Boy wizard has Tokyo date before London premiere

TOKYO, May 23 (Reuters) Japanese journalists and film critics will get their first glimpse of the latest ''Harry Potter'' film in Tokyo on June 28, five days before the movie's official world premiere in London, Warner Bros said.

The Tokyo event, which is open to Japanese media only, will feature an appearance by British actor Daniel Radcliffe, who stars as the broomstick-flying boy wizard, a studio spokeswoman said yesterday.

''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,'' the fifth film in a blockbuster series based on the best-selling books by British author J.K. Rowling, is due to open commercially in the United States on July 13.

The first four big-screen adaptations have grossed more than 3.5 billion dollar combined at the worldwide box office, making it one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.

''Order of the Phoenix'' gets its formal world premiere in London on July 3. The timing of the Japanese premiere, five days earlier, is merely coincidental, according to the Time Warner Inc.-owned studio.

''It just worked out that way,'' the spokeswoman said.

By contrast, the Tokyo world premiere last month of another highly anticipated movie sequel, Sony Corp.'s ''Spider-Man 3,'' was seen as a shrewd push into the fast-growing international market that could help boost box-office revenues.

The seventh and final book in the ''Harry Potter'' series, ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,'' will go on sale on July 21, and the sixth installment in the film franchise, ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,'' is slated for release in November 2008.

REUTERS KK PM0533