Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 Makes Box Office Magic

“HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1”

MAKES BOX OFFICE MAGIC IN ITS OPENING WEEKEND

The first part of the franchise’s epic finale takes in more than $330 million globally



BURBANK, CA, November 21, 2010 – Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” soared to the top of the global box office in its opening weekend, earning a staggering $330.1 million dollars worldwide, encompassing $125.1 million domestically and $205 million internationally. The announcement was made jointly today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The domestic box office numbers shattered the franchise’s previous opening weekend record—held by “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” at $102.6 million—surpassing it by an astounding 23%.

The film dominated the international marketplace with $205 million. Among the many records broken, the United Kingdom smashed the record for the single biggest weekend take ever at over £17.5 million ($28 million), while Australia ($15 million) and Russia ($12 million) clocked the biggest openings in the franchise.

The film also enjoyed a record-breaking opening in IMAX theatres, earning $12.4 million in 239 locations in North America and $4.2 million on 101 screens internationally, bringing the global IMAX take to $16.6 million from 340 screens.

Worldwide, the opening weekend for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” ranks as one of the highest of all time, which is especially impressive for a non-holiday weekend.

Fellman stated, “This is truly a motion picture phenomenon, and it is just the beginning for the penultimate release of the franchise. Based on the response to the film, we anticipate its success to carry on throughout the holiday season and beyond. It demonstrates once again the enduring power and popularity of Harry Potter.”

Kwan-Rubinek added, “We are thrilled by the enthusiastic response of international audiences. It’s a testament to the extraordinary vision of J.K. Rowling; the talents of the filmmakers, cast and everyone involved in the production; and to the hard work of our distribution and marketing teams around the world.”

With the success of its first six of seven titles, the Harry Potter series had already achieved the distinction of being the top-grossing film franchise of all time, reaching a combined worldwide gross of $5.4 billion. The numbers for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1,” as well as the anticipation for “Part 2,” opening on July 15, 2011, should ensure its place in film history for years to come.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films Production, a David Yates Film, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1,” a motion picture event in two full-length parts. The film is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Part 1 begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the Horcruxes—the keys to Voldemort’s immortality. Heading the cast, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reprise the roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film’s ensemble cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, John Hurt, Rhys Ifans, Jason Isaacs, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, David Thewlis, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Toby Jones, David Legeno, Simon McBurney, Helen McCrory, Nick Moran, Peter Mullan, David O’Hara, Clémence Poésy, Natalia Tena, Julie Walters, Mark Williams and Bonnie Wright.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” was directed by David Yates, who also helmed “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” David Heyman, the producer of all of the Harry Potter films, again produced the film, together with David Barron and J.K. Rowling. Steve Kloves adapted the screenplay, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. Lionel Wigram is the executive producer, with John Trehy and Tim Lewis serving as co-producers.

Behind the scenes, the creative team was led by director of photography Eduardo Serra, production designer Stuart Craig, editor Mark Day, composer Alexandre Desplat, visual effects supervisor Tim Burke, and costume designer Jany Temime. It has been rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence, frightening images and brief sensuality.

Concurrently with its theatrical release, the film is being released in select IMAX® theatres. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” has been digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® through proprietary IMAX DMR® technology.

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