THE WORLD'S been wild about Harry Potter for four years now. But this week's release of the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has rocketed interest into the stratosphere. Dorset cinemas are now experiencing what local bookshops have enjoyed for four years - massive and unrelenting interest from Harry fans, all determined to do anything to get closer to their hero.

"Quite simply we have never seen anything like it," says Martin Waller, manager of the Odeon and ABC cinemas in Bournemouth's Westover Road, who ran the film simultaneously on four screens for two day's solid during this weekend's preview.

"We've never done it before, not even for Titanic, and we took a bit of a gamble. Everyone said 'You're mad' but we had a feeling it would be huge."

And how. Pottermania has ensured that the usual 15-18 staff on duty on Saturday, traditionally the Odeon's busiest day, was increased to 30 to cope with demand. "We can get 8,000 people a day in here and we anticipated that 16,000 would come to see Harry Potter over this weekend," said Martin.

That is a local record previously held by Star Wars the Phantom Menace but, says Martin, advance bookings for Harry Potter are double even that.

"It's got such broad appeal; children read the books, their parents and grandparents have read it to them, so everyone knows what it's about. We had one lady asking for seats for children and senior citizens, and I said 'It sounds like you've got the whole family there'. She agreed and said everyone in the family has read Harry Potter and wanted to see the film."

Nothing about this movie fazes Martin now. "I've had block bookings for 100 seats, people booking the previews and then booking seats a few weeks later so they can see it all again."

Over his two cinemas there are nine screens and five will be running Harry Potter up until Christmas. "We wanted everyone to be able to feel they could come along and see it."

This is unprecedented too but, says Martin: "Harry Potter will run and run. I'm confident it will go on until at least the end of the February half-term in 2002. And then, next year, we've got the second film, coming out."

The film is also having a magic effect at Waterstones bookshop in Burlington Arcade. Manager Jo Ferguson says: "I did wonder if we could sell any more Harry Potter books - you think it would be at saturation point by now - but with the publicity about the film there's been an upsurge of interest again."

She sells around 20 Harry Potter books a day, which doesn't sound impressive - until you consider 110 million Harry Potter books have been sold worldwide. "The latest buyers are older people, catching on to the phenomenon but every day we get people in, asking when the new book's coming out, and what it's called. People love them."