‘Harry Potter’ attracts kids of all ages

The summer movie season hit full stride with the release of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

Green Valley fans of all ages are flying to the movies to see the latest chronicles of the famed boy wizard.

At Friday’s afternoon showing at the Desert Sky Cinema, there was barely a seat to spare. If you looked around, you might be surprised to see that Potter mania has no age limit.

Zac Carney, 13, and Steven Knight, 14, are eighth-graders at Sahuarita Middle School and even though they haven’t read any of the books, they’re huge fans of the cinematic series.

“I’ve seen all of them and they’re all good, but this one is supposed to be the best because it’s the darkest,” Knight exclaimed.

Carney was also looking forward to the sinister turn Harry’s adventures take this time.

“This one’s not going to be boring at all because there’s a war in it,” he said.

Two hours and 20 minutes later, the crowd was abuzz with post-Potter excitement.

Zach Henesy, 13, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the young sorcerer — with glasses to boot — brought the whole family along for his Potter fix. Henesy has read all of the books and had a twinkle in his eye after seeing the latest adaptation.

“I really enjoyed this one! We all really liked it,” he said.

Dan Gnau, who represents the other side of the Potter appreciation spectrum, brought his wife Kitty to see the fifth flick — and they wore the same smile all the kids did as they walked out of the theater.

“It was an awesome film,” Gnau said.

Seems like the rest of the country agrees. “Order of the Phoenix” took in $44.8 million in its first day, the best single-day gross ever for a Wednesday opening.

“I loved it — I’m just a kid at heart,” Gnau said.

amackey@gvnews.com