'Harry Potter' Zaps Opening-Weekend Box-Office Record

'Deathly Hallows, Part 2' surpasses 'The Dark Knight' and 'Spider-Man 3' with biggest opening weekend.
By Ryan J. Downey

Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"
Photo: Warner Bros.

With the swift decisiveness of a magic wand, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" vanquished several box-office records over the weekend. The final and best-reviewed entry in the Potter franchise now holds the record for biggest first day and biggest opening weekend (both domestically and across the world) and helped push the franchise past the $2 billion mark.

The eighth "Harry Potter" movie took in $92.1 million in North America on Friday and went on to earn a weekend total of $168.5 million, according to studio estimates. The new "Potter" film's box-office gross topped those of previous record holders like "The Dark Knight" and "Spider-Man 3," although it trailed them in attendance. "Deathly Hallows Part 2" ranked sixth overall when it comes to number of tickets sold.

Over 3100 locations offered the film in 3-D (the largest 3-D rollout ever) but only 43 percent of audiences chose to see the film that way, offering another example of moviegoers' 3-D fatigue.

Disney's reboot of sorts of "Winnie the Pooh" didn't stand a chance against the boy wizard and his pals, with the latest animated take on the classic character drumming up just $8 million in its debut.

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" was a distant #2 at the box office during its third week of release, taking in $21.2 million for a $302.8 million total. Dark workplace comedy "Horrible Bosses" was #3 on the scorecard with $17.6 million for a $60 million total.

Kevin James' "Zookeeper" took in $12.3 million for a $42.3 million total, which is far behind where the comedian's "Paul Blart: Mallcop" was during a similar point in its theatrical release. "Cars 2" rounded out the top five with $8.3 million. The computer-animated flick's $165.3 million total and overall attendance record marks a 12-year low for the much celebrated Pixar Studios.

Writer/director Woody Allen has plenty to be happy about, however, as "Midnight in Paris" became his highest-grossing film over the weekend. The fantastical, well-reviewed movie has earned $41.8 million and ranks seventh among Allen's films in terms of number of tickets sold.

This weekend will mark the arrival of two heavily promoted summer movies: highly anticipated "Captain America: The First Avenger," which stars Chris Evans in the title role, and the Justin Timberlake/ Mila Kunis romantic comedy "Friends With Benefits."

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2."

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Related Photos

• 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2' Opening-Night Madness
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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667382/harry-potter-box-office-record-opening-weekend.jhtml

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