In light of the premiere of the newest Harry Potter movie, I would just like to say that I absolutely love seeing Harry Potter movies on opening night, and if you haven’t already jumped on the bandwagon, I want you to know I think it’s totally worth it. If you’re annoyed with the hype, maybe I can help you see the light – or at least see the reason for the madness.

Opening night showings of Harry Potter are an all-around better experience than just seeing the movie when you get a chance. Yes, the content is exactly the same, but the quality is greatly enhanced at a premiere. The vibe is better and there definitely also are perks on a less abstract level.

As far as ambience goes, the presence of other fans greatly enhances your enthusiasm for the movie. Seeing other people dressed up like wizards and witches and repping their favorite Hogwarts houses certainly gets you in the mood for the magical story. And if everyone’s doing it, so can you. There aren’t many other times when you can wear your love for Harry Potter on your sleeves without ridicule. That’s not to say there isn’t ridicule from the outside, but you have strength in numbers that you wouldn’t have on an average day.

In a completely unrelated column, I said once that I think experiences are a lot better if they include other people. This is certainly true for Harry Potter. There is something special about knowing that you are watching the same movie at the same time as people across the nation (or at least, across your time zone).

Even without others feeding your own enthusiasm, you will go into the movie with optimism. You paid extra online fees so you could get a ticket, waited in line for two hours, and will lose some sleep; but it’s what you’ve been anticipating and the inconveniences don’t matter. If I, for example, go to Blockbuster on a Friday night and unknowingly rent a terrible movie, I’ll be annoyed by time and money wasted. At a premiere, the time and money are previously incurred, sunk costs, if you will. You make the best of it.

The combination of collective and individual excitement will make the movie seem better than it actually is, whether it’s great or awful. You may be skeptical of this when it comes to movies on the most awful end of the spectrum, and one example is movies that are so bad that they become hilarious. This, of course, has never been the case with Harry Potter, but this is how my sister explained her experience at the midnight showing of the latest Twilight movie.

In terms of more tangible perks, if you’re into movie theater refreshments, they will seem a lot cheaper having already paid days in advance for the ticket. Another is that you don’t have to hear other people’s opinions, commentary, or accidental cinematography-related giveaways before you get to see it for yourself.

I would be lying if I said that I went to premieres for purely practical reasons. At least seventy-five percent of why I go stems from my love for the Harry Potter series. The reasons I have listed may just be my rationalization for a slightly irrational obsession, but I definitely think that if you’re a fan who has yet to attend a premiere, be sure to catch the last one, because unfortunately time turners don’t exist. If you’re not a fan, I hope your night at home was magical.

Emily Alvarado is a Medill sophomore. She can be reached at [email protected].