Narnia Film Premieres, Aims to Match Potter, Rings

LONDON (Reuters) – Move over Pottermaniacs. Here come the Narniacs. In the battle of the fantasy film franchise, Disney's first Narnia installment aims to match the huge success of the four Harry Potter mov-ies and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" gets its royal world premiere at the Albert Hall in London on Wednesday, with Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla among those expected to grace the red carpet. No expense has been spared in one of the hottest box office battles in recent years. With an estimated production and marketing budget of $250 million, the first Narnia film is a must-win movie for the loss-making Disney Studios, and paves the way for up to six more films based on C.S. Lewis' seven-book series. A second film, based on "Prince Caspian," is expected to hit theatres as early as the summer of 2008. The parallels with the Potter and Rings mov-ies are clear. There will eventually be seven books in the best-selling J.K. Rowling saga, each of which is expected to be adapted to the screen. The four Potter films to date have grossed more than $3 billion in ticket sales worldwide. Peter Jackson's "Rings" trilogy has amassed $2.9 billion. Lewis knew J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the Lord of the Rings stories.