BOY wizard Harry Potter cast his spell on the region once again yesterday as movie fans flocked to his second big screen adventure.

Cinemas across the region faced a stampede as The Chamber of Secrets - the eagerly awaited follow-up to last year's smash hit The Philosopher's Stone - opened to sell-out audiences.

The film sees young actor Daniel Radcliffe recreate the magic which made the first movie the second highest grossing film of all time, behind Titanic.

The Chamber of Secrets had already raked in £8m in previews ahead of last night's big opening.

In Darlington last night, young fans waited excitedly for the thrill-a-minute fantasy epic.

Mike Taylor, who was there with nine-year-old son Kieron, said: "He's been looking forward to it ever since the last one. They all seem to be going Harry Potter mad again."

The volume of advance ticket sales at the UGC in Middlesbrough and the UCI at the MetroCentre was only rivalled by last year's Potter film.

The all-star cast includes Robbie Coltrane, Kenneth Branagh, Dame Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Julie Walters, John Cleese and the late Richard Harris as Hogwarts' headmaster Dumbledore. Richard Griffiths, from Thornaby, Teesside, also stars as Harry's uncle.

Familiar landmarks also feature after cast and crew members descended on the North-East in March, recreating Hogwarts School at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland.

Shooting also took place at Durham Cathedral, with children from nearby Durham Chorister School taking part in filming in the cloisters.