At first glance, the new Harry Potter prequel “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” hardly seems tailor-made for Chinese audiences, especially given its elements of witchcraft and the supernatural — which can be a deal breaker for China’s state censors.

　　乍一看之下，这部《哈利·波特》前传《神奇动物在哪里(Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)》不是为中国观众定制的，尤其是其中的魔法和超自然元素--这些在中国的电影审查方面可能会遇到大问题。

　　But nearly 20 million people have purchased Chinese versions of J.K. Rowling’s novels about the boy wizard since they were first available across the Pacific 16 years ago. And hordes of adoring fans propelled the last Harry Potter film, 2011’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” to $60.8 million at the Chinese box office, back when the country’s total theatrical gross was about $2 billion. To put that in perspective, the Chinese box office finished 2016 at nearly $7 billion.

　　但是自从16年前JK罗琳小说《哈利·波特》第一次在太平洋地区发售以来，已经有近2000万中国人购买了它的中译本。而且2011年《哈利·波特》系列电影最后一部《哈利·波特与死亡圣器下》上映的时候，大批中国粉丝贡献了6080万美元的票房，而当时中国的总票房还只有20亿美元。从那一角度来看，2016年中国票房总收入将达到70亿美元。

　　Although it’s been five years since the last movie, Potter-mania hasn’t waned. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the eighth book in the series — and a script for a London stage play — quickly sold out its initial 300,000 copy print run when it became available for preorder in China in late September.

　　虽然自从最后一部电影结束已经5年过去了，但是哈利·波特狂热并没有退去。九月下旬，当该系列第8部小说《哈利·波特与被诅咒的孩子》(伦敦还演出了该部小说的同名舞台剧)在中国开始预售时，第一批30万本很快就售罄了。

　　That’s why Warner Bros.’ is counting on “Fantastic Beasts,” the first “Harry Potter” film since “Deathly Hallows Part 2,” to be a monster at the Chinese box office, which could really use one after its worst slump in five years amid a dearth of bankable hits and a reduction of online ticketing subsidies.

　　这也是为什么华纳兄弟正指望《死亡圣器下》之后第一部哈利·波特系列电影《神奇动物》在中国票房市场上大赚四方，在由于缺少卖座电影和网络售票补贴减少等原因而面临五年来最严重的衰退之后，《神奇动物》成了华纳兄弟真正可以仰仗的东西。

　　The film, a prequel set in 1920s New York, opens there on Nov. 25, one week after its stateside debut. To ramp up the anticipation, all eight “Harry Potter” films were screened at last June’s Shanghai International Film Festival.

　　《神奇动物》是哈利·波特系列的前传，背景设在上世纪20年代的纽约，在美国上映一周后将于11月25日登陆中国内地影院。为加大对这部电影的预期，全部8部哈利·波特系列电影都在去年6月份的上海国际电影节上进行了放映。

　　Rowling’s novels showed up at a time when Chinese children’s literature was relatively underdeveloped — and wound up building a fan base of all ages. Millions of Chinese have now grown up reading “Harry Potter,” and passed that love to younger family members.

　　在中国的儿童文学相对不发达的时候，JK罗琳的小说横空出世了--并且很好地建立了一个各年龄阶段都有的粉丝群体。中国数以百万计的《哈利·波特》读者已经长大了，现在他们又将这一份爱传给了家庭中的下一代。

　　That popularity translated to the big screen, even when China’s movie market was just a fraction of the size it is today.

　　而那种风靡也转移到了大屏幕上，即使那时中国的电影市场规模仅仅只是今天的一小部分。

　　“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” hit the country’s theaters on Nov. 18, 2005 – the same date it did in the U.S. – and went on to make $11.5 million, back when the entire country’s theatrical gross totaled just $248 million. That’s nearly 5 percent of the country’s entire box office for the year.

　　2005年11月18日，《哈利·波特与火焰杯》登陆中国影院(和美国同期上映)，创下了1150万美元的票房，而当时全中国的票房只有2.48亿美元。那几乎占据了当时中国一整年电影票房的5%。

　　The box office steadily grew as the Chinese exhibition business did. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” hit China’s theaters on Aug. 11, 2007 — about a month after it premiered in the U.S. and most other countries — and reeled in $19.4 million. “Deathly Hallows — Part 1” was hit China in November 2010, and made $33.3 million at the country’s multiplexes.

　　随着中国会展商务的发展，中国的电影票房规模也稳步增长。2007年8月11日《哈利·波特与凤凰社》登陆中国影院(大约在美国和其他国家上映一个月之后)，席卷了1940万美元的电影票房。2010年11月《哈利·波特与死亡圣器上》登陆中国，创下了3330万美元的票房。

（编辑：何莹莹）