Friday Report: 'Harry Potter' Conjures Opening Day Record

On Friday, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 soared into the record books with the highest-grossing single day ever. The series finale drew an estimated $92.1 million on around 11,000 screens at 4,375 locations, dethroning The Twilight Saga: New Moon's $72.7 million. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2's first day flew past the previous franchise high of $61.7 million, posted by Deathly Hallows Part 1 last November. It also thoroughly out-distanced The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ($68.5 million) and The Dark Knight ($67.2 million). Deathly Hallows Part 2 is even the champ in terms of estimated attendance. 

Included in Deathly Hallows Part 2's historic opening day was its record-shattering midnight start of $43.5 million at 3,800 locations, which topped Eclipse's $30 million. That means that Deathly Hallows Part 2 made $48.6 million for the rest of the day, which still beat the midnight-free grosses of New Moon ($46.4 million), Eclipse ($38.5 million) and Deathly Hallows Part 1 ($37.7 million). 

Deathly Hallows Part 2's first day gross alone would rank as the second biggest weekend of 2011 after Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Odds are now that it will easily break The Dark Knight's $158.4 million opening weekend record, though it should be exceptionally front-loaded. Deathly Hallows Part 1's Friday ended up being nearly half of its weekend. If Deathly Hallows Part 2 follows suit, that would mean a weekend gross of $185-190 million.