"Harry Potter" series pulling out of shelves at year-end

　　LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A wizard boy is receding¹ from the Realm of Wizardry at last as the Warner Bros. announced on Monday that it will put an end to the circulation of blockbuster franchise² "Harry³ Potter" at the end of the year.

　　The distributor said that, from Dec. 29, no more titles in the No. 1 motion picture franchise -- including "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" and "Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection" will be shipped to stores. The moratorium⁴ does not apply to digital -- Electronic Sell-Through and VOD or games, according to Warner Bros.

　　The series, which premiered with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in 2001, has raked in more than 12.1 billion U.S. dollars for distributor Warner Bros. Entertainment.

　　The finale of the franchise, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2," was released in mid-July and has so far grossed 380.5 million dollars in movie ticket sales around the world.

1 receding   

v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• Desperately he struck out after the receding lights of the yacht. 游艇的灯光渐去渐远，他拼命划水追赶。 来自辞典例句
• Sounds produced by vehicles receding from us seem lower-pitched than usual. 渐渐远离我们的运载工具发出的声似乎比平常的音调低。 来自辞典例句

2 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。