Harry Potter has been an incredible money-spinner for all involved. The final film, due for release in July, comes 14 years after the first of seven books was published.
The buzz surrounding Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, parts one and two, appears to have helped top up the earnings of all involved. Author JK Rowling, 45, has increased her wealth by £11m to £530m in the last year, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
But the franchise has also charmed the fortunes of the lead actors, including Emma Watson. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry in the films, secured fifth place in the rich list of people under 30, worth £48m, while Watson, 21, and Rupert Grint, 22, are worth £24m apiece.
For Watson, that was a £4m top-up from £20m in the 2010 Rich List.
Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born to Jacqueline and Chris, both lawyers, in 1990 in Paris. The family, including younger brother Alex, moved back to England when Watson was five to grow up in Oxfordshire.
Since then, she has evolved to become an in-demand fashion icon and model. She has even been feted with helping to transform the fortunes of Burberry.To underline that status, she was named, by Britons, as the world's best dressed woman earlier this month, beating stars including Cheryl Cole and Kate Moss to the top of a Glamour magazine survey.
But despite her riches she apparently kept her feet on the ground, often spotted on London public transport.
Her earnings peak was in 2009 when she picked up £10m for the final two instalments of the Harry Potter film series.
She was subsequently named Hollywood's highest paid actress for the year by Vanity Fair, toppling established actresses such as Angelina Jolie and Cameron Diaz. The magazine estimated her earnings for 2009 at $30m (£19m).
A substantial part of her fortune has come from elsewhere, particularly the fashion industry.
Every little thing she does is magic: Watson is worth an estimated £24m
The deal with British fashion house Burberry was signed in 2009 after she was noticed by their creative director, Christopher Bailey. He claimed Watson was the 'obvious choice' for their campaign. She described it as the 'biggest ego boost of my life'.
The deal was said to have increased her already impressive wealth by around six figures.
And in February this year, she secured a six-figure deal from make-up firm Lancome. She will be shot by celebrated fashion photographer Mario Testino for a TV and magazine advertising campaign.
Watson begins filming The Perks of Being a Wallflower in the US later this year. Written and directed by American novelist Stephen Chbosky, it is due for release in 2012. It could mark a rebirth of the Watson brand as a more serious actor, and usher in a new set of money-making opportunities.
