Harry Potter returns to Vue Poole for its 25th anniversary

If you have spent the last couple of decades pretending you are not still waiting for your Hogwarts letter, Vue Poole is about to give you a reason to lean into it. The Harry Potter film series is returning to the big screen at the cinema in Tower Retail Park to mark the 25th anniversary of the franchise, laid out as a family-friendly marathon that lets you catch up on the whole story in order, one week at a time.

The season opens on Thursday 28 August with the one that started it all, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, reuniting Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson on screen. From there, the schedule rolls through the rest of the series at a steady pace: Chamber of Secrets from 4 September, Prisoner of Azkaban from 11 September, Goblet of Fire from 18 September, Order of the Phoenix from 25 September, Half-Blood Prince from 2 October, Deathly Hallows Part 1 from 9 October, and Deathly Hallows Part 2 from 16 October. Spreading it across two months rather than cramming it into a single weekend makes it an easy plan to slot around school runs and work, and it gives you time to decide which films are worth the trip back.

For anyone who has not been to Vue Poole before, it is worth knowing what you are walking into. The cinema sits in Tower Retail Park, BH12 4NY, and runs 2D and 3D films in premium Dolby Surround Sound, with Barco laser projection on every screen. The seats are a genuine draw: the standard Lux reclining leather chairs come with a foldaway table, while the Ultra Lux seats give you more room, a personal table, and a back and legs that recline independently for a proper VIP experience. Tickets start at £8.99 when you book online, so it is a relatively painless way to spend an evening or an afternoon.

There is also a bit of merchandise tied to the anniversary if you are the type to want a souvenir. Vue is running a Harry Potter range alongside the screenings, including a collectable popcorn tin that comes with a wand stirrer and a premium Harry Potter-themed cup, which is the sort of thing that turns a simple cinema trip into something a bit more memorable for younger fans.

It is worth a quick reminder of who you are going back to see. Daniel Radcliffe, born in Fulham in 1989, became a household name at twelve when he took on the role of Harry Potter, a part he played across the entire run. Rupert Grint, born in Harlow in 1988, was cast as Ron Weasley at eleven, having only ever acted in school plays and with his local theatre group before that. And Emma Watson, born in Paris in 1990, played Hermione Granger before going on to become one of the highest-paid actresses of the 2010s and a well-known advocate for women's rights. Seeing them all together again on a big screen, in the order the story was told, is exactly what a 25th anniversary is for.