The first Harry Potter movie shares its name with the first book, and is called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The film was released as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States and India, as in these countries, the novel was released under that name. The movie is directed by Christopher Columbus and was released worldwide in November 2001.
The film (and the seven that follow) star Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley - and was an immediate success, popular with parents and children alike. It also generated a huge amount of media interest and hype, particularly among those familiar with the novel.
As of March 2012, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the thirteenth-highest grossing film of all time, and the second-highest grossing Harry Potter film, behind the final film in the series (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2).
It is thought that the movie release also helped boost sales of merchandise and Harry Potter paraphernalia, for which there is now a global market. Harry Potter items include notebooks, video games, food items from the Harry Potter Universe (including Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts's Every Flavour Beans), clothing, home furnishings, and Halloween novelties such as costumes and broomsticks.
