HONG KONG, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Draco Malfoy, the villainous student who was Harry Potter's rival in the fantasy book series, has become an unlikely Chinese Lunar New Year mascot, with his face plastered across red festive decor and merchandise from posters to phone covers.

Malfoy, played by actor Tom Felton in the films of J.K. Rowling's books, has surged in popularity due to the Chinese translation of his surname - Ma-er-fu. Meaning horse and fortune, it bodes well for China's lunar year of the Horse.

Social media has been flooded with images of people sticking red Malfoy posters on their doors. Fans can buy four of them for 11 yuan ($1.60) on e-commerce platform Taobao.

"Year of the Horse's blessing, so stick on a Malfoy," said one user on China's Rednote.

Other posts on the social media platform appeared to show a massive image of Malfoy in his uniform hanging across several floors of a shopping mall in central Henan province.

The Harry Potter franchise is incredibly popular in China, where foreign films make up a relatively small percentage of the box office due to strict quotas and a shift to local content.

Warner Bros WBD.O has agreed to develop a "Harry Potter Studio Tour" in Shanghai with Chinese group Jinjiang International, Jinjiang said last year.

A Universal Studios theme park in Beijing features "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter", a section dedicated to Harry Potter-themed rides and attractions.

The eight Harry Potter films were re-released in Chinese cinemas in 2024.

($1 = 6.9373 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by the Beijing newsroom and Farah Master; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

((farah.master@thomsonreuters.com; +852 3462 7709;))