Given the franchise’s history, it should come as a surprise to exactly no one that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was successful at the box office this weekend, particularly as it arrived to zero new direct competition for the younger crowd.
The first chunk of Hallows set a US record for the Potter series, earning an impressive $125.1 million in its first weekend (boosted by a strong start with midnight screenings sold out and the faithful showing up in droves). If it continues to do well, expect the film to show up – if not top – the box office cash chart for the year, provided it can make it past Toy Story 3. Talking of animated fare, Megamind saw itself shoved down to second place, losing 44% of its business and making $16.1 million in its second weekend. Unstoppable sank to third with $13.1 million and Due Date went down to fourth, earning $9.1 million.
Paul Haggis’ latest, Russell Crowe jailbreak pic The Next Three Days, was seemingly buried by bad reviews and word of mouth, opening to a disappointing $6.7 million in fifth place.
Morning Glory lost 43.1% of its business, slipping down one place to sixth and $5.2 million. But the biggest loser this weekend was Skyline, which came crashing down from fourth to seventh and losing 77% of its business with $3.4 million this weekend and a $17 million total to date. Red dropped more than recently, slipping one place to eighth and $2.5 million, while For Colored Girls was ninth with $2.4 million. And finally, the true-life spy tale Fair Game, starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, entered the top 10 after expanding to more than 200 cinemas, and added $1.4 million to its total.
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