WEASLEY TWINS BRING MAGIC TO MEDIOCRE IN HARRY POTTER EXHIBITION
James and Oliver Phelps, the English actors who played Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, received a warm welcome from fans as they attended the opening of the Harry Potter exhibition in Bangkok on Sunday morning.
Some Potterheads showed up in Hogwarts robes, while others traveled from as far as Sri Lanka to meet the actors that portrayed their childhood favorite characters. But Siam Paragon, the mall that hosted the “Harry Potter: Christmas in the Wizarding World” received mixed feedback from fans who expected much more from the heavily-promoted event.
Some opinions said the Harry Potter exhibition doesn’t do justice to the large fandom of the book series. Aside from the fact that the Butterbeer shop wasn’t finished in time for the opening, a view from the top showed how the crowd had to squeeze through the narrow space. Some people reportedly had to wait as long as two hours although they paid an extra THB100 (US$3) to reserve their entry online.
Many sarcastically ranted out to the Ministry of Magic (the government that runs the wizard world in the books). “The public relations heavily promoted the event as if it was held at Paragon Hall [the event hall in the mall]. I’ll notify the Ministry of Magic about this!” said a comment that had nearly 300 likes. “What does the Ministry of Magic think about this event? The muggles overtly promoted it, but the event is actually smaller than the Burrow,” wrote Twitter user @magic_thai .
Could it be that part of the event is hidden by magic? “Seeing the exhibition…I think they may have cast a spell to conceal the event. Outsiders see a small exhibition, but for magical people, it’s larger than Hogwarts,” wrote Twitter user @_KayAlynn.
Either ways, a Coconuts reporter who went to the opening thinks the exhibition is worth a visit if you plan to buy merchandise, but be realistic and note that it’s just a pop-up store at the mall. So the experience won’t be as magical as a visit to the Harry Potter zone at the Universal Studios. Source: Coconuts Bangkok
