Read more at our Harry Potter homepage Watch an exclusive clip from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Record demand for new Harry Potter JK Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe will today be joined by an array of stars at the European premiere of the new Harry Potter film. A fan waits in Leicester Square The premiere of the eagerly anticipated Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is being held at the Odeon, Leicester Square and the Empire Leicester Square, London. The fifth of JK Rowling's seven-story blockbuster, the 200 million film installment was released to much speculation.

Early screenings in Chicago and Los Angeles hinted that screenwriter Michael Goldenberg (Contact, Peter Pan) has cut large chunks from the 870-page book but retained the basic plot, which sees Harry Potter becoming a resistance fighter against the repressive Ministry of Magic, with the support of Dumbledore's Army, a group of rebellious Hogwarts teens. This time, as well as the evil Lord Voldemort, Death Eaters and the sinister Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), the young wizard has new villains to battle, notably the demented witch Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and Dolores Umbridge (the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher), played by Oscar-nominated actress Imelda Staunton. Harry Potter-mania has reached frenzied heights in recent days as fans around the world swamped Amazon by pre-ordering nearly 1.

6 million copies of the final Harry Potter book. High global demand has already made Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows the online retailer's most pre-ordered product ever.