"Twilight"-mania may have been a surreal attraction for tweens, teens and young adults in recent months, but Harry Potter is back on the silver screen to cast a spell on audiences of all ages.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" opens nationwide tomorrow, with first screenings just after midnight tonight. At an advance screening yesterday, audiences displayed the same enthusiasm, fueled by the popular books, that has held since the first film showed in 2001.

Kamomi Laimana, 24, of Kane'ohe, arrived at the Ward 16 Theatres with three friends, all dressed as characters from the J.K. Rowling series.

"I'm a die-hard fan. I've read all the books and I love them all," said Laimana, dressed as a Quidditch player with a red Gryffindor robe and brown gloves.

Ola Nite, 21, of Kane'ohe, wore a black robe with a red emblem, and Harry's trademark owlish eyeglasses held together with tape in the middle.

"The reason why we dressed up is because it makes it more festive," Nite said. "It's a special thing. We're the first to see the movie on the island."

The 200-odd people in attendance won free tickets from radio station contests and other promotions.

Stella Apaga, 30, of Honolulu, brought her daughters, Alyssandra, 8, and Athena, 4. They were near the front of the line.

"I'm very excited because I like how Harry does the magic," Alyssandra said. "He's my favorite. We've been waiting here for two hours already.

"I've read all of them, and my favorite is 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.' "

Little sister Athena said, "I don't even like Harry Potter."

Unlike audiences for previous Potter movies, just a smattering of people last night dressed up.

"It makes it more fun," said Jackie Canos, 20, of Kahalu'u, wearing the white shirt and red tie of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "I'm surprised more people didn't dress up."

The screening wasn't just for kids. Paul and Fern Kashiwabara, both 65, of 'Aiea, got tickets from a Hawaiian music radio station.

"We're just curious," Fern Kashiwabara said. "It's exciting to know we'll be there first to see it."

The first of seven Harry Potter books emerged in Britain in 1997, and came out in the U.S. in 1998. They soon became a worldwide sensation, selling more than 400 million copies worldwide. They have been translated into 67 languages. The five films so far have grossed more than $1.5 billion throughout the U.S.

After last night's screening, the audience applauded and couples with sleepy children quickly made their way out of the theater.

"The movie was good! They (her sons) really liked it," said Kate Hogle, 39, of Honolulu. "(At times) it was more of a love story, but it was still good."

Hogle brought her sons Bailey, 9, and Casey, 6, to see Potter and the crew. The boys seemed to enjoy the movie, but their sleepy eyes revealed bedtime was just around the corner.

Most of the attendees were pleased with the movie, saying it was much like the book and more mature than the previous movies.

"It was good. I haven't read the books but I've seen all the movies," said Eddie Galdones, 40, of Honolulu. "It sets up the next movie really well."

"It was darker than the other movies," said Nathan Maeda, 30, of Kane'ohe.

"They left out some stuff from the book, but it stayed true. I'll definitely go see the next one!" Maeda said.

www.Fandango.com reports advance ticket sales for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" are surpassing those of this summer's previous champ, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and the previous Potter movie, "Order of the Phoenix."