238 days. That is the extra time we'll be waiting to see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." No, it's not August Fools Day. Warner Bros announced today that the sixth installment of the Harry Potter films would not be released on November 21st 2008 as previously announced, but would instead premiere in theaters on July 17, 2008. For an extra of 238 days, or 337 days from today, rather than the 99 days we'd expected.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, one reason for this abrupt switch might be revenue.  Because of the writer's strike, a movie based on the Justice League of America comic books has been postponed indefinitely, and Warner Bros was looking at a year without a major release planned. Since the Batman sequel, Dark Knight has proven so successful in 2008,  the quest for earnings growth, the  mainstay of a publicly traded company like Warner Bros., is presumably a major factor in the decision. 

Post-production on the movie, directed by David Yates, is complete. As of now, the first part of the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is still due out in November 2010.

So we wait. 101 100 99... Ooops. 337...