娱乐英语新闻:"Harry Potter" series pulling out of shelves at year-end

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A wizard boy is receding from the Realm of Wizardry at last as the Warner Bros. announced on Monday that it will put an end to the circulation of blockbuster franchise "Harry Potter" at the end of the year.

The distributor said that, from Dec. 29, no more titles in the No. 1 motion picture franchise -- including "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" and "Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection" will be shipped to stores. The moratorium does not apply to digital -- Electronic Sell-Through and VOD or games, according to Warner Bros.

The series, which premiered with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in 2001, has raked in more than 12.1 billion U.S. dollars for distributor Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The finale of the franchise, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2," was released in mid-July and has so far grossed 380.5 million dollars in movie ticket sales around the world.