Potter Conjures up Huge Interest in Themed Fancy-Dress Costumes

HALIFAX, England, July 8, 2011 -

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 href="www.fancydressball.co.uk/">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 href="www.fancydressball.co.uk/70s-fancy-dress.htm">70s
fancy dressand href="www.fancydressball.co.uk/80s-fancy-dress.htm">80s
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.”

Paul Howcroft, paulh at fancydressball.co.uk, +44(0)1422-256-318