Harry Potter film with 90% Rotten Tomatoes score returning to cinemas this weekend-Kitty Chrisp-Entertainment – Metro

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is coming to the big screen (Picture: Warner Bros. Ent. Harry Po)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is returning to cinemas on Saturday to mark its 20-year anniversary.

The third film in the wizarding franchise, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, marked a distinct shift away from the cutesy warmth of the first two into darker territory.

With moody lighting and a really quite frightening werewolf, the film saw the pre-teen gang of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, confronted with a more adult world as they entered their third year of Hogwarts.

The film will return to UK cinemas on May 31 for a limited run, two decades after its 2004 premiere, when it grossed over $804m worldwide.

When a maniacal mass-murderer escapes from Azkaban, pursued by the soul-sucking Dementors, his hopes of a quiet year at Hogwarts concentrating on Quidditch are dashed.

At 13, in this installment Harry must contend with even more foes than just Voldemort and some worrying developments indeed – like an omen of death and having his happy ever after snatched away from him just as he began imagining it.

The third film in the franchise was initially aired in 2004 (Picture: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc)

Gary Oldman made his Harry Potter debut in this film (Picture: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc)

With a screenplay by Steve Kloves, the fast-paced adventure film is based on the 1999 novel of the same name, written by JK Rowling.

The film stars all the usual Harry Potter suspects including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint as the mischievous Gryffindor trio at the heart of the franchise.

The late Robbie Coltrane and Michael Gambon, who starred as Hagrid and Dumbledore throughout the magical series, also appear in this film – both of whom have died within the last two years.

The Prisoner of Azkaban also saw Gary Oldman’s debut in the films as Sirius Black, with Timothy Spall also emerging as Peter Pettigrew.

Emma Thompson also appears as the wide-eyed, superstitious Professor Trelawney in this film, creating much of the ominous drama throughout.

It was the scariest thing ever back in 2004 if you grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione (Picture: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.)

JK Rowling has recently spoken out against Harry Potter stars who disagree with her stance on trans women (Picture: Julian Makey/REX/Shutterstock)

This comes after creator JK Rowling recently revealed her disdain for her former coworkers in a new article for The Times.

Rowling, 58 criticised her past colleagues who have supported trans women and branded their views about transgender people ‘despicable’.

After she became a vocal trans-exclusionary radical feminist in 2020, many Harry Potter stars have spoken out against the author’s beliefs – that trans women shouldn’t have the same rights as cis-women, and specifically, shouldn’t be allowed in same sex spaces.

In the new article, Rowling then revealed that some of her coworkers had followed up with her to check they were still amicable.

‘In truth, the condemnation of certain individuals was far less surprising to me than the fact that some of them then emailed me, or sent messages through third parties, to check that we were still friends.’

She then added: ‘The thing is, those appalled by my position often fail to grasp how truly despicable I find theirs.’

Earlier this year, Rowling said Daniel Radcliffe and Watson could ‘save their apologies’ on trans views as she hit out at the former child stars who brought her book to life.

Following these comments, Radcliffe has admitted Rowling makes him ‘really sad’ now. 

The actor recently told the Atlantic: ‘It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Entertainment – MetroRead More