Final 'Harry Potter' Sets Midnight Box Office Record
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Harry Potter still has that magic touch -- even before dawn.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the final film in the successful Warner Bros. boy wizard franchise, conjured up $43.5 million from midnight shows Friday, according to studio estimates.
"Part 2" beat the previous midnight record set last summer by "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," which earned around $30 million for its midnight screenings. It also smashed the midnight opening record for IMAX theaters, making $2 million at 274 theaters with IMAX screens
With the addition of 3-D, "Part 2" could end the franchise's spellbinding 10-year story with a total weekend debut approaching $150 million, according to Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. That would surpass the $125 million opening last November of the first "Deathly Hallows" installment.
The current debut weekend record is $158 million set by "The Dark Knight" in 2008.
