Many Iowans are calling in sick to work or school this morning due to an outbreak of Hogwarts fever. The first part of the last of the Harry Potter movies opened early this morning.

Theatres from Sioux City to Webster City to the Quad Cites offered midnight screenings. Several multi-screen moviehouses in Des Moines had showings at 12:01, 12:02, 12:03 and so on, showing “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One” on all six, eight or ten screens.

With a running time at just under two-and-a-half hours, fans of the teenage wizard weren’t getting out of their seats until around 2:30 this morning. The eighth and final installment of the series is due in July.