By Chris Kavan - 07/15/11 at 03:35 PM CT
With an already record-breaker $43.5 million midnight opening (kind of obliterating the old mark of $30 million set by Twilight Saga: Ecliplse), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 could easy beat more records by the time Sunday rolls around.
Garnering some great reviews, the final film in the Potter franchise doesn't need to rely on magic to light up the box office. It's already the highest-grossing franchise (beating out both James Bond and Star Wars) and the final film will only add to its domination. If the numbers hold, it could easily topple The Dark Knight and claim the highest domestic opening of all time and I predict it will also top the $1 billion global mark to become the top-grossing film in the series. Look for my review tomorrow.
Who dares stand up against The Boy Who Lived? There are two contenders:
Disney has Winnie the Pooh in traditional 2-D animation. While I have to congratulate them for not abandoning the original style, it's a pretty tough sell against Potter. As Pooh himself might say, "Oh, bother." I have a feeling this will be one that will, unfortunately, be little seen.
The other new release is the historic drama Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. As counter programming, it's a long shot, plus the reviews have been rather tepid. I doubt this one will crack the top 5 for the weekend.
It'll be interesting to see how any other movies (new or old) will fare against the wizard titan. I'll be back with the results Sunday to see how Potter and crew end their run.
