Initial reports on US ticket sales for the last Harry Potter film in the series had, on Friday, passed $80 million (£50m) - it was the most lucrative single day in the history of Hollywood.
In the last climactic confrontation between the forces of good and evil in the world of wizardry, there was already one clear victor – the studio.
Warner Bros said that Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 took $43.5 million for midnight showings on Thursday night and estimated its earnings as about another $40 million during the day on Friday, the website Deadline Hollywood reported. The previous biggest single day at the box office was set by Twilight Saga: New Moon with $72 million.
The film seemed certain to break the previous record for an opening three-day weekend in the US – the $158 million grossed by Dark Knight, the 2008 Batman movie. There were predictions that Harry Potter’s final on-screen adventures could have earned $180 million in the US by Sunday night, smashing pre-release estimates of $125-$150 million.
And as records tumbled, it was also on track to break the previous high for opening weekend takings outside the US – the $260 million for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – after reaping in an estimated $162.50 million in foreign cinemas by Friday night.
Full story at The Telegraph.
Full story at The Telegraph.