Harry Potter and Picasso Break Records

Harry Potter: The Exhibition

The Art Gallery of NSW and the Powerhouse Museum have both broken box office records for a special paid exhibition.

The current attendance record for the two world class cultural institutions has stood for more than 20 years after 323,300 people flocked to the Art Gallery of NSW in 1988 for Gold of the Pharaohs.

As of Sunday afternoon (March 18) Harry Potter: The Exhibition which is showing at the Powerhouse Museum smashed that record with total admissions and pre-sales of 339,368. Around 331,112 visitors have already been through the museum doors.

These figures are significantly up on the Powerhouse’s previous highest attendance for a special paid exhibition of 216,594 visitors for Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination in 2008-09.

Picasso: masterpieces

At the Art Gallery of NSW, Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris has eclipsed its 1988 record with a total 339,321 tickets sold and 331,021 people through the gallery’s doors to see the exhibition.

Both these world class shows have been a major tourist drawcard for Sydney with more than 176,000 interstate and international visitors estimated to have taken in Harry Potter and Picasso to date.