Nineteen-year-old Andrew LaFrance has his ticket and is counting down the hours until he leaves work and heads to the midnight showing of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" tonight.

He's seen all the movies and read all of J.K. Rowling's books - several times. And, after he sees the midnight showing of the sixth movie, he'll probably be back at the theater to see it four or five more times, he said.

More than 500 tickets have been sold for tonight's midnight showing at Rushmore 7, according to movie theater manager Casey Monroe. The theater will open its doors for the film at 10:30 tonight.

"I'm sure people will start showing up at about seven o'clock," Monroe said. "All Harry Potters have been huge."

Rushmore 7 has six of its seven theaters set up to show the film and can seat more than 900 moviegoers.

Other moviegoers - who haven't soaked in Potter literature like LaFrance - are just as excited to experience the film's promised improved special effects and a suspenseful plot filled with more death eaters and romance than before.

"I started reading the books after I saw the movies," said Mary Fitzgibbons, 22, of Sioux Falls. "So I'm excited to see what happens."

Fitzgibbons is working with the Black Hills Playhouse this summer and will drive to the midnight showing with a group of friends after the Playhouse closes.

Tanner Engle, 15, developed a love for the Harry Potter movies from an older brother, and will be at the midnight showing with his brother and friends - full of anticipation.

"That's how I want to be, surprised," he said.

"If you see a lot of movies, you've got to see this one," Engle said.

The 153-minute film includes the death of a beloved character. LaFrance is curious as to how director David Yates will pull off the emotion in that scene.

"I'm really excited to see how they actually do it," he said.

But the movie is also expected to be funnier than the previous films, and LaFrance said the showing will reveal how British humor goes over in the United States.

"Half-Blood Prince" was scheduled to be released in November of 2008, but was pushed back and is expected to improve summer box office sales.

"Anticipation is a lot of fun, but it was kind of annoying when they changed it," LaFrance said.

The final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," was 759 pages long in the U.S. and will be split into a two-part film to preserve the plot. Filming began in February and is being directed by Yates. It's also exciting longtime Harry Potter fans who don't want the magic to end.

"I think it's a good idea, because they should make it last as long as they can," LaFrance said. "In the seventh book, there's nothing you can really leave out. There are really no subplots."

Previous Harry Potter films

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," November 2001

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," November 2002

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," June 2004

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," November 2005

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," July 2007

Rushmore 7 show times:

10:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 6:15 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:15 p.m., 11:15 p.m.