New Harry Potter theme park planned for California

US entertainment giant Comcast is in the final stages of a deal to bring Harry Potter’s magic to life in Hollywood.

The owner of Universal Studios will announce before the year’s end that it will build a version of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.

The first Harry Potter attraction opened in Orlando, Florida, last June.

Since then, attendance at Universal Orlando has jumped by 40% to 50%, Comcast executive vice president Steve Burke said in September.

He said the attraction caused “a gigantic sea change in the profitability”.

A Universal spokeswoman declined to comment. The development was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Comcast, the cable TV giant that bought a majority stake in NBCUniversal in January in a $13.5bn deal, also bought out its 50% partner in the Universal Orlando theme park, The Blackstone Group, for $1.03bn in June.