The eighth and final
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Harry Potter
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film is having a magical effect on the box office.
The eighth and final “Harry Potter” film is having a magical effect on the box office.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” the last installment in the popular film franchise about a boy wizard, opened during the wee hours of the morning Friday and sold $43.5 million in tickets during that time, according to the Los Angeles Times.
That’s more than any film has ever made during post-midnight screenings, blowing away the previous record held by “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” which grossed about $30 million on a Wednesday in June 2010. It’s also a far greater sum than any “Harry Potter” film has made from late-night showings: 2009’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” had been the most successful of the series in that time frame, collecting $22.2 million from midnight ticket sales.
In Morgan Hill, fans began lining up in front of the CineLux Theater in Tennant Station before noon.
“We always use the Safeway bathroom. We always eat at Panda or at the taco place. We have our routine down,” said Jessica Salaman, an Oakwood School graduate who got in line with her friend Darrian Kasper about 1 p.m. for the 11:55 p.m. show.
The line wrapped around the east side of CineLux Theater, and many brought lawn chairs, sleeping bags and every variety of movie theater snacks.
“Deathly Hallows – Part 2” beat the $158.4-million record for a three-day domestic opening formerly held by 2008’s “The Dark Knight” by earning 169.2 million. The film is also playing fantastically overseas, where it grossed a record $312.3 million over the weekend in 26 foreign countries.
