Harry Potter is about to work some magic on the bottom line of Indianapolis’ DreamTrust Corp.

The company best known for building custom video-game arcade cabinets, recently secured the rights to sell wall decals made from images in the Potter movies, including the latest one, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
DreamTrust is the only company in the world with a license to make the life-size decals known as Pinhedz that stick to walls and come off just as easily.
“We anticipate lots of orders,” said Rick Barretto, founder and CEO of DreamTrust.
And indeed he should.
DreamTrust is now keeping company with the likes of Mattel, Electronic Arts and NECA Toys, each of which hold an exclusive license to sell “Harry Potter” games, toys and action figures.
So far, selling Potter paraphernalia has proved to be a lucrative gig for those companies — much like selling movie-related merchandise is lucrative, in general.
Hasbro, for example, made $480 million selling toys tied to the 2007 film “Transformers.” The company is expected to make even more — $600 million — with this year’s sequel, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” That would put the franchise in second place behind toy-selling force “Star Wars.”
“Harry Potter” is no “Transformers” or “Star Wars,” but it’s a cash cow nonetheless.
Based on the books by J.K. Rowling, “Harry Potter” is one of the most successful film franchises of all time. The first five films brought in $4.5 billion worldwide. The sixth, “Half-Blood Prince,” made $79.5 million at the box office during its opening weekend earlier this month. (It has since been eclipsed by Walt Disney’s “G-Force.”) Two more Potter films are due out in 2010 and 2011.
DreamTrust’s licensing deal with movie studio Warner Bros. covers all eight films.
Fans can go to www.harrypotterwallart.com and order decals. Eventually, the Web site will have a catalog of 300 to 400 images. Prices range from $40 to about $110, depending on the size.
“The target is kids — predominantly,” Barretto said, pausing to admit he’s a huge Potter fan.
In fact, his love of the franchise and a business connection within Warner Bros. led DreamTrust to pursue the licensing deal.
But Barretto says he sees revenue beyond “Harry Potter.” The company is working to secure deals with other movie studios and motorsports teams to produce and sell licensed wall art. Sales could lead to a handful of new hires for printing and graphic design jobs, and eventually may represent half of DreamTrust’s sales.
Barretto said he expects to make “several million dollars” from the “Harry Potter” deal.