HARRY POTTER MANIA

HARRY Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (12A) opens across the Midlands tomorrow (Jul 15) - with cinemas bracing themselves for a huge ticket demand despite the film's153-minute running time.

Vue Star City is taking the unprecedented lead by screening the film 24 times in one day tomorrow, beginning at 8.30am.

The AMC Broadway Plaza starts the first of its own 24 screenings tomorrow at 9.45am.

Cineworld Broad Street will have 17 screenings tomorrow from at 10am, Showcase Erdington nine screenings from 11am and the Odeon New Street begins its screenings at noon.

The IMAX Cinema at Millennium Point will be screening the first 13 minutes of film in 3D and more than 4,000 advance tickets have already been sold at the Midlands' biggest screen.

Call 0121 202 2222 or visit www.imax.ac to make sure you don't miss out if you want to see the film as big as is humanly possible!

Meanwhile, Daniel Heale, Head of Marketing at Vue Entertainment, says: "The buzz around Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been electric!

"We're bracing ourselves for Potter-mania in Birmingham by hosting more than 23 screenings every day in the first week.

"Our screenings tomorrow will begin from 8.30am, which is great for early birds. The increase in screenings will give Harry Potter fans greater choice, so there's no excuse to miss out."