The second part of the film focuses on Shane’s spiritual redemption through Buddhism.

Another Thai filmmaker flying high on international circuit is cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, who is winning media attention for his work on the hit gay drama “Call Me By Your Name”. Already nominated for best cinematography at the Independent Spirit Awards and likely to earn more nods as awards season marches on, Sayombhu worked with Apichatphong Weerasethakhul on several of his full-length features including his debut “Dokfah Nai Mue Man” (“Mysterious Object at Noon”) and “Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Life”, which won the Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. He was also behind the camera for Kongdej Jaturanrasame’s “Cherm” (“Midnight My Love”).

Known for his refusal to shoot movies in digital format, he has moved on to international productions including the Portuguese-French outing “Arabian Nights”.

Next year he will return to work on the Thai film “Nakhee 2”, a sequel to the hit TV drama of the same name. Phongpat Wachirabanjong, who directed the TV series and who worked with Sayombhu on “Me Myself” and “Happy Birthday”, is back at the helm for “Nakhee 2”.

The movie version replaces the TV protagonists Nattaporn Temeeruka and Phupoom “Ken” Phongpanu with Nadech Kugimiya and Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund – a couple in real life too – but fans of the drama are casting doubt whether the pair can pull it off.

“Nakhee 2” won’t be the only challenge TV actress Yaya is facing in 2018. She is also slated to star in the GDH romantic comedy with the working title of “Brother & Sister”. Vithaya Thongyooyong directs and Sunny Suwanmethanont and Nichkhun Horvejkun of Korean boy band 2PM also star.

GDH apparently has another two movie projects in hand though no announcement has yet been made and Sahamongkol Film Company is likewise keeping mum, though it is almost certain that the sequel to the action fantasy “Khun Phan”, currently being filmed, will be in cinemas sometime in the next few months.

Poj Anon, one of Thailand’s most productive directors, put a brake on his projects after his latest film “Kad Krachak Grean” (“Zombie Fighters”) drew little interest.

In 2018, his first release will be “Luang Pee Jazz 5G”, a sequel to the successful 2016 outing “Luang Pee Jazz 4G”. But the film appears to have problems before it even comes out. The music video complete with clips from the movie were recently released and annoyed many people by showing footage of a mother and son whose bad behaviour after being stopped for a traffic violation went viral and annoyed everyone who saw it. The two are appearing in the film and this time will be seen haranguing a monk. Their inclusion has led to several people deciding to boycott the film and urging others to do the same.

The eighth installment of the blockbuster space saga topped the charts in North America for a second week, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations, pulling in $99 million from Friday through Monday to rack up total earnings of $395.6 million since it opened last weekend.

Christmas week is traditionally a time when studios flood the screens with new releases, and the Star Wars epic was trailed by three new films.

In second place was the Dwayne Johnson family adventure “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” which made $55.4 million for Sony over the same four-day period.

“Pitch Perfect 3,” which follows the continuing adventures of glee singers the Bellas, led by Anna Kendrick, was in third, earning $26.5 million for Universal.

That was followed by “The Greatest Showman,” a musical in which Hugh Jackman plays the legendary circus impresario PT Barnum. That earned $14 million.

Animated feature “Ferdinand,” the story of a pacifist bull forced to face down the greatest bullfighter in the world, was fifth. It netted four-day receipts of $9.6 million in the United States and Canada in its second week.

Rounding out the top ten were:

“Coco” ($8.1 million)

“Downsizing” ($7.6 million)

“Darkest Hour” ($5.5 million)

“Father Figures” ($5.4 million)

“The Shape of Water” ($4.3 million)

I’ve always been fond of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam, but I had never fully appreciated its charms until earlier this month when an invitation from cable and satellite TV provider True Corporation to view the filming locations of its new series, “Sri Ayodhaya” coincided with the chance to attend the “Yor Yos Ying Fah: Ayutthaya World Heritage Fair 2017”.

The fair, which includes a magnificent nightly light & sound show at Wat Maha That in honour of five kings of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and a retro market in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Historical Park, doesn’t wrap until tomorrow night so there’s still time to make the easy journey from Bangkok and drink in the atmosphere of Old Siam. This year, the fair is even more special because it also celebrates the 16th anniversary of Unesco’s declaration of the park as a World Heritage Site.

The series, directed by ML Pundhevanop “Mom Noi” Dhewakul, has been largely filmed at three main locations in the town, namely Wat Phra Khao, Sala Ayutthaya Hotel, and Chantharakasem National Museum. Other locations for the lavish production include Mueang Boran in Samut Prakan, King Naresuan Movie Studio at Surasi Military Camp in Kanchanaburi, and the Victory Gate in Nakhon Pathom.

Set during the reign of King Phrachaoyuhua Borommakot in the second quarter of the eighteenth century when art, literature, and learning flourished, it takes viewers through the fall of Ayutthaya nine years after his death to the liberation of Siam from Burmese occupation during the reign of Taksin the Great, who established the city of Thonburi as the new capital in 1767. The aim of the series, True says, is to instil a passion and love among Thais for their country and appreciation for their ancestors who sacrificed their lives to protect this country.

The story is told through the attitudes of four present day characters, among them Ananda Everingham who portrays a lecturer in archaeology Dr Pimarn Katiyamongkol and his former incarnation Phra Pimarn Sathan Mongkol. Jiravich Pongpaijit doubles as singer Wayu Kriengkrairit and Chao Fah Suthat Khattiyarajakumarn; Rudklao Amratisha is history lecturer Asst Prof ML Puangkaew Uthaiwong and Krom Muen Pimolsak, and Arnuttaphol Sirichomsaeng plays archaeologist Dr Arkom Pongayuth and Luang Krai Chanrit.

“It is the biggest project we have done to date in terms of production and cinematography and it brings together a leading director and well-known performers. A lot of work has gone into each of the 20 episodes,” Birathon Kasemsri na Ayudhaya, executive assistant to the chief executive and chief content & media officer of True Corporation.

“The investment has also been considerable given the production’s size and standard, which is on par with any European or American historical series. Our aim is to show it to a wider market and we are planning to sell our series to several countries, not only in Asia.”

This mega project was in fact launched two years ago as an intended tribute to His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej on his 90th birthday. But following the King’s death in October 2016, it was remodelled as a commemoration of the late monarch and to honour his successor, His Majesty Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, King Rama X.

“We have so much video footage of this series that we are able to to edit several versions, such as the director’s cut, which will bring the viewers the behind-the-scene stories of the series. It now runs for 90 minutes but the director’s cut would extend it to two hours. We would make an international version with a one-hour format. The American version would be different from the version destined for Europe because of the differences in taste and culture. In addition to an English-language version, we are planning to sell the series dubbed in Chinese, Korean and Japanese. Some themes would be created to match foreigners’ tastes, such as crossovers from another dimensions,” Birathon adds.

True Corporation is also marketing the series through eight premium royal blend coffees each based on eight of the characters in the series.

“The Noble” representing Phra Pimarn Sathan Mongkol is mixed with cinnamon stick and honey, “The Prince” (Chao Fah Suthat Khattiyarajakumarn) is made with milky coconut and bee pollen, while “The Knight” (Luang Krai Chanrit) boasts aloe vera and lemon honey, and “The King” (Phra Chao Ekathat, played by Nopachai Chaiyanam) has bael fruit.

Also on offer are “The Empress” (Phra Pan Wassa Noi, portrayed by Sinjai Plengpanich), which is blended with jasmine, “The Queen” (Krom Muen Pimolsak) with chrysanthemum, “The Princess” (Somdej Chao Fah Rujja Thewi played by Pimdao Panichsamai) with rose petals, and “The Angel” (Busababan, played by Khemanit Jamikorn) with lotus and fragrant candle.

“This premium royal blend coffee is centred on the leading characters of ‘Sri Ayodhaya’. We have blended beans from Brazil and Ethiopia with locally grown coffee and added other ingredients that we feel best relate to the personalities of the characters. Phra Pimarn is proficient at war and singing sepha so his coffee drink is mixed with honey to depict his smooth vocals and a cinnamon stick that represents a sword. Chao Fah Suthat is an innocent and that is portrayed through milky coconut and bee pollen, while Busababan, who works hard to maintain Thai tradition, has a coffee mixed with lotus and fragrant candle,” explains Nathathai Chumkuntod, chief operating officer of Class Coffee.

Tune in and enjoy

– “Ayodhaya a Film Series” airs on True 4U Channel 24 every Monday and Tuesday from 8pm to 9.30pm as well as True Asian Series HD, True Thai Film, True Film Asia, TNN2 HD, SD Channel 75, and True Plook Panya.

An online petition demanding the dumping of his cameo in 2018 heist movie “Ocean’s 8” has nearly reached its goal of 17,000 signatures — signed by more than 16,620 supporters by late afternoon New York time Thursday.

Critics say his inclusion would be particularly galling given its status as an all female reboot of the popular franchise, starring Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter.

The petition calls on “Oceans 8” producers George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, “to toss Damon’s Oceans 8 cameo where it belongs: on the cutting room floor.”

It alleges that he “enabled” Harvey Weinstein’s conduct by trying to squash a New York Times report in 2004 that detailed instances where the now fallen Hollywood mogul exploited his status as a studio executive to harass and assault women.

Damon denied trying to bury the story and claimed he had no idea of the allegations against Weinstein, who helped catapult him into an international household name.

The actor also came under fire last week, for telling ABC News that there was a “spectrum of behavior” and a “difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?”

His long-time friend, Ben Affleck, with whom he shared an Oscar for best screenplay over 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting” and Affleck’s actor brother Casey, have also been accused publicly in recent months of sexual misconduct.

“This behavior is beyond enabling — it’s just gross. Matt Damon should not be in this movie,” said the petition.

“Damon’s inclusion would trivialize the serious nature of the charges against sexual abusers like Weinstein,” and “show massive disrespect” to women speaking out, it said.

Harvard-educated Damon, 47, is the father of four daughters, including a child from a previous relationship of his wife.

“Ocean’s 8” is scheduled for release in June 2018 and tells of an attempted heist at New York’s annual Met Gala, one of the hottest tickets in the celebrity universe.

The film directed by Rian Johnson — which features the late Carrie Fisher’s final performance as Princess Leia — took in $220 million in North America, and another $230.8 million overseas, a Disney spokesman said.

It was the fifth biggest global box office debut in history, the company said.

It was also the second biggest opening in US history and in December — only behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” — the opener of the saga’s sequel trilogy that took $248 million on its debut weekend.

“The Last Jedi” sees the return of the characters introduced in “The Force Awakens” — with Rey (Daisy Ridley) looking to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to teach her about The Force.

One of the film’s key draws for fans is to find out the fate of Leia. Fisher died in December 2016 at the age of 60, shortly after wrapping up filming her scenes.

In November, Disney — which acquired Lucasfilm five years ago — announced plans for a new “Star Wars” trilogy, the fourth, as well as a live-action television series.

“We have big ambitions for the Star Wars franchise,” Disney chief executive Robert Iger said at the time.

Johnson, who directed “The Last Jedi,” will develop the new films.

“Star Wars” — the brain child of George Lucas — has grown into the most lucrative and influential movie franchise of all time since the original film was released in 1977.

– Animated films take second, third place –

In second place at the North American box office was “Ferdinand,” a computer-animated comedy about a bull with a big heart often mistaken for a dangerous beast, which took $13.4 million on what was also its debut weekend, according to final industry figures.

Last weekend’s number one “Coco,” a colorful Pixar movie about Mexico’s Day of the Dead traditions, dropped down to third place with $9.9 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.

It has now earned $150.7 million in North America since its release four weeks ago.

Feel-good film “Wonder” starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay — the story of a determined fifth-grade boy with a facial deformity who must deal with bullying — slid to fourth place, taking in $5.2 million.

Warner Bros. superhero film “Justice League” — featuring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman and Jason Momoa as Aquaman, plus Ciaran Hinds as a supervillain — fell to fifth with $4.3 million.

Rounding out the top ten were:

“Daddy’s Home 2” ($3.8 million)

“Thor: Ragnarok” ($3.1 million)

“The Disaster Artist” ($2.7 million)

“Murder On The Orient Express” ($2.5 million)

“Lady Bird” ($2.1 million)

Mark Hamill returns to his famous role Luke Skywalker and chatted with journalists about the new film.

Excerpts:

Where do we find Luke at the start of the film?

It’s a direct continuation of The Force Awakens, so the final moment is the first time you see him in The Last Jedi. It’s very ambiguous. Rey offers him the lightsabre, and he just stares at her, interminably.

What is Luke’s relationship to Rey?

It seems to be an obsession for people to want to know what the relationships are and that’s understandable. So much of the previous stories have to do with lineage: who’s your father, who’s your surprise sister, who’s your mother. In this, it’s broken down a little bit.

What do they think of each other and learn from one another?

Rey has based her assessment of Luke on this great mythology that’s been built up. At some point, people doubt he’s a real person. Because of the gravity of the situation, the urgency of the situation, she doesn’t have the luxury of getting to know him and relax and exchange ideas. She needs him and wants to enlist his help and abilities towards her cause. And, that’s the conflict. Luke’s in a much different place than we’ve ever seen him in before.

He’s disillusioned. He’s turned off the Force and renounced the idea of the Jedi order. It was unexpected for me as an actor. My character always represented hope and optimism. And now, here I am pessimistic, disillusioned and demoralised.

What was it like to walk back into the Millennium Falcon?

It was bittersweet. Everywhere you looked, these memories come flooding back. It’s like going to your old high school or the house you lived in sixth grade. The detail’s absolutely perfect. It’s just as I remember it. I climbed up and down the ladder, got in the hold where we stowed away and sat in the cockpit with my grown children and wife. Later I slipped away and got really choked up. This is a moment, and it’ll be gone.

Talk about the director, Rian Johnson

Every so often you meet someone like Rian who has such a passion for film and television and pop culture, and is so gifted a filmmaker. And he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He’d be a friend of mine even if we didn’t work together. I had this instant connection with him. He came over to my house to get to know me, and we hung out and talked about this and that and the other, and the movie to a certain extent. I invited him into my den where all the toys are, and he saw my DVDs, model kits, puppets and Beatles memorabilia. He was looking at my DVDs, so I said asked him if he had ever seen “Sergeant Bilko” and if he wanted to watch it. It’s one of my favourite pieces of film comedy. I wouldn’t ask just anyone into my den to watch “Sergeant Bilko,” but Rian has a golden ticket in my book.

What was it like to work with him on set?

I trust him. There’s no one more deserving of trust than Rian Johnson. Rian in so many words said stop acting and just be. If you look at his movies, each is different than the last. You can’t pigeonhole him and say, that’s the kind of film he makes. That’s what will happen with The Last Jedi. It’s so different in many ways, subtle ways, than the other Episodes, and yet it is satisfying in delivering what the fans want to see as well.

Do you have a favourite Star Wars memory?

There are so many that I can’t single one out. I really looked forward so much to doing the Cantina sequence. It’s an experience I’d never forget. The Cantina sequence, swinging across with the Princess. We were in harnesses and flown by the people who developed that system to fly Peter Pan. In the old days you could just swing back and forth. In 1953 for the Broadway production of “Peter Pan,” the Jerome Robins one with Mary Martin, they developed a system where you could go back and forth, but also another way. It takes two operators, which is a great skill because you have to be in complete sync. So, we’re both in harnesses; they hooked us together, and we did the swing across. So much fun. I was ready to do it again, but they had four cameras and got it in one take. Everything else takes five, six, seven takes. I was so disappointed. Someone said, “You really want to fly? Unhook him from Carrie.” They flew me all around the set. It’s the closest to playing Peter Pan I’ll ever get. Of course George Lucas was appalled because I’m a commodity. I smack into the wall like Wiley E. Coyote and slide down. He said, “No, no, get him down.” It’s those kinds of moments.

It’s just one after another. I loved all this adventure as a child anyway and to have this amalgamation of all these films—westerns, WWII movies, cowboys, pirate movies—all mushed together in this new way day after day was wonderful. I couldn’t believe I got to do it. Is there one moment? No. There are a million moments.

The latest instalment of the epic space opera was bettered only by 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the first movie in the saga’s sequel trilogy which took $248 million on its debut weekend and a total gross of $937 million.

But despite a “certified fresh” rating of 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and lofty comparisons to “The Empire Strikes Back,” widely seen as the best film in the franchise, 95,000 movie-goers were less enthused, bestowing it a 56 percent average that was colder than the ice planet Hoth.

The numbers could still converge, but the discrepancy so far is unusual.

By comparison, “The Force Awakens” received a 93 percent critic score and 88 percent audience rating, while 2016 spin-off “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” got 85 and 87 percent respectively.

“The Last Jedi” sees the return of the characters introduced in J.J. Abrams’s first entry in the rebooted trilogy, and is also the last outing for character Leia Organa, played by Carrie Fisher, who died last December.

Box office figures are a poor measure of a film’s popularity compared to older releases because they do not take inflation into account.

“The Last Jedi” was followed in second place by “Ferdinand,” a computer-animated comedy about a bull with a big heart often mistaken for a dangerous beast, which took $13 million on what was also its debut weekend.

Last weekend’s number one “Coco,” a colorful Pixar movie set in Mexico, was beat out to third place with $10 million.

It has now earned $150.8 million in North America since its release four weeks ago, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Feel-good film “Wonder” starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay slid to fourth, taking $5.4 million.

The movie tells the story of a determined fifth-grade boy with a facial deformity who must deal with rudeness and bullying by schoolmates.

Warner Bros. superhero film “Justice League,” featuring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman and Jason Momoa as Aquaman, plus Ciaran Hinds as a supervillain, fell to fifth with $4.2 million.

The figures from Exhibitor Relations are industry projections released prior to the conclusion of the weekend.

Rounding out the top ten were:

“Daddy’s Home 2” ($3.8 million)

“Thor: Ragnarok” ($2.9 million)

“The Disaster Artist” ($2.6 million)

“Murder On The Orient Express” ($2.5 million)

“Lady Bird” ($2.1 million)

“We are thrilled that Larry will be back with his uniquely acerbic wit and comedic sensibility,” said Bloys.

And Larry David added:  “As I’ve said many times, when one has the opportunity to annoy someone, one should do so.”

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” has just received two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (Larry David) and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Debuting on HBO in 2001 and presenting 90 episodes to date, “Seinfeld” co-creator David plays an over-the-top version of himself in an unsparing but tongue-in-cheek depiction of his fictionalised life.

Season nine brought back series veterans Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove, Cheryl Hines, Richard Lewis, Bob Einstein, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.

The latest season is also streaming on HBO GO via AIS PLAY and AIS PLAYBOX.

The brothers have brought to Bangkok the holiday spirit from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in a touring exhibition featuring magical experiences from the film, which will run from today until March 2.

It has been over 10 years since the last Harry Potter book was published, and six years since the final film in the series. Since then, the now 31-year-old English actors have grown up and ditched their red hair, but they were both happy to take a walk down memory lane to revisit their wizarding days.

They told The Nation that they had been looking forward to coming to Thailand since they heard about the project a year ago.

“We feel lucky to be here. This is very different – you won’t see it anywhere else,” said Oliver of the themed retail experience.

“This is a massive world that essentially makes you feel like you are in Hogsmeade [the wizards’ village]. You can go into Ollivanders’ wand shop and have the wand experience,” said James. “It’s not you choosing the wand, the wand chooses you – just as in the film. So anything like that is a unique experience [for Thailand]. Normally you’d have to travel very far to get this.

“Even when you line up to come in, there are a lot of things going on. The windows are moving and you can interact with them.”

James also said he was especially impressed with one fan’s reaction yesterday when they were exploring the city. “She called me James, not even Fred. She said ‘Welcome to Thailand’ and smiled.”

The holiday exhibition also features the newest Harry Potter-themed retail experience, which is reminiscent of the atmosphere of wintry Hogsmeade village and Diagon Alley, the fictional London shopping street for wizards.

Complete with an extensive wand assortment, film-inspired window displays and interactive elements for muggles, Wizarding World is certain to be a hit with fans of JK Rowling’s magical creations.

The exhibition has been brought to Bangkok by Warner Bros Consumer Products and international exhibition organiser GES.

“Christmas in the Wizarding World is very special here because it is the only one in Asia. The other one is in the United States,” said Robin Stapley, vice president of design and creative for GES.

“There is such an amazing fan base for Harry Potter here – and we have been around the world. We’ve recreated the magical settings of Hogsmeade and the snow experience, so they can experience this innovative environment inspired by Harry Potter.”

Along with Ollivanders Wand Shop, which is outfitted with soaring shelves of hundreds of precariously stacked wands boxes, there are also recreations of Honeydukes sweet shop, Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, and Dervish and Banges, which sells magical instruments. Also on sale are Hogwarts school robes, fan-favourite plush owls and other themed merchandise. 

Other activities include a memorable photo opportunity, featuring a selection of background options from the “Harry Potter” films as well as an interactive “quaffle toss” game, where guests can score a goal amid a colourful display of Quidditch-themed items.

Entry is free, but space is limited. Customers can avoid queuing and reserve a specific entry time by paying a pre-booking service fee of Bt100.