Harry Potter Smashed Box Office Records
Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the final adventure of the film series based on the books by J.K. Rowling, smashed all box office records in the UK and Ireland, earning a staggering GBP23 million in its opening weekend.
The announcement was made Sunday by Josh Berger, president and managing director Warner Bros. Entertainment UK and Ireland.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opened on Friday, July 15. The opening weekend gross eclipsed the previous record of GBP18.319 million, set by the seventh film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, which opened on November 19, 2011. Therefore – HP7 Part 2 opened 26% bigger than HP7 Part 1.
The film earned $92.1 million on its opening day, making it the biggest earner in the U.S. where it is all set to break the opening weekend record of $158.4 million set by The Dark Knight. The new film’s 3-day international earnings stand at nearly $250 million.
According to Warner Bros., the Harry Potter film series had already achieved the distinction of being the top-grossing film franchise of all time, a milestone it reached with the combined success of the first five films.
Meanwhile, J.K. Rowling has announced Pottermore – a free-to-use website, which builds an online experience around the reading of her Harry Potter books. The project is partnered by Sony. (Read: Harry Potter Creator J.K. Rowling with Pottermore)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, reprising their roles as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
The film was directed by David Yates, and produced by David Heyman, David Barron and J.K. Rowling. Screenwriter Steve Kloves adapted the screenplay, based on the book by J.K. Rowling. Lionel Wigram is the executive producer.
