Accio Moolah!

Harry Potter had better dust off his Firebolt, because the sky’s the limit for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II this weekend. 

After shattering the record set by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse for grosses from midnight showings (43.5 million to 30 million), the final installment of the teen wizard epic saga summoned nearly an additional 50 million from showings on Friday for an estimated record first-day gross of 92.1 million, according to Box Office Mojo.  (The previous record-holder was The Twilight Saga: New Moon with 72.7 million.)  To put that figure into perspective, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone netted only 90 million dollars… in its opening weekend!  Last November’s Deathly Hallows: Part I, meanwhile, grossed nearly 62 million on its opening day, en route to a weekend take of approximately 125 million. While Deathly Hallows: Part II will undoubtedly be a little front-loaded, I would wager my ticket to tonight’s sold-out screening that the flick will overtake The Dark Knight’s record opening weekend cume of 158.4 million.  The real question is by how much?

For those of you who’ve already seen Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows: Part II, what were your first impressions?  On a side note, what did you make of the teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises?

Battle Royale

Feast your eyes on the just released poster for the final installment of the Harry Potter series, which I swiped from Entertainment Weekly’s website.  Featuring a bloodied Harry locked in battle with Lord Voldemort, the image perfectly sets the stage for the epic battle that dominates Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  Before seeing the poster, I had been a little worried that the film would tone down on the violence in order to attract a younger audience.  But, if the poster is any indication of what we can expect come July 15, then I think it’s pretty safe to say that director David Yates isn’t holding anything back.  Man, this movie can’t come soon enough!