LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Harry Potter cast a spell over moviegoers during the weekend, as the fourth film in the fantasy series about a young wizard smashed sales records around the world.
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" sold an estimated $181.4 million worth of tickets, including $101.4 million in North America, where it easily eclipsed the first three films and ranks as the fourth-largest opening ever, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said on Sunday.
It also enjoyed a wide lead over the No. 2 film in North America, the Johnny Cash biopic, "Walk the Line," which rang up a better-than-expected $22.4 million in its first three days.
"Potter's" foreign haul of $80 million was led by Britain with $24.6 million, a new record for a three-day opening; Germany with $19.8 million, a new record for a four-day opening; and Mexico with $6.8 million, the third-best opening.
The film was No. 1 in all 19 foreign territories where it opened, the Time Warner Inc.-owned studio said. It adds such markets as Japan, Italy and Spain next weekend, with France and Australia in the first week of December.
DARK THRILLS
The $130 million movie, based on the book by British author J.K. Rowling, stars 16-year-old Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, an orphan who confronts death and puberty at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. New additions to the cast included Ralph Fiennes as the evil Lord Voldemort, who helped give the film a darker tone than its predecessors.
Not coincidentally, the film was rated in the United States as PG-13 for "sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images," while the first three carried a milder PG rating. Exit polling showed that more adults turned up than usual, indicating that the franchise's appeal is spreading beyond families, said Dan Fellman, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Warner Bros.
The new film was directed by Mike Newell, best known for the 1994 comedy "Four Weddings and a Funeral," and the first Englishman to take the helm of the series.
In North America, the three-day haul set a new record for the lucrative franchise, surpassing the $93.7 million opening of 2004's "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." However, that film's $249.4 million total was the smallest of the three. The most successful was 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which totaled $317.6 million. The 2002 film "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" grossed $262 million.
The record for a three-day opening is held by "Spider-Man," which bowed with $115 million in 2002. "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" began with $108.4 million earlier this year, just ahead of "Shrek 2" with $108 million in 2004.
(SOURCE: YAHOO! NEWS)
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