Thousands at the AMC Showplace 10 theater in Mattoon will see the final movie from the “Harry Potter” series Thursday at midnight.

Kelsey Kash, a manager at Showplace 10, said four-of-seven screens have been sold out as of Wednesday. Kash said she is expecting a big showing to come see the seventh “Harry Potter” movie.

“We expect more (people) for this movie because it’s the last,” Kash said. “We anticipate six or seven theaters to be sold out.”

If the Showplace 10 sells out all seven theaters showing the “Harry Potter” movie at midnight, Kash said it would equate to about 1,500 to 2,000 tickets sold.

If all seven theaters sell out for the midnight showing, Kash said the theater will have one showing at 3 a.m. Friday morning; however, she said the decision to have a 3 a.m. showing wont be made until about 9 p.m. Thursday.

Brandon Heller, former president of Eastern’s Harry Potter Club RSO, is one of the people who bought tickets. However, he’ll see the movie with fellow club members Friday to prevent from affecting classes on campus Friday morning.

“(We) will be going in our Quidditch team uniforms or the Deathly Hallows shirts we made for the first (Deathly Hallows) movie,” Heller said.

Before any of the Harry Potter Club members or any other moviegoers see the final movie, Kash and her staff will get to see it. Some saw it in a test screening Wednesday at midnight.

Those workers who saw the movie at midnight Wednesday were there not only to watch the film but to make sure there was nothing wrong with it as it played.

“They come in for a test to make sure nothing is wrong,” Kash said.

The half who didn’t see the movie at midnight Wednesday are going to the theater at 9 a.m. today to see it in 3-D, Kash said.

Kash, a “Harry Potter” fan in her own right, said seeing the movie in 3-D will add something different to the movie, titled “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.”

“I’m excited it’s in 3-D,” Kash said. “It adds something extra.”

Showplace 10 will be showing the movie in both 3-D and regular 2-D in multiple theaters. They are also starting the movie at staggered times, most beginning at midnight but three others starting at 12:05 a.m., 12:10 a.m. and 12:15 a.m., respectively.

Showplace 10 has even set up a double feature for two theaters, where both Deathly Hallows films will be shown back to back. Part 1 will be shown at 9 p.m., followed by the new film at about midnight.

Kash said she expects the theater to be busy, starting at around 7 p.m., when she said people will start showing up for the movie.

“It’s going to be quite a spectacle,” Kash said.

For the midnight showings of the movie, Kash said the theaters will open up at around 9 p.m. for people to start filing into their seats.

Kash said she’s excited to see how the movie portrays the book.

“I’m faithful to the books, but I’m excited to see how they finish the series,” Kash said. “I hope they end the movie the same way they ended the book.”

A big fan of the books, Kash said she thinks the moviemakers have done a good job making each book into the movies.

Heller said he expects the movie to be good, based on the reviews he has read.

“The reviews are simply superb,” Heller said. “The energy surrounding it seems so great that we believe that the crew definitely has done (the book) justice from the reactions of the fans in London who have seen it.”

Kash said the theaters in Champaign are all sold out, so she said she expects to see some people from Champaign today trying to see the movie in Mattoon.

After the midnight showings, Showplace 10 is scheduled to show the movie 45 more times over the weekend, 15 per day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to Fandango listings.

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected]