A new midnight record of $22.2 million in 3003 locations — yes, you read that correctly — $22.2 million in midnight screenings for Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as it works its midnight magic on spellbound moviegoers and record numbers of Potter fans storm the nation’s movie theaters.
Beating Warners’ very own The Dark Knight (which opened this same week last year with $18.5M in midnight screenings and $67,165,092 its first day), Potter Midnight Movie Madness took over the country. This massive response to the film portends potentially record-breaking numbers for single-day gross and the best first-five-days gross among others.
Keep in mind that Paramount’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned $16 million in midnight screenings, which led to the second biggest single day gross in history of $62 million and a first-five-days gross of $200 million. Also note that 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix earned $139.7 million in its first five days (Wednesday through Sunday).
Not only that, but the reviews have been the strongest for any film in the franchise and that means word-of-mouth buzz will be strong and will propel the grosses on an upward momentum rather than the typical drop-offs.
Regardless, we will be watching and reporting the records as they unfold in the coming days.
Congratulations to Warner Bros. distribution, marketing and the entire Harry Potter creative team on an amazing start to what promises to be an amazing week for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
