'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' Hits $1 Billion in Global Box Office

In a fitting farewell to one of the most magical film series in Hollywood history, Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the first film in the franchise to reach the $1 billion mark worldwide.
Deathly Hallows 2 will cross the milestone on Saturday, having grossed $296 million domestically and $630 million overseas through Thursday for a global total of $926 million. Another blockbuster weekend at the multiplex is forecast, allowing the film to easily pass the vaunted $1 billion mark.


The movie, benefiting from being released in 3D, is racing past the milestone in about two weeks, a remarkable achievement. Until now, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone overseas) was the top grossing pic in the franchise, having grossed $974.8 million globally in 2001-02.

The Harry Potter franchise has always been immensely successful internationally, with every title in the series earning substantially more offshore. So far, 68 percent of Deathly Hallows Part 2’s gross has been earned at the international box office, fueled by standout performances in the U.K., Japan, Australia and Germany.

By the end of this weekend, Deathly Hallows Part 2 should surpass Sorcerer’s Stone's domestic gross of $317 million, the best in the series. It also will have surpassed the $659 million earned last year internationally by Deathly Hallows Part 1.
Deathly Hallows Part 2 becomes the 9th movie in history to gross north of $1 billion worldwide, a club that includes Warners’ The Dark Knight ($1 billion), Disney’s Alice in Wonderland ($1.02 billion) and Disney’s 2011 summer tentpole Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($1.03 billion).

Only one film has ever grossed north of $2 billion, and that’s James Cameron’s Avatar ($2.8 billion).

What's next for "Harry Potter"

Post the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -Part 2, this is perhaps the question everyone is asking. The star speaks

The last movie of the 'Harry Potter' series is continuing its dream run at the Box offices across the world. And as for Daniel Radcliffe, it is time to move on.

From a journey - which lasted a huge big part of his growing up years

In an interview to CBS News, he says "When originally my parents were approached and talked to about me playing the part, they thought it was going to be in L.A. and it was going to be for like six years, so they said, 'No, this is far too big a disruption to his life.' I was unaware that these conversations were even happening. Ultimately, the deal changed to only signing on for two films, and it was going to filmed in England, so they let me audition."

He says that the first time he felt part of the audience was during the shooting of the second movie

On his friendship with his co stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, "Nobody else in the world know(s) quite what it's like to go through all of this from a young age, and go through this mad, surreal, wonderful world for 10 years.

We grew up on set together. Rupert and I just laugh all the time together. Emma and I are quite a good foil for each other.

We have some great debates on set; you know; she's a smart cookie, so I had my work cut out for me.

But, being 'Harry Potter' was not the only thing this young man did.

He has done a bit to theater too.

Before going to Broadway

He has been doing the Broadway show 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying' and enjoying it

His first movie post Harry Potter - The Woman in Black is set for an early 2012 release.

The Woman in Black is a supernatural thriller.

As he turns a year older on July 23, we wish the coming year, post 'Harry Potter' will make him successful.

'Potter' takes down Batman with $168.6M weekend

The boy wizard has vanquished the dark knight and a band of pirates with a record-setting magic act at both the domestic and international box office.
Warner Bros. estimates that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" took in $168.6 million domestically from Friday to Sunday. That beats the previous best opening weekend of $158.4 million, also held by Warner Bros. for 2008's Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight."
Overseas, the film added $307 million in 59 countries since it began rolling out Wednesday, topping the previous best international debut of $260.4 million set in May by Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."
International results for "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" included record openings in Great Britain at $36.6 million and Australia at $26.7 million, according to Warner Bros.
Worldwide, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" topped $475 million in a matter of days, putting it on course to become the franchise's first billion-dollar worldwide hit.
"This will be the biggest 'Harry Potter' by far," said Dan Fellman, head of domestic distribution at Warner Bros. "A billion dollars is definitely going to happen."
The current franchise high is $974.8 million worldwide for the first film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" 10 years ago.
"Deathly Hallows: Part 2" does have the advantage of 3-D screenings, which cost a few dollars more than 2-D shows. Because of the higher 3-D price, plus regular inflation, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" sold fewer tickets but took in more money than "The Dark Knight" over opening weekend.
Overall domestic revenue for the weekend totaled $263 million, a record for a non-holiday weekend, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
The "Harry Potter" finale also set a record for best opening day domestically Friday with $92.1 million, nearly $20 million ahead of the previous high for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" two years ago.
Other records for "Deathly Hallows: Part 2": best domestic gross for debut midnight shows at $43.5 million, topping the $30 million for last year's "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"; best domestic opening in huge-screen IMAX theaters with $15.5 million, surpassing the $12.2 million for last year's "Alice in Wonderland"; and best worldwide IMAX debut with $23.5 million, beating the $20.4 million for "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" two weeks ago.
"This is just really a monumental event," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "The 3-D component, plus the IMAX, plus it being the last 'Harry Potter,' it was just this convergence of things that created this incredible record."
Paramount's third "Transformers" blockbuster, which had been No. 1 the previous two weekends, slipped to second-place with $21.3 million domestically. It remains the year's top domestic hit with $302.8 million.



The latest "Transformers" added $39 million overseas, bringing its international haul to $460 million and worldwide total to $762.8 million. Among this year's releases, that's second only to "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" at $1.03 billion.
The weekend's other new wide release, Disney's animated family flick "Winnie the Pooh," got swamped by "Harry Potter" mania. A return to the hand-drawn animation style of earlier adaptations of A.A. Milne's beloved storybook characters, "Winnie the Pooh" pulled in just $8 million domestically, finishing at No. 6.
"Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is the eighth and final film adapted from J.K. Rowling's seven novels about the young wizard's indoctrination into a secret world of sorcery and his epic battles with evil conjurer Voldemort.
Cast more than a decade ago at ages 10 and 11 as Harry and his pals Hermione and Ron, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint became instant celebrities. They grew up on screen, maturing from inexperienced children to adult actors whose earnest performances contributed to glowing reviews from critics for the finale.
The three now are moving on to adult roles, including Radcliffe's stint on Broadway in the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."
"It's just a great way to exit, with the class and style that J.K. Rowling wrote into these stories," Fellman said. "It comes to an end, as all goods thing do. When you have the opportunity to be a part of that, to work on all eight movies over 10 years, to see the kids, meeting them for the first time when they're 10 and 11, and just now going to see Daniel Radcliffe at 22 years old in 'How to Succeed in Business' on Broadway. There's a bittersweet part of it."
The first "Harry Potter" film shown in 3-D, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" continued a downward trend for domestic revenues derived from the 3-D format.
Some earlier hits took in 70 percent or more of their domestic cash from 3-D shows. But "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" did just 43 percent of its domestic business in 3-D, with most fans choosing cheaper 2-D tickets.
That still means a healthy $72.5 million in domestic revenue from 3-D screenings, but it also shows that American audiences have lost much of their fervor for seeing movies in three dimensions.
Overseas audiences remain eager for it, with 3-D tickets accounting for 61 percent of international income on "Deathly Hallows: Part 2."
Woody Allen hit a milestone as his romance "Midnight in Paris" pulled in $1.9 million to raise its domestic total to $41.8 million, a personal revenue record for the filmmaker. The Sony Pictures Classics release beat Allen's previous high of $40.1 million for 1986's "Hannah and Her Sisters."
Factoring in today's higher admission prices, "Hannah and Her Sisters" and other earlier Allen hits such as "Annie Hall" sold far more tickets than "Midnight in Paris."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," $168.6 million ($307 million international).
2. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," $21.3 million ($39 million international).
3. "Horrible Bosses," $17.6 million.
4. "Zookeeper," $12.3 million.
5. "Cars 2," $8.3 million ($12.4 million international).
6. "Winnie the Pooh," $8 million.
7. "Bad Teacher," $5.2 million.
8. "Larry Crowne," $2.6 million.
9. "Super 8," $1.92 million.
10. "Midnight in Paris," $1.9 million.
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Online:
http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice
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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Harry Potter: Finally shatters all records, massive earnings

UPDATED: The final pic in the franchise on track to score the biggest worldwide bow of all time, having already grossed $126 million globally.

 Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 cast a powerful spell at the midnight box office, grossing a massive $43.5 million, the best showing of all time.

Growing Up 'Harry Potter': Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

 The previous crown holder was The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which earned $30 million in midnight shows.
  
Harry Potter London Red Carpet
Deathly Hallows has now grossed $126 million worldwide, and the weekend is yet to come. The pic began rolling out internationally on Wednesday, earning $43.6 million from 26 countries. On Thursday, it grossed $37.6 million from 43 territories for a total $82.5 million.

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' Takes Over Twitter
At the domestic box office, Deathly Hallows 2 played in 3,800 midnight runs. Friday, the pic moves into a total of 4,300 theaters, including 3,000 3D runs.

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2': Matthew Lewis on Playing Neville Longbottom
The decision to release the final film in the Harry Potter franchise in 3D appears to be paying off.
Warners reports that all 3D midnight shows were sold out, bucking the recent downturn in 3D attendance.
IMAX theaters did record midnight business, generating north of $2 million.

10 Technologies We Want to Steal from Harry Potter

Perhaps the most enticing bits of J.K. Rowling’s wizarding universe? The unbelievably awesome gadgets.

From flying cars to portable alarm systems, the tech from the Harry Potter series is a serious lure to the franchise – not to mention one heck of a daydream instigator. Though our chance to live out our magical fantasy is dwindling with this week’s release of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2, the last among the long-running Potter films, we’re still holding on tight to our wish list.

Here are our picks for the best pieces of wizard tech we wish we could take with us.

Quick Quote Quill

It’s the floating quill that scribbles down a perfect dictation of your conversation while you listen. Think of it as the digital recorder that courteously does the transcription work for you.
Though in Rita Skeeter’s case, the Quill takes certain artistic liberties during conversation. Here’s hoping it’s got more than one setting.


Flying Ford Anglia
 

The brain child of the muggle-obsessed collector Arthur Weasley, the flying Ford Anglia is a respectable muggle-wizard hybrid mode of transportation. Aside from its ability to fly, the Anglia can shield itself from being seen by unsuspecting muggles with insta-invisibility. Even better? It never runs out of gas.

Remembrall
 

For anyone who has ever walked out of the door without their keys, we offer up a collective “Want!” for a Remembrall. A glass ball filled with a white smoke that deepens to a red hue when you’ve forgotten something, a Remembrall can be as much a blessing as a curse seeing as it won’t tell you exactly what you’ve forgotten.

Invisibility Cloak

The legendary cloak from the Potter series passed down to Harry from his late father, the Invisibility Cloak renders whatever it covers unseeable.Normally we wouldn’t delude ourselves, but now that science is one step closer to developing metamaterial, we might be closer to cloaking technology than we think.

Time Turner
 

The hourglass-shaped necklace that allowed Hermione to travel back in time, would come in handy for anyone who’d ever wish there was more time in the day. And let’s be honest, who hasn’t? Whether you’re an overachiever, or just need a few more hours of sleep, a time turner would be marvelous.

Omnioculars
 

Omnioculars are standard binoculars with a twist. Put them up to your eyes for a zoomed-in look at your favorite sporting event or us the bonus features: instant replay, slow motion and instant player ID. Nosebleed seats, here we come.

Weasley Family Clock
 

For your Mother’s Day consideration: the family-tracking clock. Molly Weasley, the matriarch of the red-haired clan, kept tabs on her brood with this special clock with nine golden hands, one for each member of the family. In place of hours were her loved ones’ locales, including “home,” “school”, “work”, “traveling”, “lost”, “hospital”, “prison”, even “mortal peril.”

Sneakoscope
 

Walk a little taller with the Sneakoscope, a portable alarm system that alerts you when untrustworthy folk are about. It whistles when danger is near.

Two-Way Mirror

This could reinvent the baby monitor. Surveillance cameras are expensive, and even the mildly affordable ones are bulky. Two-way mirrors, found in the Potterverse, are used as communicators between the owners of two mirrors, as if looking straight through a window.

Portkeys
 

Disguised as ordinary objects, a portkey transports anyone who touches it to a preset location. Easy as that. Imagine what you’d save in airfare.

Harry Potter - It all ends here?

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” is the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series. The much-anticipated motion picture event is the second of two full-length parts.

In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war.  The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe.

But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort.

Harry Potter is joined by Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who reprise their roles as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

The film’s ensemble cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Matthew Lewis, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Julie Walters and Bonnie Wright.

The film is directed by David Yates, who also helmed the blockbusters “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.”

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” is the first Harry Potter film to be released in both 3D and 2D.

This is the last film of the series. Todd McCarthy for the Hollywood Reporter raves that the franchise goes out with a bang: "An outstanding capper to the most lucrative film franchise of all time."

Philip Womack, writing for the Daily Telegraph, said the film made up for the weaknesses of the book. "Perhaps the greatest triumph of this final film is its ability to overcome the deficiencies of JK Rowling's writing. In the last Harry Potter volume, she failed singularly to muster the epic feel needed; as a result, on the page, the concluding battle at Hogwarts was a damp squib."But (director David) Yates here transmutes it into a genuinely terrifying spectacle, as bloodied students fight desperately against a horde of screaming black-robed Death Eaters."

And like Philip Womack, we too feel - This is not an end. How could it be?

Variety's Justin Chang gripes at the short film time -- at 131 minutes, it's the shortest in the series -- and unsatisfying ending. The movie, says Chang "surges ahead with tremendous urgency, superb spectacle and powerful, even overwhelming emotion, only to falter with a hasty sendoff that seems to buckle under the weight of audience expectations. Tears will be shed as fans bid farewell to Hogwarts, but catharsis remains just out of reach."

New 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2' Trailer Debuts

Wowza. Wow. Wowza. That is our instant reaction to the latest trailer for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," which just hit the Interwebs Thursday (June 16). Man oh man, is it a doozy. Even for those of us who've read the books over and over again and are fully prepared for what's going to unfold when the film hits theaters on July 17, this latest trailer is so action-packed, so full of intensity and emotion, it's almost too much to handle.
Almost.

The trailer opens with a distraught Lily Potter (Harry's mom) speaking to her infant son. "Harry, be safe," she says in a strained whisper. "Be strong." Cut to the words "Every moment he's lived has led to this," before an eerie voice-over by evil Dark Lord Voldemort comes in over flashback scenes of key moments in several of the previous seven films.
"Harry Potter, you have fought valiantly," Voldemort sneers. "Now join me, and confront your fate."
From here on out, much like the action in the second half of J.K. Rowling's seventh Potter book, things get very intense. There are flashes of Voldemort in several states of mind and presence, all of them ferocious and teeming with dark force.
"You've kept him alive so he can die at the proper moment," Snape says to him at one point.
Cut to Harry, Ron and Hermione riding a dragon, continuing their dangerous quest for the final horcruxes that will help bring an end to the Dark Lord.
This is followed by the beginning shots, or so it seems, of the epic battle royale at Hogwarts. Death eaters are surrounding the school, and Professor McGonagall orders the magical protectors of the school to come to life and protect them. What looks like the Dark Lord's army is shown assembled outside the gates, ready to attack, while our favorite Potter protagonists are shown waiting anxiously inside the school.
Suddenly the final battle is in full swing, wands slinging, wizards clashing, all of which can be very briefly summarized by these words: death and destruction.
In the midst of all the madness, there are emotional moments that seem to show favorite characters preparing to meet certain death. One poignant moment occurs in a brief exchange between Harry and Snape, a character who has always mysteriously walked the line between good and evil.
"Tell them how it happened that night," Harry says angrily to Snape, before a flashback of Dumbledore's death appears onscreen. "How you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you, and killed him!"
There is also a brief moment where Harry is surrounded by the ghostly presences of his loved ones, people like his mother and godfather Sirius Black.
"You'll stay with me?" Harry asks his illusory supporters.
"Always," answers his mother.
"Until the end," Black adds.
The remaining seconds are all about action, action, action — specifically, the fight between Harry and Voldemort.
"Come on, Tom, let's finish this the way we started," Harry says to Voldemort as they stand on the precipice of a cliff. "Together!"
This is followed by more quick cuts of wand-wielding and explosions. And then Voldemort and Harry are shown battling once more, this time crawling toward one wand.
"Only I can live forever," Voldemort says with finality.

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