'Harry Potter' Strikes Gold With Midnight Show

LOS ANGELES — Harry Potter has conjured up a record-breaking witching hour.

The latest adventure of the teen wizard, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," took in $22.2 million domestically from midnight screenings, distributor Warner Bros. said Thursday. That breaks the record set by another Warner blockbuster, "The Dark Knight," which grossed $18.5 million from midnight shows last summer.

The sixth installment in the "Harry Potter" franchise also topped this year's biggest hit, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which pulled in $16 million from midnight screenings on its first day in June.

"Half-Blood Prince" raked in $10 million more from midnight screenings than part five, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," in summer 2007.

There was pent-up demand for "Harry Potter" after that last movie. The two-year lag since "Order of the Phoenix" was the longest fans have had to wait for a new "Harry Potter" flick since the first movie arrived in 2001.

Warner originally planned to release "Half-Blood Prince" last November but bumped it to 2009 to take advantage of an open weekend in Hollywood's busy summer schedule.

"We're sorry that it caused some angst with our fans, but they're troopers, and they came out and supported the movie," said Dan Fellman, head of domestic distribution for Warner.

The new movie has Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) trying to pry loose a hidden memory from one of his teachers, who holds key information about the wizard world's darkest enemy, Lord Voldemort.

Earning some of the best reviews in the franchise's history, the new "Harry Potter" tale played to packed crowds in 3,003 theaters for its midnight debut. Domestically, that theater count climbed to 4,275 later Wednesday, and 50 more cinemas will be added Friday.

With that kind of market saturation, "Half-Blood Prince" could set other new box-office highs – both for the "Harry Potter" franchise and Hollywood in general.

"It's definitely within reach of some of the biggest records in box-office history," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com

"Order of the Phoenix" also opened on a Wednesday and had the franchise's best five-day debut at $139.7 million. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" had the top three-day weekend opening of $102.7 million.

"The Dark Knight" is the record-holder for best opening day ($67.2 million), best weekend ($158.4 million) and best five-day debut ($203.8 million).

The seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's fantasy series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," is being split into two parts for the big screen, with the first movie due out in November 2010 and the second in July 2011.

David Yates, who directed both "Half-Blood Prince" and "Order of the Phoenix," also is making the final two films.

"We just wish there were another four books," Fellman said.

Comments

[BowlingForRevenge]

02:00 PM on 07/16/2009

Characters that MADE Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince:
Draco Malfoy...w­ho'd a thunk it, that boy was doing frea kin Shakepeare­!
Luna Lovegood..­.Glenda the good witches sweet child!
Dumbledore ...looking like Moses in the 10 Commandmen­ts
Ron Weasley...­high on a Love potion
Harry...hi­gh on Good Luck potion
Lavendar..­.hyper little witch wasn't she, snog snog snog!
Snape...Sn­ape, Severus Snape (saw the YouTube puppets and can't foregt aggghh)
Bellatrix.­..the darkness that is what Harry is all about lest we forget
Love 'em ALL!

[Margaretpoa]

10:21 AM on 07/16/2009

Worst. Potter. Ever. Without question. I was hoping that they would get back to the earlier tradition of being true to the story but this was the worst butchery yet, with many details that did nothing to advance the plot and havew nothing to do with the original story. I want to start an associatio­n to save the Deathly Hallows from David Yates.

[BVictor1]

10:26 AM on 07/16/2009

David Yates is the director, not the screenwrit­er.

[slandurgurl]

10:40 AM on 07/16/2009

A-freaking­-men.

[argyle]

09:59 AM on 07/16/2009

Sheep

[daffey]

12:57 PM on 07/16/2009

Horse?

[kathy001]

01:28 PM on 07/16/2009

LOL!!

[getoffthecross]

09:35 AM on 07/16/2009

Saw it. Liked it. Didn't love it, but it's still some of the best produced films coming out of Hollywood right now. Did anyone notice (not a real spoiler, but be warned if you're sensitive to that kind of stuff) that Harry seemed stoned when he took the luck elixure? He was the most relaxed and made the best decisions while on the stuff. Some subtle subversion there, maybe? If so, me likey!

Those complainin­g about the teenage love angst issues of the movie obviously missed the adult character'­s reactions to the same. Quite funny.

[daffey]

09:00 AM on 07/16/2009

Not hard to believe. With a global fan base of around 30 - 40 million who will buy every book and see every movie, it’s a sure thing to break at least 500 million worldwide. Harry Potter was the first fruits of the internet global economy, where someone who develops a silver lined dog sock can become a millionair­e over night. FWIW, I don’t mind the series, my kids liked them (my oldest began reading them when it was pointed out he bore a striking resemblanc­e to the main character)­. They’re harmless enough. About what you expect from the modern cultural institutio­ns. But the idea that somehow 40 million people waiting two years to see a movie they were sure to see would break records is something that, to me, doesn’t appear newsworthy­.

[Reconsoldier19D]

03:20 AM on 07/16/2009

You Harry Potter freaks are pathetic

[JustAThought56]

04:04 AM on 07/16/2009

That's way harsh, and certainly uncalled for. Life is hard and you have no idea what people are dealing with or what they are trying to get through. If they find something that makes them feel happy, and it is not hurting anyone, they have every right to pursue it. Why are you so intent on being such a a kill-joy? Lighten up.

[dutch163]

07:15 AM on 07/16/2009

well put!

[mainemomma]

07:16 AM on 07/16/2009

I love being a pathetic Harry Potter Freak! I think that would go great on a t shirt!

[COPerez]

08:16 AM on 07/16/2009

Or a great band name!

[The Lorax]

03:35 AM on 08/01/2009

Me too!

[BowlingForRevenge]

03:02 AM on 07/16/2009

Dumbledore IS Moses!!!!!

[HummusGringo]

01:55 AM on 07/16/2009

This movie was excruciati­ngly boring. I tried to like it, I really, really did! 90% Rotten Tomatoes, I think to myslef, this has to be gold!

Not so.

I have never wanted to be near my bed so badly during a movie. If I have, I don't remember it.

Unbridled, overwhelmi­ng mediocrity this was. Ugh.

[Patricia84]

01:33 AM on 07/16/2009

Why oh why did she have to go the fanfic way and pair him with Ginny?!?

[cgold]

10:27 PM on 07/15/2009

I can't wait to see it. I don't think it's coming where I live until next week Friday. Urgh.

[Agentlady007]

04:03 AM on 07/16/2009

My son and I are going Saturday, much to my dismay as I wanted to go today- as planned, so be it- changes occur... so you'll be able to tell me what you thought here cgold.
I heard it was a two parter in the finale' of the next one. A four hour movie, of the Sleepy Hollow
last story. ....This one is said already to be a good film the best so far, as they've all progressed­. English filmmakers­. They are clearly the best. I think because they have more money for sets, etc.

However, English writers have been our best storytelle­rs, and this is no surprise to me. Just what I expected so far from what I've seen in sequences from the first.

It is the most realistic adventure of magic I've ever experience­d in any state of mind. Beyond movies, like when we saw classics like Oliver and My Fair Lady ,...only this one seems to last longer.
It is a priceless masterpiec­e still in the making. This makes it the best never ending story of all -to the world- entertainm­ent at its finest hour to your enjoyment.­.. from England yet, who we in America respect so very much, for all of time.

[scpajor]

09:58 PM on 07/15/2009

It was a great movie, and I'm really glad the midnight showings did so well. :-)

[stefiz]

09:15 PM on 07/15/2009

i got to go to a midnight showing!!i loved it!!
i made a t shirt that said

Voldemort~­Palin
2012
why choose the lesser of two evils!!!!!

then i had a picture of the dark mark on the back, but i replaced the skull with an elephant head!!!
it was awesome!!!­!!!

[mmlomba]

10:44 PM on 07/15/2009

That's awesome!!!­! Make me one :P haha!

[nolabels]

12:34 AM on 07/16/2009

She should post it to cafepress or zazzle

[COPerez]

08:18 AM on 07/16/2009

I'd buy one of those!

I second the request to post to Cafe Press!

[kathy001]

01:31 PM on 07/16/2009

I third that request. Pleeeeeeee­eeeze!!

[SaucyB]

09:03 PM on 07/15/2009

I was VERY disappoint­ed in the ending - what a gyp!!!

[stefiz]

09:11 PM on 07/15/2009

didn't you read the book??

[SaucyB]

09:17 PM on 07/15/2009

yeh, did you? it was supposed to be a big fight scene, Harry was supposed to be frozen and cloaked not just standing there. none of the aurors were there, Rons brother wasn't bitten, nothing, notta. no big scene where Harry tells everyone it was Snape as they gather in the hospital, in fact how are they going to start the next one at the wedding when they cut out the characters whose wedding it is???

[SaucyB]

09:21 PM on 07/15/2009

AND they burned down Weasley's house? the attack is in the next book (at the wedding) and it's not burned down

[HummusGringo]

01:56 AM on 07/16/2009

It was a bloody awful film, it really was. Indefensib­ly cliche, trite, and utterly boring, with 1-dimensio­nal, wooden characters throughout­. An utter letdown.

[christieZ]

08:03 AM on 07/16/2009

I think you're talking about Transforme­rs 2, my friend. Wrong thread.

[truffleshuffle]

08:28 PM on 07/15/2009

Thought the movie was really great, but they changed the ending a lot where they didn't need to. The book is more exciting (and violent) than the movie. If they had stayed true to the book, it would have been PG-13.

[slhyland]

08:07 PM on 07/15/2009

Just back from seeing this. 2 hours and 45 minutes, but felt longer. It was very slow and unless you are 15 and find teenage angst interestin­g, rather boring. The 8 year old in our group fell asleep! There were a few cute scenes with Hermione, and a few good action scenes, the required Quidditch match, but, i felt, for the most part, it was tedious.

[HummusGringo]

01:57 AM on 07/16/2009

Thank you! I was about to jump out of my skin! I really, really liked the 3rd Potter flick; this, though, was a travesty of boredom.

[JustifiablyParanoid]

07:47 PM on 07/16/2009

I was hoping they'd bring back Cuaron for the final installmen­t. Clearly, that didn't happen. I still think Azkaban was arguably one of the best films in the series.