'Harry Potter' leaps to $125.1M opening weekend

[November 22, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Harry Potter has cast his biggest box-office spell yet with a franchise record $125.1 million domestically over opening weekend.

In terms of revenue, that puts "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" ahead of the series' best previous debut of $102.7 million for 2005's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."

But factoring in today's higher admission prices, the latest movie had roughly the same size audience as the franchise's best previous draws -- "Goblet of Fire" and 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which launched the series. "Deathly Hallows" and those two earlier movies each sold around 16 million tickets in their first weekend.

The series finale, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," comes out in July.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.