“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has released the second of four stories revealing the history of magic in North America; in it she discusses the effects of the Salem Witch Trials on the wizarding world.
In the story, Rowling writes that it was extremely harsh for witches and wizards to live in North America as opposed to the Old World of Europe, given the lack of available resources needed for potions and the No-Maj (American term for “muggle”) and Native Americans’ treatment of each other. However, the most important barrier was something called the Scourer.
“As the wizarding community in America was small, scattered and secretive, it had as yet no law enforcement mechanism of its own,” Rowling writes. “This left a vacuum that was filled by an unscrupulous band of wizarding mercenaries of many foreign nationalities, who formed a much-feared and brutal taskforce committed to hunting down not only known criminals, but anyone who might be worth some gold. As time went on, the Scourers became increasingly corrupt. Far away from the jurisdiction of their native magical governments, many indulged a love of authority and cruelty unjustified by their mission.”
This is why the Salem Witch Trials occurred, preventing many witches and wizards from migrating to North America and also leading to the creation of the Magic Congress of the United States of America, or MACUSA, an American version of the Ministry of Magic. Many Scourers were put on trial and executed.
Yesterday, Rowling covered the history of Native American magic; it was consequently condemned for cultural appropriation on social media.
The first installment, released on the web site Pottermore on Tuesday, explains the history of wizards and magic in the pre-colonial Americas. It weaves together aspects of Native American culture, such as “skin walkers” and medicine men, with the magical universe of the “Harry Potter” series.
For the next two days, Rowling will publish a new story on Pottermore every day at 9 a.m. PST. These stories are supposed to keep fans busy until “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is released in theaters in November, while also giving them more of a backstory for the film.
16 of the Highest Grossing Book-to-Big Screen Adaptations of All Time
"Jaws" (1975)
The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie on the list made $260 million and is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000)
The Dr. Seuss classic is the only holiday-oriented picture on the list, besting "Jaws" by less than $5,000.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
The first of a series of films based on the work of C.S. Lewis, "The Chronicles of Narnia" grossed $291 million.
"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010)
As a whole, the Stephenie Meyer-created "The Twilight Saga" has grossed more than $1.3 billion across five films, but the most successful was "Eclipse," which made over $300.5 million.
"Forrest Gump" (1994)
The award-winning film starring Tom Hanks in the titular role earned well over $329.6 million, a beloved movie based on the Winston Groom novel.
"Alice in Wonderland" (2010)
Though there's been several adaptations of Lewis Carroll's fantastic 1865 novel, no version has been more successful than Disney's interpretation starring Johnny Depp, which took in more than $334 million at the box office.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)
"The Return of the King" grossed $378 million, earning the most of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. All of the adaptations of author J.R.R. Tolkien's series earned more than $315 million.
"Harry Potter and the Death Hallows Part 2" (2011)
The epic finale of the beloved "Harry Potter" series grossed more than $381 million, bringing the domestic box office grand total to $2.39 billion. The wild success of the franchise made its creator, J.K. Rowling, the first and (so far) only billionaire author.
"Jurassic Park" (1993)
Celebrating its 20th anniversary with a 3D release, the flick made $402 million on its initial release. Michael Crichton, author of the novel, had his hands on the screenplay as well.
"Spider-Man" (2002)
Sony's Marvel Comics superhero adaptation "Spider-Man" shot to the top of the box office upon release, raking in more than $403.7 million. Its sequels, "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3" were less successful but still earned a combined $710.1 million.
"Iron Man 3" (2013)
The only movie released this year that made the list is "Iron Man 3," and it's a figure Tony Stark would be proud of: $405 million. The trio of movies, starring another Marvel Comics-created superhero, made well over $1 billion worldwide.
"The Hunger Games" (2012)
The highly anticipated sequel, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," is expected to do big business at the box office after its Suzanne Collins-penned predecessor, "The Hunger Games," took in more than $408 million.
"The Lion King" (1994) Filmmakers of "The Lion King" said that the Disney animated film's story is inspired by Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the Bible. The picture raked in more than $422 million at the box office.
"Shrek 2" (2004) William Steig's picture book "Shrek!" has spawned a major franchise, with the second film about the green ogre grossing the most, $441.2 million.
"The Dark Knight" (2008)The most successful take on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, the Christopher Nolan-helmed trilogy took in almost $1.2 billion combined. The film also gave Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar and brought well over half a billion on its own.
"Marvel's The Avengers" (2012)The Marvel Comics superhero team smashed box office records, earning more than $623.3 million, making it the most successful comic book adaptation to hit theaters to date.
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From "Twlight" to "Harry Potter" to "The Dark Knight" — here are some of the most successful literary adaptations at the domestic box office
"Jaws" (1975)
The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie on the list made $260 million and is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.
