Universal opens new Harry Potter theme park

Fifteen years after Harry Potter's first big-screen adventure, Universal is enchanting a new generation of Muggles with its most spectacular conjuring trick yet - a theme park in the heart of Hollywood.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter follows similar money-spinning ventures in Florida and Japan, but is set to be the most technologically advanced so far, incorporating state-of-the-art 3-D effects with the traditional fun of the fair.

Opening at Universal Studios beneath the Hollywood hills on Thursday, it is the latest attraction in a burgeoning film industry sideline that has become so lucrative that executives are beginning to design sets with future theme parks in mind.