Honestly, from the perspective of story structure, Order of the Phoenix and Goblet of Fire were not particularly different. Both followed the classic formula of encountering problems and then overcoming them.
Furthermore, both stories presented readers with a major disaster right at the beginning. In Goblet of Fire, Voldemort had officially returned, while in Order of the Phoenix, Minister Fudge was causing trouble.
But—
Even though Order of the Phoenix and Goblet of Fire had relatively similar narrative structures, anyone with common sense could tell that their film adaptations would feel completely different. Even if nothing were changed and the filmmakers followed J.K. Rowling's original writing exactly, the final results would still be worlds apart.
Or rather, the cinematic experience of Order of the Phoenix could never be as exhilarating as that of Goblet of Fire.
As for the reason?
It was simple.
It was not because Order of the Phoenix contained fewer battles than Goblet of Fire, but because the two stories carried completely different emotions.
The overall mood of Goblet of Fire was relatively positive:
Someone might have died right at the beginning—Voldemort killed the elderly gardener who had watched over his family's old mansion for years—but before the danger truly arrived, the characters merely approached everything cautiously. Their nerves were not constantly stretched to the breaking point.
The atmosphere of Order of the Phoenix, however, was far more oppressive:
Harry could clearly feel himself being surrounded by countless forms of malice. Moreover, at the end of the previous installment, Goblet of Fire, Cedric had died with shocking suddenness. The realization that he could witness death and separation at any moment caused Harry to examine everything around him through a magnifying glass. As a result—
Even the smallest problem became magnified in his eyes.
Because of this, even though everyone entering the theater was a Harry Potter fan, and even though most of them practically knew the plot by heart, very few could continue smiling after feeling the oppressive atmosphere on screen.
By the time the story reached Hogwarts—
Even the conversations inside the theater had grown quieter.
From the moment Harry boarded the Hogwarts Express, an endless sense of loneliness began descending upon him once again:
In previous years, Harry had always traveled to Hogwarts with his friends;
But this year, he was "alone";
Ron and Hermione had become prefects, so they had to go to the prefects' compartment for a meeting.
In previous years, Harry had always laughed and joked with his friends aboard the train to Hogwarts;
But this year, although he met a new friend, Luna Lovegood, Neville insisted on showing Harry his birthday present, a Mimbulus mimbletonia. It was a plant resembling a sensitive plant that sprayed foul-smelling liquid whenever it was frightened;
As a result, Harry could only awkwardly greet his goddess, Cho Chang, while covered in stinking slime.
Making a complete fool of himself in front of his crush left Harry mentally exhausted. Before he could even complain, however, Ron and Hermione returned from their meeting, and Harry heard another suffocating piece of news: Malfoy had also become a prefect.
The fact that Malfoy had become a prefect was still rather disgusting to Harry.
However, all of that was merely the beginning.
Harry had believed that returning to school would improve his mood.
But he had barely arrived in the Great Hall for Hogwarts' welcoming feast—
When Dolores Umbridge appeared before him.
She had been one of the three officials who questioned Harry during his earlier hearing at the Ministry of Magic.
She was also an old hag who had openly sided with Minister Fudge and deliberately made Harry's life difficult.
Her appearance made Harry feel sick!
It also convinced him that his school life would probably not be particularly pleasant.
And the truth—
Was exactly that.
As a symbol of the Ministry's determination to preserve its power, a nail forcibly driven into Hogwarts to interfere with its operation, and the school's new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Umbridge watched Harry every second, constantly looking for opportunities to torment him.
Or rather, when the great bat Snape bullied Harry, he would at least occasionally remember old feelings because Harry's eyes resembled his mother's. Umbridge, however, treated Harry as though he were an enemy soldier who deserved to be crushed—
"Do you have a question, young lady?"
During Defence Against the Dark Arts class—
Umbridge instructed everyone to carefully read the book she had specially prepared, Defensive Magical Theory.
When she noticed that Hermione had ignored her instructions and had not even opened the book, instead immediately raising her hand after hearing the order, Umbridge asked a question she did not truly want answered in an unbearably sweet voice.
As soon as she finished speaking, Hermione replied seriously, "I have a question about your lesson plan. Defensive Magical Theory contains no specific material on actually casting defensive spells."
"Casting spells?" Umbridge chuckled. "I don't understand why you would need to cast defensive spells in my classroom."
"You don't honestly expect to be attacked during class, do you?"
As she spoke, Umbridge walked over to Hermione and looked down at her.
Although her face appeared friendly, the insincere smile plastered across it was nauseating.
Hermione met her gaze without backing down. "I believe the purpose of Defence Against the Dark Arts is to teach students how to use different defensive spells in the classroom, isn't it?"
"So, are you an educational expert responsible for training at the Ministry of Magic, Miss Granger?"
Umbridge asked the rhetorical question in a cloyingly sweet falsetto.
A sharp light flashed through her enormous eyes, as though she wanted to tear Hermione limb from limb.
"I'm not, but—"
Hermione tried to continue.
"Okay, then you are not qualified to determine the educational purpose of a course."
Before Hermione could finish, Umbridge interrupted her. "Our latest curriculum was designed by wizards far older and far more intelligent than you. You will learn defensive magic through safe, risk-free methods."
"But what use is that?"
Harry loudly joined the argument. "If we're attacked, then—"
"In my classroom, students must raise their hands before speaking!"
Umbridge drowned out Harry's question with a piercing, soprano-like shriek.
Harry felt deeply frustrated. He immediately raised his hand and shouted, "What use is learning defensive spells safely? Voldemort isn't going to wait for us to cast a defensive spell before using dark magic!"
The moment Voldemort's name was spoken, everyone's expression in the classroom changed!
Many students turned and stared at Harry in terror.
Umbridge continued smiling as she approached Harry step by step. Looking around the classroom, she enunciated each word carefully. "Now, allow me to clarify something. Someone has told you that a certain dark wizard has returned from the dead, but all of those claims are false."
"It isn't false! I saw him! I fought him!"
Harry was furious!
"Detention, Mr. Potter!"
Umbridge snapped back coldly!
"So you're saying Cedric Diggory simply fell over and died by himself?"
Harry's voice trembled!
"Cedric Diggory's death was merely an accident!"
Umbridge's face darkened. "Mr. Potter! Take this to Professor McGonagall!"
She waved her hand, causing a sheet of parchment and a quill to fly from the lectern.
The message wrote itself before sealing tightly.
The next second, she thrust the scroll forcefully toward Harry.
Although she continued maintaining a dignified appearance—
Her raised cheekbones resembled the swelling sides of a volcano that could erupt at any moment.
"Oh—this actress is playing Umbridge far too well—"
"Honestly, her performance genuinely makes me feel sick—"
"?"
"My God—I'm certain she must have read the entire Harry Potter series. Otherwise, there's no way she could portray Umbridge this perfectly."
"Damn—I feel like this movie is going to disgust me for an entire year, because neither Fudge nor Umbridge will receive their punishment in this installment! OMG—I seriously can't take this—why did they have to split Harry Potter into multiple films?"
"Wait—hold on—what did that person over there just say?"
"Huh? I said this movie might disgust me for an entire year! Just like Goblet of Fire (Part One)!"
"Not that part!"
"Hm? That Fudge and Umbridge won't receive their punishment in this installment?"
"Yes, yes, yes—that part—motherfucker—so Order of the Phoenix (Part One) is actually a horror movie?"
"What?"
Exactly!
Only after sitting in the theater for an hour did everyone suddenly remember something!
Although Order of the Phoenix and Goblet of Fire had relatively similar overall structures—
The way their content was divided was completely different!
The story of Goblet of Fire contained two major events: the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament!
The story of Order of the Phoenix also contained two major events. On the surface, it depicted the confrontation between Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, while beneath that, it told the story of Voldemort's gradual influence over Harry Potter!
But!
When the former could be laid out along a clear timeline, while the latter was presented through multiple intertwined threads—
Order of the Phoenix had been split into two films?
Oh
My
God—
Didn't that mean the main characters would spend the entirety of Order of the Phoenix (Part One) passively taking one beating after another?
Because they would not begin fighting back until Order of the Phoenix (Part Two)!
And as for that—
They had guessed correctly!
The plot of Order of the Phoenix (Part One) was extremely bleak. The scene from the original novel in which the female Voldemort, Umbridge, abused Harry and left one of the only two permanent scars on his body—the words "I must not tell lies"—had been preserved by Chris Columbus;
The scene in which Percy Weasley wrote to Ron and told him to stay away from Harry, because continuing to associate with Harry might damage Ron's future career, was another infuriating moment from the original novel that the director faithfully recreated;
The main storyline in which Umbridge colluded with honorary Death Eater Fudge, gained sweeping investigative authority, challenged Dumbledore above her, and dismissed teachers beneath her was also reproduced in the film without alteration;
After the Harry Potter production team perfectly depicted each nauseating form of oppression written by J.K. Rowling—
The moment D.A., or Dumbledore's Army, was founded, the audience, who had been holding back their frustration for so long, finally erupted into cheers!
Because all resistance would—
Officially begin at this moment!
And then—
There it was.
Yes.
The final scene of Order of the Phoenix (Part One) showed Harry being elected leader of the "D.A." by countless students, while Hermione pinned a note bearing the letters "D.A." to the wall of the Room of Requirement.
Although the scene looked incredibly exciting—
But—
"OMG—so Order of the Phoenix (Part One) really ends here?"
"My God—why would they do this—"
"Ahhhhh! I want to see what happens next! I want to watch Harry beat Umbridge to death!"
"This is the worst Harry Potter film I've ever seen—it's absolutely unbearable!"
"Waaaaah—I hate Warner Bros.—Warner Bros. really knows how to torture people—truly the embodiment of an evil capitalist—"
"…"
"I swear I'm never watching Harry Potter again! The moment I get home, I'm giving Order of the Phoenix (Part One) a terrible review!"
"…"
In fact, while producing Order of the Phoenix, the creative team, Warner Bros., and even J.K. Rowling herself all believed that splitting the story into two films might make the viewing experience somewhat torturous.
No matter how they filmed it, Order of the Phoenix (Part One) would always feel suffocating.
No matter how they filmed it, Order of the Phoenix (Part One) could never deliver a complete and satisfying triumph within a single movie like Goblet of Fire (Part One) had. That went against the conventional structure of a commercial film.
But—
After serious discussion, everyone agreed that faithfully adapting the story was their only option.
There were two reasons:
First, they had already committed to splitting the books into multiple films.
They had split Goblet of Fire, so why would they not split Order of the Phoenix?
Upon hearing that it would not be divided, general audiences, moviegoers, and fans might equate the unsplit Order of the Phoenix with a rushed, poorly made production.
Second, the Harry Potter fanbase had already become terrifyingly enormous.
At that moment—
Even if not a single casual viewer entered the theater to watch a Harry Potter film—
Even if only half of its fans bought tickets—
A Harry Potter film still could not possibly lose money!
Its box office would inevitably surpass five hundred million dollars!
Under those circumstances—
Wasn't faithfully adapting it the obvious choice?
When a film already had a guaranteed audience worth five hundred million dollars at the box office, satisfying the fans would only attract more casual viewers into the franchise.
That's right!
In the entertainment industry, a franchise's core audience referred to the fans of that individual IP!
It did not refer to the total box office revenue generated during a particular release period!
Good content was what persuaded the public to enter theaters!
It was not a case of the market being large enough that anyone could produce something carelessly and still take a share of the money!
People working in arts and entertainment needed to possess actual culture and education!
Precisely because the Harry Potter series had already embraced splitting books into multiple films with Goblet of Fire, creating dramatic tension while respecting the original work had become the franchise's only viable path.
And the result?
On November 17, 2007, Order of the Phoenix (Part One) began a two-day preview run in the United Kingdom.
On its first preview day, Order of the Phoenix (Part One) earned £10.71 million across the British Isles!
On the second day, it collected another £10.23 million!
Its two-day total of £20.94 million allowed Order of the Phoenix (Part One) to surpass Goblet of Fire (Part Two), becoming the highest-grossing preview release in British box office history!
Uh—
Although this record had effectively become a competition between Harry Potter films alone several years earlier, the fact that Order of the Phoenix (Part One) surpassed Goblet of Fire (Part Two) at least proved that the franchise was still growing in the United Kingdom.
Ahem.
Because these figures were considered perfectly normal, the outside world did not react with much astonishment.
Or rather, when everyone already knew how powerful Harry Potter was, another successful release—
Wasn't that simply expected?
Only failure would qualify as major news!
Then, on November 21, 2007—
Order of the Phoenix (Part One) opened in North America during the Thanksgiving holiday.
On its first day, the North American box office reached $32.10 million—
Although that figure could not compare with Goblet of Fire (Part Two);
Because Goblet of Fire (Part Two) had earned $69.30 million on its opening day in North America;
A simple subtraction showed that Order of the Phoenix (Part One) earned $37.20 million less than Goblet of Fire (Part Two) on its first day;
But there was nothing wrong with that figure;
Because November 21, 2007, was a Wednesday, a regular working day;
The following day, November 22, was Thanksgiving, when Americans actually had the day off.
Therefore—
On Thursday, its second day, Order of the Phoenix (Part One) earned $70.72 million in North America, setting a new record for the highest single-day box office gross in global film history!
On its third day, Friday, Order of the Phoenix (Part One) earned another $55.81 million in North America;
On its fourth day, Saturday, its North American box office reached $66.93 million;
On its fifth day, Sunday, Order of the Phoenix (Part One) showed obvious signs of decline, earning only $56.12 million in North America;
Over five days—
Order of the Phoenix (Part One) collected a total of $281.68 million from North America!
That figure was higher than Goblet of Fire (Part Two)!
But not by much!
Once these results appeared, anyone with common sense could tell that the North American box office ceiling for Order of the Phoenix (Part One) was between four hundred and four hundred fifty million dollars. Based on a thirty-to-seventy domestic-to-international ratio, its global ceiling would fall somewhere between $1.333 billion and $1.5 billion.
That did not seem like much.
After all, Titanic had earned $1.8 billion during its original theatrical run.
For Order of the Phoenix (Part One), that three-hundred-million-dollar gap was practically insurmountable.
But the problem was—
Order of the Phoenix (Part One) was only one film in the Harry Potter series.
Order of the Phoenix (Part One) might not become the highest-grossing film in history, but Harry Potter was producing the equivalent of one Titanic every year!
So—
Praise!
Admiration!
And as Order of the Phoenix (Part One) exploded at the box office, the outside world suddenly realized something—
[Order of the Phoenix (Part One) Surpassing One Billion Is Now Certain! The Unstoppable Momentum of the Harry Potter Series Could Place Isabella Haywood on the Throne at Eighteen, Making Her the First Actor in Film History to Surpass Ten Billion Dollars in Career Box Office Revenue!]