Year Began: 2001
Number of Entries: 8
As the sun set on July 14, thousands across the country lined up to wait hours for the midnight opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It was a joyously sad occasion for those who couldn’t wait for the conclusion but dreaded saying goodbye to their old friends. In 2000, the then virtually unknown actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, were cast in the first Harry Potter film. Eleven years — and eight movies — later, the still youthful troupe are some of the best-known actors in the world. And the franchise, with more than $6 billion in box-office sales, is the highest-grossing film series of all time.
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