Ticket sales this weekend were the biggest in the history of Hollywood

The boy wizard has vanquished the dark knight with a record-setting magic act at the weekend box office.

Warner Bros. estimates that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 took in $168.6 million (R750 crore) in the US from Friday to Sunday.


Daniel Radcliffe, now 21, was just 11 when
he first starred as Harry Potter

That beats the previous best opening weekend of $158.4 million (R705 crore), also held by Warner Bros. for 2008's Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight.

The Harry Potter finale also set a record for best opening day in the US on Friday with $92.1 million (R410 crore).

Deathly Hallows: Part 2 does have the advantage of 3-D screenings, which cost a few dollars more than 2-D shows.

In Britain
The Potter finale made more than ufffd9 million (R64 crore) in its first day in British cinemas, easily eclipsing the previous record of ufffd5.9 million made by the first instalment of Deathly Hallows.

It will almost certainly overtake the British record for an opening weekend also held by the first Deathly Hallows film, which earned ufffd18.3 million in its first three days last November.
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The new film is expected to make more than ufffd20 million over its opening weekend.

Deathly Hallows Part 2 is also on course to surpass the British box office record set by the film adaptation of the musical Mamma Mia!, starring Meryl Streep, which made ufffd69 million throughout its run.