Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Reviews: Oscar Buzz?

The grand finale of the Harry Potter film series was finally unveiled today in thousands of theatres world wide.

Over $132 million were sold in ticket sales before the film was even released. Many predict that this much anticipated movie will make over $150 million dollars in ticket sales overall. Sure, those numbers are impressive, but it is almost pocket change when you consider the gazillions of dollars the entire franchise has earned.

It's the biggest movie phenomenon on the planet. I remember when 'ET' was the highest earning movie all time -- $870 million. With Harry Potter, you're talking $6 billion, said actor Richard Griffiths who plays Harry's uncle Vernon.

As the highest earning movie franchise in Hollywood history, many wonder why the Harry Potter series has been virtually ignored by the Academy except for technical, music, and costume categories. It's sad it's only technical awards and not artistic ones it has received, Griffins expressed.

Long time fan of the books and films, Tracy Cameron claimed: The films exceeded all my expectations...I just don't understand why the Oscars haven't given these movies their due.

As flourishing as the Harry Potter films have been over the past decade, Cameron's perplexity is not unreasonable. The Potter films theme music garners instant acknowledgement second only to Steven Spielberg's film Jaws. Harry's eye glasses have been given as much cultural importance as the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. So why hasn't any Harry Potter film been recognized for further achievements?

Historically, these kinds of kids' or genre films have never been big Oscar winners. Voters have never felt they were deserving of an Academy Award, said Richard Course, a Canada AM movie critic. He continues saying: It's not to say that 'Deathly Hallows: Part 2 isn't worthy of an Oscar nomination. But I don't think we'll see any acting or directing nods this year for the Potter gang.

Despite these unwritten rules of the Academy, hope remains alive for the 2012 nominations. Perhaps, some will look favorably on the franchise because of its cultural impact and the end of this era.

It's possible, but it's going to be an uphill battle, Gregg Kilday, the film editor for The Hollywood Reporter as reported to CTVNews.ca. The early reviews for 'Deathly Hallows 2' have been solid. But I doubt that we'll be seeing David Yates nab a nomination for best director in 2012...Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and other established directors could be vying for Oscar gold next year. Yates doesn't have the reputation to take these guys on, Kilday continued. Perhaps the young stars of the films--Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, or Rupert Grint--do not have the clout to earn acting awards either. They came into the Potter films with little to none previous acting experience and never had the stature to grab Oscar voters, said Kilday.

However, Kilday does see a sliver of hope for actors Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes. They'll have to muster up a lot of magic to pull it off...But these guys have the acting chops and the Hollywood stature to stand a fighting chance.

Since the reviews for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 have been almost completely positive, maybe, just maybe...it will get this most prestigious recognition. But if not, fans around the world are and will always be charmed by their favorite wizard films.