MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 soared to the top of the global box office in its opening weekend, earning a staggering $330.1 million worldwide, encompassing $125.1 million in North America and $205 million internationally.
The domestic box office numbers shattered the franchise’s previous opening weekend record – held by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at $102.6 million – surpassing it by 23%.
The film dominated the international marketplace with $205 million. Amongst the many records broken, the United Kingdom smashed the record for the single biggest weekend take ever at over £17.5 million ($28 million), while Australia ($15 million) and Russia ($12 million) clocked the biggest openings in the franchise. As reported by Businessofcinema.com, in India, the movie collected Rs 80 million with 531 prints over the weekend.
The film also enjoyed a record-breaking opening in IMAX theatres, earning $12.4 million in 239 locations in North America and $4.2 million on 101 screens internationally, bringing the global IMAX take to $16.6 million from 340 screens.
Worldwide, the opening weekend for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ranks as one of the highest of all time, which is especially impressive for a non-holiday weekend.
Warner Bros. Pictures president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman said, “This is truly a motion picture phenomenon, and it is just the beginning for the penultimate release of the franchise. Based on the response to the film, we anticipate its success to carry on throughout the holiday season and beyond. It demonstrates once again the enduring power and popularity of Harry Potter.”
Warner Bros. Pictures president of international distribution Veronika Kwan-Rubinek added, “We are thrilled by the enthusiastic response of international audiences. It’s a testament to the extraordinary vision of J.K. Rowling; the talents of the filmmakers, cast and everyone involved in the production; and to the hard work of our distribution and marketing teams around the world.”
With the success of its first six of seven titles, the Harry Potter series had already achieved the distinction of being the top-grossing film franchise of all time, reaching a combined worldwide gross of $5.4 billion. The last film in the franchise – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is slated to release on 15 July, 2011.
