Harry Potter, Box Office Records | featured news

The Dark Knight is dead. Long live the Batman. Since 2008, the Christopher Nolan film featuring posthumous Oscar winner Heath Ledger had held the single-weekend record for domestic box office. “The Dark Knight’s” $158.4-million take topped “Spider-Man 3’s” $151.1-million a year earlier. Now, the Boy Wizard has left both superheroes in the Floo-powder dust.

Harry Potter cast a spell over moviegoers worldwide as the sixth entry in the fantasy franchise set a new opening record of $396.7 million, breaking the former global record held by “Spider-Man 3.”

Pic may score best midnight gross of all time -- In a massive start, Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” easily scored the biggest midnight gross of all-time in earning $22.2 million as it unspooled in 3,003 runs at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.