THURSDAY AM, 2ND UPDATE: Sources tell me that Warner Bros as of 7 AM already has $13M in ticket sales for tonight's midnight shows for the finale Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
WEDNESDAY PM UPDATE: My sources say Warner Bros' Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opened internationally with record-breaking sneaks in Australia (2.5M from 273 sites), Germany (1.8M from 563 sites), France $1.1M from 317 screens), Benelux, and Scandinavia. The 3D share of box office is averaging between 70% and 90%. IMAX also had record breaking numbers. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 has already broken several North American ticket records in the two days leading up to the series finale’s mega-release on Friday. Dan Fellman, President of Warner Bros Pictures Domestic Distribution, said advance ticket sales have skyrocketed to more than $32 million, a new pre-opening record. Many midnight and first-day show times are already sold out across the country and the studio keeps arranging with exhibitors for more and more screenings beyond the 3,800 locations opening at midnight Thursday. In total by Friday, the last pic will play on more than 11,000 screens in 4,375 locations — both marking records for the Harry Potter series.
Breaking another industry record, the film is being released on 274 IMAX screens nationwide. The very first Harry Potter movie to be released in 3D, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 will be shown in 3D at more than 3,000 locations. The studio has arranged for special commemorative Harry Potter 3D glasses to be given free to fans attending select 3D midnight showings while supplies last.
Fellman issued this statement: “We appreciate the loyalty of Harry Potter fans and understand that they have been waiting 10 years for this moment. We can’t wait to show them the movie, which we believe delivers on every level, so we are putting the film out on as many screens as possible in an effort to satisfy demand from coast to coast. We want to ensure that fans who have been counting down to the finale will have every chance to see it, early and often, and we hope that they will take advantage of the opportunity to watch all their favorite characters in 3D for the first time, which is an experience not-to-be-missed.”
By Wednesday morning, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part II had already become both Fandango's and MovieTickets.com's top ticket-seller of 2011 with 48 hours to spare before its North American release. The Harry Potter franchise finale has already sold out more than 5,000 showtimes across the country before its official Friday opening, and U.S. theater owners keep adding screenings to keep up with fan demand in all 50 states.
MovieTickets.com reports its records are shattering in advance of opening day and, when compared with other films in the Harry Potter film franchise: pre-sales for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 2 are 38% higher than Part 1 three days prior to opening. The pic is trending to become the all-time #2 pre-seller in Fandango's 11-year history, following only 2009's The Twilight Saga: New Moon. This final adventure is currently conjuring up 91% of Fandango's daily ticket sales. "It's our fastest-selling movie of the year and our best-selling Potter movie of all time," Fandango EVP and General Manager Rick Butler says in a statement. "The first Potter helped put advance ticketing on the map in 2001, so it's fitting that the grand finale would break records with fans on our Web site and mobile applications."
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