Final Harry Potter Film conjures the largest opening day ever

Sorry, Twihards. In one fell magical-broomstick swoop, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 shattered the records for best midnight debut and largest opening day, both of which were previously held by Twilight films.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 earned $92.1 million on Friday, the largest one-day gross ever, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That total broke the record previously held by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which earned $72.7 million on its first day last summer.


Harry Potter was helped by the $43.5 million the film earned in midnight showings alone, which also broke Eclipse's $30 million midnight record.

Analysts predict the final installment could rake in more $150 million in its opening weekend. The current holder of that record is The Dark Knight, which earned $158 million in its first weekend in 2008.

Potter‘s only blemish whatsoever was its 3-D performance. Only 43 percent of its opening-day figure came from 3-D showings, compared to 60 percent for Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Still, 43 percent of a gigantic number is still a very large number. And overseas, Potter has been flat-out enchanting, having earned $157.5 million so far. That brings the PG-13 film’s global haul to $249.6 million. It’s now on pace to score the biggest worldwide debut of all time, which currently belongs to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with $394 million.

Making 3 percent of Potter‘s opening day was Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, which debuted to $2.9 million on Friday. Despite being dwarfed by Potter, this is a respectable start for the honey-addicted bear. The G-rated movie should finish the weekend with about $9 million. As for holdovers, Transformers: Dark of the Moon finished second, dropping 57 percent for $6.3 million. By Sunday, Michael Bay’s action extravaganza should reach $300 million domestically. In third was the R-rated comedy Horrible Bosses, which slipped 45 percent for $5.5 million. And Zookeeper occupied fourth place, earning $3.9 million — a 47-percent decline.

Also, on Friday, Midnight in Paris became Woody Allen’s top-grossing film with $40.4 million, passing his 1986 movie Hannah and Her Sisters. Check back here on Sunday for the complete box office report.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 — $92.1 mil
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon — $6.3 mil
3. Horrible Bosses — $5.5 mil
4. Zookeeper — $3.9 mil
5. Winnie the Pooh — $2.9 mil


tags: harry potter, Deathly Hallows — Part 2, final harry potter, harry potter film, opening day