While nothing truly definitive will be known until Friday’s box office data hits the media on Saturday, there is already compelling reason to believe “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One” could challenge for the November box office record.
According to Deadline, advance sales for the film reached as high as $35 million by Thursday evening. Such success could indicate a Friday in the $60 million range and an opening weekend higher than $130 million.
Predecessor “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” opened to $77.8 million in 2009.
The current November box office record, held by “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” stands at an opening weekend of $142.8 million. If “Potter” slightly outpaces its already-lofty expectations, it could represent a legitimate challenger for “New Moon”‘s crown.
The overall opening weekend record belongs to “The Dark Knight” ($158.4 million). “Spider-Man 3” sits at number two ($151.1 million), while “New Moon,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” ($135.6 million) and “Iron Man 2” ($128.1 million) round out the top five.
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