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New 'Harry Potter' movie breaks midnight screenings record with $43.5 million domestically
Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis attend the New York premiere of 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2' at the Lincoln Center on July 11, 2011 in New York City.
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Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
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The final installment in the Harry Potter franchise set a record at last night’s midnight screenings around the country.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow Part 2" took in more than $43.5 million, shattering the domestic box office record for a midnight opening - and rivaling international sales on opening day.
Warner Bros. says the Potter film took in $43.6 million in 26 countries outside the U.S. Wednesday, the day before the U.S. premiere.
The midnight record in our country followed another milestone – for advance domestic ticket sales. Many of the shows were sold out weeks ago at the 3,800 locations which had showings of the final installment.
The previous midnight record was set last summer by "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," which earned 30 million bucks.
The head of the box office division of Hollywood.com says the figures also set the stage for a potentially record breaking singe day gross for the film which could rake in some $80 million, and even top the biggest opening weekend of all time set by "The Dark Knight" in July 2008.
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