The play script of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Parts One and Two has shot straight to number one in New Zealand, recording the highest first week of sales for a book since Nielson Bookscan began reporting on the local market.
The sales reflect the phenomenal success of the book worldwide. In North America 3.3 million books were sold in the first week, the UK saw sales of almost 850,000 books, while the Australian market saw over 200,000 copies cross bookstore counters.
Melanee Winder, sales & marketing director of Hachette NZ said: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has had an incredible first week of sales in NZ, breaking all sorts of records and making a lot of NZ readers very happy indeed. We are continuing to work closely with local retailers to ensure this title stays at the top of the bestseller chart right through to Christmas and beyond.”
New Zealand stores have struggled to keep up with demand, with some reporting such strong pre-orders they sold through their initial order before the book even went on sale.
With the book selling to fans of all ages, it seems likely to be the year’s biggest fiction release in the New Zealand market.
