Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth instalment in the blockbuster movie franchise about boy wizard Harry, is moving from its planned November 21 US release to July 17, 2009, distributor Warner Bros said.

The move was made to take advantage of an open weekend in Hollywood's busy summer season, said Alan Horn, Warner Bros president and chief operating officer.

The movie had been on schedule, and the change was not due to any production snags, he said.

"The picture is completely, absolutely, 100% on schedule, on time. There were no delays," Mr Horn said. "I've seen the movie. It is fabulous. We would have been perfectly able to have it out in November."

The switch will mean a two-year lag between the movie adaptations of books five and six in JK Rowling's fantasy series.

But it will shorten fans' wait between Half-Blood Prince and the final two instalments, which are being shot simultaneously next year.

Based on book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last two movies are due out in close order, in November 2010 and summer 2011.

Mr Horn said the later release of Half-Blood Prince will not affect the schedule for the final two movies.

15th August 2008