The “Harry Potter” franchise shattered yet another record on Sunday, securing nine awards for the London play, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” at the Laurence Olivier Awards in the U.K.
It’s almost better than winning the Quidditch House Cup. Almost.
“Cursed Child” took home statues for Best New Play, Best Director and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, among others. The Olivier Awards only have 26 categories, so this means the “Harry Potter” play took home a third of all the theater celebration’s possible tributes.
This branch of the Hogwarts-centric franchise is no stranger to success, as the book version of the play sold 2 million copies in two days when it was released last year. “Cursed Child” follows the misadventures of Harry’s middle child, Albus Severus, and former classmates like Hermione and Ron, who are desperately trying to keep up with their own children.
Noma Dumezweni won an Olivier Award for her role as Hermione. When news of the play’s casting first broke, Dumezweni faced harsh criticism from fans who were upset at the idea of a black Hermione. Author J.K. Rowling quickly denounced the notion on social media, clarifying exactly what the character of Hermione was supposed to look like.
“Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever,” Rowling tweeted back in 2015. “White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione.”
During the ceremony, Dumezweni delivered a moving speech about her family and coming to the U.K. as a refugee child, tying her experience to the play’s overall theme of family.
“It is going to be 40 years that we are celebrating being in this country ― family, it is all about family, being safe, being in your safe place,” Dumezweni said, according to The Guardian.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is only the latest part of the ever-growing franchise to break a record. Potter fans should be proud to know the series has broke the records for fastest-selling book and three-day box-office performance (when the first film came out in 2001), not to mention that J.K. Rowling is considered the world’s first billionaire author.
The previous record for the most awards won at the Olivier Awards is actually a tie between “Matilda” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” for seven awards.