LOS ANGELES – Harry Potter has cast his biggest box-office spell yet with a franchise record $125.1 million domestically over opening weekend.
In terms of revenue, that puts “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” ahead of the series’ best previous debut of $102.7 million for 2005’s “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”
But factoring in today’s higher admission prices, the latest movie had roughly the same size audience as the franchise’s best previous draws — “Goblet of Fire” and 2001’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which launched the series. “Deathly Hallows” and those two earlier movies each sold around 16 million tickets in their first weekend.
“Deathly Hallows: Part 1” landed at No. 6 on the domestic revenue chart for biggest opening weekends, a list headed by 2008’s “The Dark Knight” with $158.4 million. It also was this year’s second-biggest debut, behind “Iron Man 2,” which is No. 5 on the all-time chart with $128.1 million.
With $61.2 million Friday, “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” had the fifth-biggest opening day ever.
The series finale, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” comes out in July.
Based on J.K. Rowling’s seven novels about the young wizard, the “Harry Potter” franchise so far has taken in more than $5.5 billion worldwide.
