Harry conjures up a box office record

Harry Potter has cast his biggest spell yet with a record-breaking first day at the UK box office on Friday, with Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 conjuring up £9.17 million – the biggest single day ever for a movie in Britain. 

And it was a record at the US box office, too, where the film took $92.1 million (£57 million) on Friday. That is nearly $20 million more than the previous record-holder, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which took $72.7 million US dollars (£45 million) in its first day two years ago.

The film added $75 million (£46.4 million) in 57 overseas (ie non-US) countries on Friday, raising its international total to $157.5 million (£97.6 million) since it began rolling out on Wednesday. That gives it a worldwide total of about $250 million dollars (£154.9 million) making it already the 316th highest-grossing film ever, just between High School Musical 3 and just ahead of The Truman Show. Not bad for one day!

The finale of the Harry Potter saga also set a record for midnight screenings in the US, taking in $43.5 million  (£26.9 million). That topped The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which pulled in about $30 million (£18.6 million) in its first midnight shows last year.

Box office tracker Hollywood.com has now predicted that Deathly Hallows: Part 2 could also break the opening-weekend record of $158.4 million  (£98.2 million) in America held by The Dark Knight.

 

In a single day, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 took in more money than four of the previous seven Harry Potter films did over their entire opening weekends.