So, When Does Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Open?

Plenty of moviegoers already primed for concluding chapter after Deathly Hallows Part 1 grosses $24 mil in midnight debut

By Joal Ryan Nov 19, 2010 7:30 PMTags
E! Placeholder Image

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was so last night early this morning.

Plenty of moviegoers are already primed for the franchise's concluding chapter after packing Part 1's midnight screenings.

So, how big was the movie? And did it eclipse Eclipse

Deathly Hallows Part  1 grossed a whopping $24 million from its night-owl showings, Warner Bros. said today.  That's a new midnight record for a Potter film. Half-Blood Prince held the previous high, with $22.2 million.

As a studio exec succinctly described Part 1's performance: "Wow."

Eclipse, which grossed a freakish $30 million one late night in June, retains its all-time midnight mark. 

(Insert Harry Potter and Twilight fandom squabbling here.)

HP7 remains on track for what by all advance-ticket-sale signs should be a monster weekend, with the film perhaps banking as much as $125 million or more by Sunday.  The franchise's current opening-weekend high is $102.7 million, set by Goblet of Fire in 2005.  

Another good sign for the box office: Audience ratings for Part 1 are far outstripping the somewhat-mixed reviews.

Now, about Part 2… How many months 'til July?