Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1” opened with $125.1 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, a record for the Warner Bros. series about the boy wizard.
The opening was the sixth-best of all time, behind Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight,” which took in $158.4 million in 2008, researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said today in an e- mailed statement.The “Potter” films, Hollywood’s top-grossing franchise, will end in July with the release of “Deathly Hallows -- Part 2.” The first seven, based on the books by J.K. Rowling, all opened at No. 1, with 2005’s “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” as the previous best debut with $102.7 million, according to researcher Box Office Mojo.With the final installment, the “Potter” series is expected to generate $7.5 billion in worldwide ticket sales, Warner Bros. Chief Executive Officer Barry Meyer said on a September conference call.The first six “Harry Potter” films generated $5.44 billion in worldwide sales, according to Box Office Mojo. The “Star Wars” films have grossed $4.48 billion, with the “James Bond” franchise producing $3.03 billion. The numbers aren’t adjusted for inflation.In “Deathly Hallows,” Lord Voldemort, played by Ralph Fiennes, gains control of the magical world as Harry and his pals, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, go into hiding. They try to avoid capture while searching for artifacts that hold portions of the evil wizard’s soul. The returning cast includes Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.The series so far has produced a profit of about $1 billion when income from home-video, merchandise, games and other products is also tallied, according to Time Warner Inc. studio.--Editors: Anthony Palazzo, Sylvia Wier
To contact the reporters on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at mwhite8@bloomberg.net; Andrew Frye in New York at afrye@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net.
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