Los Angeles ? Fearsome dragons. Evil wizards. A first school dance. Unexpected death. Slowly gestating terror. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” may be the family film of the winter, but only if certain members of your family don’t mind covering their eyes at the scariest parts.

Through its first three cinematic installments, the “Harry Potter” franchise has generated more than $2.6 billion in worldwide theatrical revenue, but the fourth film enters theaters this Friday with some new caveats. “Goblet of Fire,” which brings director Mike Newell into the fold, has earned a PG-13 rating in the United States and a “12” certification in the United Kingdom. All around the world, in fact, parents are being warned that the latest adventures of Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) may not be suitable for the smallest of children.

David Heyman, producer on all of the J.K. Rowling adaptations, isn’t concerned.

“For me, the books are not children’s books. I think that’s a misconception,” he insists. “I think the books are books that you could say (appeal to) children of all ages, but I think they appeal to people of all ages. I think that there’s something for everybody in them. Each of the books is more mature than the one that precedes it because it’s also dealing with a different age, a different year in Harry’s life.”

The film’s director observes that simply to maintain an escalating dramatic tension through the books and films, the obstacles facing Harry and his friends must mature in the same way. From the very beginning, the series has been pushing toward an ultimate confrontation between Harry and the fearsome Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), but in order to accommodate the wizard’s nascent skills, the early installments had to concentrate on simpler goals.

“I think in the previous films, because of the age of people, what’s been happening is that the scale of challenge to the leading character has been limited,” Newell says. “He’s had a battle to deal with, he’s had this problem and that problem, but he’s never actually been challenged in himself. He’s never had to put up or shut up.”

Very early on in “Goblet of Fire,” it becomes clear that Voldemort’s plans to regain his physical form and terrifying strength are coming close to fruition, forcing the filmmaking team to either find a PG-friendly embodiment of all evil, or trust that the audience has been well prepared for the darkness to come.

“As the audience which began with the first book progresses through Two and Three, they get to Four and they see that it’s a different kind of animal, it’s a much tougher beast than the other,” notes Newell. “If you don’t get a PG-13, in a way, then that audience that began with Number One and is now 14, 15, 16 or 64, whatever, will kind of want to know … are you not infantilizing the situation?”

Without that “children’s movie” crutch to lean on, Newell is prone to a more unusual description for “Goblet,” a pitch that may not stir up passions in Middle America.

“It’s different for me, not a kid movie for me,” says Newell. “It’s an adventure story and it’s huge entertainment. Warner Bros. actually hate me saying this, so I’m gonna say it, but for me it had all the variety that a Bollywood movie has. It’s special.”

It’s unclear if Watson buys the Bollywood argument, but the young actress agrees that while this new film has humor, action and hints of budding romance, fans of the book won’t feel that the more mature elements have been softened.

Watson says, “I think they did a really good balance, because I really do think it was faithful and I think this one is darker and it’s scarier, but I think that was the best way to go, because from the very beginning it’s always been, ‘We’re going to stay faithful to what this is about and not about getting everyone and having huge audiences.”‘