It could have been a lot better.
18 years ago (Friday, November 16, 2001) today the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film (known as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone elsewhere) premiered in the United States.
The film went on to gross $974,755,371 worldwide ($317,575,550 of which is from the domestic market). Only Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 grossed higher in the domestic market.
Having never read its book counterpart, the film was a complete surprise for me; unfortunately, a few people degraded my experience because they was constantly comparing the film to its book counterpart.
From that point on, I waited until its sequels (aside from Deathly Hallows: Part 2 because it was released in RealD 3D) was released on home video because I didn't want anyone to spoil my experience.
With that said, the first film was very easy to follow along. I had memorized most of the characters by the end of the film, which is something that I don't normally do when watching a new franchise for the first time.
Question: Do you have an interesting story to share about the first time that you watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time?