7 is definitely a lucky magical number. At least for Harry Potter!
The seventh installment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, has already earned an estimated $125.1 million in U.S. ticket sales, which would make this the best opening weekend in franchise’s history. The last installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, had a $77.8 million weekend opening in July 2009.
What made this movie so successful? Dan Fellman, domestic distribution president of Warner Brothers, says: “One of the greatest accomplishments here is that we have been able to age the franchise. We have been able to keep our fan base as the characters have aged and the movies have become darker. And the three main actors [Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint] have become really terrific, adult actors.”
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is scheduled to open nationwide on July 15, 2011.