Harry Potter Star Tom Felton Casts a Magical Spell on Fans to Unveil Exclusive New Products at Hot Topic Stores Nationwide

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Last night, Harry Potter star Tom Felton hosted a special, one-time fan event in Paramus, New Jersey, to introduce an exclusive, new line of products in support of the highly anticipated film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from Warner Bros Pictures. Felton, who plays Harry’s arch rival Draco Malfoy in the film series, visited the Hot Topic store at the Garden State Plaza and participated in a VIP signing for 750 lucky fans who purchased the special-edition Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince T-shirt. The signing was followed by a public Q&A session with Felton, hosted by noted Harry Potter fan sites. Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP), along with its prominent retail partner, Hot Topic (Nasdaq:HOTT) teamed up to orchestrate this landmark fan event.

“It was an incredible experience and thanks to Hot Topic, it was an evening that hundreds of loyal fans will never forget.”

Prior to last night’s festivities, Hot Topic gave fans the opportunity to own a limited-edition Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince T-shirt, which was available exclusively at the Hot Topic store at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. Subsequently, all 750 available shirts for the event quickly sold out. Additionally, Hot Topic stores nationwide have now introduced a number of new products inspired by the film.

The magic really begins with special midnight showings of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in theaters nationwide on the night of Tuesday, July 14, with the regular theatre engagement beginning Wednesday, July 15, 2009. The sixth installment of the highly successful film franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince reunites Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) as they prepare for the battle that lies ahead. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also features other returning key characters, including Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter), Professor Snape (Alan Rickman), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). The film also introduces Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent).

“The fans are bursting with anticipation for the latest Harry Potter film and we were thrilled to be able to have Tom Felton meet so many of them at this exclusive event,” said Karen McTier, Executive Vice President of Domestic Licensing and Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “It was an incredible experience and thanks to Hot Topic, it was an evening that hundreds of loyal fans will never forget.”

As part of the retail program in support of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, each of the 679 Hot Topic stores across the United States are featuring Harry Potter window store-front displays and merchandise boutiques, offering the widest selection of Harry Potter products, including hoodies, T-shirts, wallets, messenger bags, accessories and more.

“Based on the fans’ reaction to last night’s event, Harry Potter mania is clearly on the rise as we approach the upcoming release of the sixth film in the series,” said Betsy McLaughlin, CEO, Hot Topic. “We were thrilled to host Tom Felton and collaborate with Warner Bros. Consumer Products.”

About Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Emboldened by the return of Lord Voldemort, the Death Eaters are wreaking havoc in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that new dangers may lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter film franchise based on the beloved novels by J.K. Rowling. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson return in the roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film also stars Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Helen McCrory, Julie Walters and Bonnie Wright.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. David Heyman and David Barron produced the film, with Lionel Wigram serving as executive producer and John Trehy co-producing.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. This film has been rated PG by the MPAA for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.

For downloadable press materials on this film, please visit: http://press.warnerbros.com and for downloadable film clips and other EPK materials please visit: www.epk.tv.

www.harrypotter.com

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About Hot Topic

Hot Topic, Inc. is a mall and web based specialty retailer operating the Hot Topic and Torrid concepts, as well as the e-space music discovery concept, ShockHound. Hot Topic offers music/pop culture-licensed and music/pop culture-influenced apparel, accessories, music and gift items for young men and women principally between the ages of 12 and 22. Torrid offers apparel, lingerie, shoes and accessories designed for various lifestyles for plus-size females principally between the ages of 15 and 29. ShockHound (www.shockhound.com) is a one-stop, genre-spanning music website where people of all ages can purchase MP3s and music merchandise, share their music interests and read music news and editorial content. As of May 30, 2009, the company operated 679 Hot Topic stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, 157 Torrid stores, and Internet stores www.hottopic.com, www.torrid.com and www.shockhound.com.

(s09)

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