'Harry Potter' Has Record-Breaking 1st Day With $92M
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Harry Potter has cast his biggest spell yet with a record-breaking first day at the box office for his final film.
Distributor Warner Bros. reports that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" summoned up $92.1 million domestically on opening day Friday.
That's nearly $20 million more than the previous record-holder, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which took in $72.7 million in its first day two years ago.
The first 3-D film in the series, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" benefited from the higher price theaters charge for 3-D tickets, which cost a few dollars more than 2-D.
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.
The finale of the "Harry Potter" saga also set a record for midnight screenings with $43.5 million. That topped "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," which pulled in about $30 million in its first midnight shows last year.
Box-office tracker Hollywood.com projected Saturday that "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" also could break the opening-weekend record of $158.4 million domestically held by "The Dark Knight."
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
