Potter casts spell on US box office

Harry Potter has cast his biggest spell yet with a record-breaking first day at the US box office.

Distributor Warner Bros said Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 conjured up $92.1 million (€65 million) on opening day last Friday.

That is nearly $20 million more than the previous record-holder, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which took in $72.7 million in its first day two years ago.

The finale of the Harry Potter saga also set a record for midnight screenings, which took in $43.5 million. That topped The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which pulled in about $30 million in its first midnight shows last year.

Box office tracker Holly­wood.com has now predicted that Deathly Hallows: Part 2 could also break the opening-weekend re-cord of $158.4 million) in America held by The Dark Knight.