Worldwide premiere of 'Harry Potter' set for Japan

Photo: Worldwide premiere of 'Harry Potter' set for Japan

Worldwide premiere of 'Harry Potter' set for Japan

The World premiere of the fifth film about Harry Potter will take place in Tokyo on Jube, 28, Warner Bros. Entertainment's Japan unit said Tuesday, the latest in a growing string of Hollywood product to debut in this country.

Actor Daniel Radcliffe, who plays teen wizard Harry Potter, is slated to attend the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Warner Entertainment Japan said on its Web site.

"Order of the Phoenix," the fifth film in the franchise based on J.K. Rowling's best-selling novels, is scheduled to have its London premiere on July 3, followed by that in Los Angeles on July 8, the company said.

The movie is scheduled for release in the U.S. on July 13, and opens to general audiences in Japan on July 21.

The "Potter" film comes on the heels of the latest installment of the Spider-Man series, which premiered in Tokyo last month, and the film version of the best-selling novel "Memoirs of a Geisha," which debuted here in 2005.

International demand for film has become more important for American studios in recent years, which are making more money from the overseas box office than they do from the U.S. take, and even more from DVD sales, which are international in scope.