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title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Has Sold 4 Million Copies
description: In the first week after its release, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child sold more than 4 million copies in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
canonical: https://time.com/4446736/harry-potter-cursed-child-4-million-copies/
author: Sarah Begley
article:opinion: true
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article:published_time: 2016-08-10T16:44:19.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:16.093Z
article:section: Ideas
og:title: 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Has Already Sold 4 Million Copies
og:description: And that's just the print editions
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og:image:alt: ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' at bookstores
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twitter:description: And that's just the print editions
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5118a1df121a72a6/6988a1dabc6cfcae0e3de333/harry-potter-cursed-child.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# _Harry Potter and the Cursed Child_ Has Already Sold 4 Million Copies

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## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ

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Source: TIME, August 2026.

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| Metric | Value | Source |
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| Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 |
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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yytta6aH.m3u8" -->
## Video: Watch Fans Wait In Anticipation At The "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" Preview

[Watch (HLS stream): Watch Fans Wait In Anticipation At The "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" Preview](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yytta6aH.m3u8) (0:59)

![Watch Fans Wait In Anticipation At The "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" Preview](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/yytta6aH/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2016-06-08_


by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Aug 10, 2016 4:44 PM UTC

![''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' at bookstores](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5118a1df121a72a6/6988a1dabc6cfcae0e3de333/harry-potter-cursed-child.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Copies of British author J.K. Rowling's latest book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, on display at a bookstore in New York, United States on August 3, 2016.

Copies of British author J.K. Rowling's latest book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, on display at a bookstore in New York, United States on August 3, 2016. Volkan Furuncu—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Aug 10, 2016 4:44 PM UTC

[_Harry Potter and the Cursed Child_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1338099132/?tag=timecom-20) may not have had the same level of hype as the seventh book in J.K. Rowling’s series, [_Harry Potter and the_ _Deathly Hallows_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0545139708/?tag=timecom-20), but by any measure, the script-book’s release has been a massive commercial success: in the first week after its release, it sold more than [4 million copies](http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2016/08/10/harry-potter-cursed-child-sales/) in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

Scholastic published _Cursed Child_ in hardcover in the U.S. and Canada, and has sold 3.3 million copies. Little, Brown published the script, which is by Jack Thorne based on a story by himself, Rowling and director John Tiffany, in the U.K., where it has sold almost 850,000 copies. Sales figures have not yet been made available for the e-book format, which was published by Pottermore, Rowling’s digital platform.

According to the Wall Street _Journal_, the new book has even worked as a kind of [Resurrection Stone](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Resurrection%5FStone) for previous Rowling volumes: This week’s bestseller list also includes [_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/059035342X/?tag=timecom-20) and [_The Tales of Beedle the Bard_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0545128285/?tag=timecom-20), a companion book to the series.

\[[_WSJ_](http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2016/08/10/harry-potter-cursed-child-sales/)\]


## Transcript

[ MUSIC ] That was my childhood, was Harry Potter. It's what made me love to read. She has become an absolute obsession of my life. He got them passionate about Reading. I have been full and hard saving. That is my first book, I still have it with me.. I think that J. K Rowling is a mastermind so I think that we are gonna be in for a surprise but I trust her completely... I think I don't even understand what is happening until like lights went out and all and probably I started crying. This is the robe I got at Universal studios in Orlando and a wand. [ MUSIC ] Which character are you excited to see?

I Love Hermione. Hermione For sure. I'm really excited to see Hermione. No question. Mine's got to be Hermione. She is the epitome of girl power. That felt good. [ MUSIC ]

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