Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) 2004 in Europe. Mattel released film tie-ins that included the "Harry Potter Championship Quidditch" board game and character action figures. Lego also expanded on its previous merchandising for the first two films with the release of sets ranging from the Knight Bus to the Shrieking Shack. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" held its New York premiere at Radio City Music Hall on 23 May 2004, followed by its London premiere at Leicester Square on 30 May 2004. The film then opened in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2004 and on 4 June 2004 in the United States.
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series known for writing fantasy novels with Christian subtexts. Far from promoting a particular religion, some argue, the "Harry Potter" novels go out of their way to avoid discussing religion at all. However, the author of the series, J. K. Rowling, describes herself as a practising Christian, and many have noted the Christian references which she includes in the final novel "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". In the United States, calls for the books to be banned from schools have led to legal challenges often on the grounds that witchcraft is a government-recognised religion and that to allow the books