Image Credit: Jaap Buitendijk

Well done, Potter. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 posted the franchise’s best opening ever by grossing $125.1 million this weekend, according to studio estimates. That figure smashes the wizarding series’ prior opening-weekend record of $102.7 million, held by 2005′s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The new Potter flick also registered the sixth largest opening weekend of all time, landing just behind this year’s Iron Man 2, which debuted to $128.1 million in May.

Deathly Hallows launched its weekend spell late Thursday night when 3,700 theaters screened the PG-13 fantasy movie at midnight. (Some theaters arranged showings as late as 3:15 a.m.). The movie gathered $24 million from those screenings en route to a Friday tally of $61.2 million — the fifth best opening day, period. After Friday, Deathly Hallows essentially followed the box-office trajectory of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which was released on the same November weekend last year. New Moon earned a record $72.7 million its opening day, and then fell 42 and 34 percent on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Deathly Hallows held up a tad better, dropping 38 percent on Saturday (for $38.2 million) and an estimated 33 percent on Sunday (for $25.8 million). While Warner Bros. may have preferred a somewhat steadier ride from Deathly Hallows, no one’s complaining, least of all moviegoers — CinemaScore audiences gave the movie an “A” grade.

The weekend’s other new wide release, the break-my-wife-out-of-prison thriller The Next Three Days, could have used a charm or two. READ FULL STORY »

Image Credit: Jaap Buitendijk

Harry Potter is one popular bespectacled teenager. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 bewitched the box office on Friday by grossing $61.2 million, according to early estimates. If the estimate holds, Deathly Hallows will come away with the fifth best opening day ever, behind only the last two Twilight movies, The Dark Knight, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The Friday figure, which includes $24 million earned from Thursday midnight showings, also represents the single highest grossing day ever for the franchise, topping Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince‘s $58.2 million debut from last year.

Deathly Hallows‘ final weekend result will depend on whether the PG-13 film’s business was extremely front-loaded or not. If the wizarding movie emulates Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (the last Potter film to open on a Friday), it’ll drop 9 percent and 30 percent on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, giving it a weekend total of around $156 million. But considering the increased popularity of midnight screenings since 2005, Deathly Hallows will likely see a larger Friday-to-Saturday decline than Goblet of Fire.

The other movie Deathly Hallows could follow is The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which debuted on the same November weekend a year ago. READ FULL STORY »

Harry Potter fans could very well have been employing a cloning spell last night, as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 grossed a tremendous $24 million from midnight and early morning showings, according to studio estimates. Deathly Hallows debuted at 3,700 theaters at midnight, with many theaters showing the PG-13 movie on multiple screens and adding showtimes as late as 3:15 a.m. The $24 million midnight figure is the most ever for a Harry Potter film, topping Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince‘s $22.2 million midnight debut from last year. Deathly Hallows, however, fell short of the last two Twilight movies: This year’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse summoned a record $30 million from midnight screenings, while The Twilight Saga: New Moon earned $26.3 million.

Read more:
Box office preview: ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ would like your attention
‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part I’ at midnight: There’s an adorable little child in every inebriated college student
‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ countdown: Remembering ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’
‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1′ EW review

Image Credit: Jaap BuitendijkLet’s get straight to it: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 will make a massive amount of money this weekend. We’re talking about a franchise that has accumulated $5.4 billion worldwide, is based on a book series that’s sold more copies than there are people in America, has spawned its own theme park, and has turned innumerable young adults into this. Even if you have no intention of seeing Deathly Hallows, it will one day track you down like a Dementor and pry your eyelids open as if you were Malcolm McDowell. And the box office is due for a huge weekend — there hasn’t been a behemoth opening weekend since June, when Toy Story 3 collected $110.3 million. (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which debuted on a Wednesday, grossed $157.6 million its first five days). So the tricky question for Deathly Hallows is: “How much, exactly?” The movie, which is the seventh in the series, could conceivably earn anywhere from $100 million to $160 million this weekend. In such situations, I find it best to take the middle path, hence my prediction:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1: $130 million

Ready for some numbers? As I write this, Fandango is reporting that more than 3,000 showtimes across the country have already sold out, and that Deathly Hallows has sold more advance tickets than any other Harry Potter movie (and the third most advance tickets ever, behind The Twilight Saga: New Moon and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse). Deathly Hallows opens at midnight tonight at about 3,700 theaters, many of which are playing the film on multiple screens and adding showings as late as 3:15 a.m. And the movie will play on 239 IMAX screens domestically — by far the most in IMAX history.

As far as comparing Deathly Hallows to other Harry Potter flicks, we should examine 2005′s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which also opened in November and, more importantly, on a Friday. Goblet grossed $102.7 million its first weekend, and Deathly Hallows should easily squash that amount thanks to an increase in ticket prices, additional IMAX theaters, and the fact that this is the series’ final entry — well, part one of its final entry. Due to the Thursday midnight screenings, Deathly Hallows will also tally a truly enchanting Friday figure and then witness a sizable drop on Saturday. With that in mind, could Deathly Hallows break the opening-day record of $72.7 million currently held by The Twilight Saga: New Moon? It’s possible, but I think Potter will fly a bit short of that number. READ FULL STORY »