At The Tech Museum in San Jose, ABC7 found a special premiere party in full swing and die hard fans dressed up like characters from the movie for this bittersweet moment.
It's the final film of the franchise -- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two." And with the movie's finale, comes the reality that a series that created an entire generation of new readers is ending.
"He's like your best friend; it feels like you're losing your best friend," said 14-year-old Michelle Huang.
"It's like everything is ending because Harry Potter is part of people's childhood," said 14-year-old Niamh Doyle.
But children aren't the only Harry Potter fans; 45-year-old David Bruner's arms are covered in tattoos of things from the series.
"I always wanted sleeve tattoos and I was just putting it off and I thought there's probably one thing I totally adore and that would be Harry Potter," said Bruner.
Bruner started planning this night three months ago and got 45 tickets for all of his friends.
And all over San Jose, Campbell, Milpitas, and Mountain View, the midnight showing was sold out. Even the 2:30 a.m. showings sold out quickly too.
Tickets at the IMAX theatre sold out in just 90 minutes and some fans lined up 15 hours before show time. To pass the time, some of them role played. It's all part of putting what they love in the spot light.
"I was just the girl who memorized every detail, every part, every chapter. If someone started a sentence, I could finish it from the book. It was my life, still is my life," said Nikki Hayton from San Jose.