Harry Potter’s final film adventure has bolted to a big start at worldwide box offices, breaking the record for midnight screenings in the U.S. and Canada with $43.5 million (26.9 million pounds) and setting the stage for a massive weekend debut.
Internationally, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2” has sold $82.5 million in tickets since Wednesday, when it opened in dozens of countries, distributor Warner Bros. said on Friday.
Combined, Thursday’s midnight screenings in domestic theatres and the two-day total overseas gives “Deathly Hallows — Part 2” a total of $126 million globally so far.
Box office watchers predict domestic (U.S. and Canada) sales for the three-day weekend will hit $125 million to $150 million, but with the midnight record that range could be low. Even if the box office total hits that forecast, it would be the highest-grossing “Harry Potter” debut and put the movie within striking distance of the biggest opening weekend ever.
The record belongs to 2008 Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” which collected $158.4 million in its initial three-days.