You might think Harry Potter fever would be petering out now that the books and the films have come and gone. You, of course, would be wrong, as Ben Bergman reports on today's Morning Edition.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando opened last year, and it's been such a moneymaker — er, such a delight — that Universal Studios announced yesterday that it's going to open a version in Hollywood. And lest you think this is any kind of small enchanted potatoes, understand that while Daniel Radcliffe wasn't there to announce the big expansion, they got somebody almost as good: the governor of California, Jerry Brown. (He appeared along with the guys who play the Weasley twins, so apparently Radcliffe wasn't the only one who was busy.)
Not only is this a big deal for west-coast Potterites, but it's a big deal for the state and for Los Angeles County. L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslovsky says he hopes the thing will bring in $13 billion for the state — that's billion — and throw in millions for the county. They're also expecting it to create a thousand jobs.
As for the governor, as Ben points out, the Harry Potter attraction is most likely going to replace the Terminator 2 3D attraction. Which stars ... well, you know. The last guy.
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