GULF SHORES, Ala. — After eight years and six movies it seems people along Alabama’s Gulf Coast are still wild about Harry … Potter that is.

Cobb Pinnacle 14 Theatres in Gulf Shores held a sneak preview Tuesday night of the latest installment in the Harry Potter movie series, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”

The sneak preview and the preview party attracted more than 1,000 people to the theatre, according to the theatre’s lead assistant and promotion manager Garet Sechrist.

“We sold 1,100 tickets and had to open up five screens,” he said.

The movie attracted many tourists like Scarlette Mason from Cummings, Ga.

“We bought our tickets two days ago before we left Georgia,” she said. “We feel lucky that we could get tickets. At home you couldn’t buy any more tickets. All the theatres were sold out.”

Two hours before the premiere, Cobb, Gulf Coast Newspapers, Pelican Place at Craft Farms and Sunny 105.7 sponsored a preview party with costume contests and the finals of a scavenger hunt. The party attracted hundreds of people, many dressed as their favorite character from the film.

The five finalists in the scavenger hunt were given keys that opened treasure chests that held prizes ranging from $1,000 to $15,000, according to Harry Clarke of GCN. Andrew Hackett of Gulf Shores held the key to the $15,000 chest.

“We were very happy with the number of people that came out,” Clarke said. “It was a blast.”