Harry Potter Magic Out-charms Bond at Box Office
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Latest Potter film will surpass Bond as most successful movie franchise.
The Harry Potter franchise has shaken (not stirred) the box office listings by toppling James Bond as the highest grossing movie franchise in cinema history.
As Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was officially released in the US, UK and Japan today, with witching hour performances in selected theatres from 00:01 last night, the sixth Harry Potter film charmed the mantle away from Britain’s smoothest secret agent.
With the incredible longevity and continued profitability of the iconic 007, after 22 films the Bond franchise has grossed $5 billion (£3 billion) worldwide. The first five Potter films had grossed $4.48 billion (£2.73 billion) but the introduction of the sixth film will see Bond usurped.
Prince has already eclipsed the previous Potter outing at the box office, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, for its midnight takings. In 2007 Phoenix took some $12 million (£7.3 million) in the US alone for its midnight screenings. Prince surpassed that figure last night and once the records have been tallied, the latest Potter film could even beat the current record holder The Dark Knight, which took $18 million in midnight box office sales almost exactly a year ago today.
When Phoenix was all said and done, it had grossed $938 million (£572 million) worldwide. Prince should beat that total with ease, especially since Phoenix was released in 2007, competing in the same week as the first Transformers movie. Now, with the path to glory relatively clear (Brüno is hardly likely to tread on the toes of the boy wizard), it seems Prince will make some big money for Warner Bros.
Of course, Bond has the chance to strike back. With only one more book to cover, the Potter franchise is finite in its scope, whereas the world will always need a Martini-slurping, gun-totting double-oh to drive recklessly, deliver rapid witticisms and generally save the day. However, with the rather dismal efforts of Quantum of Solace, the question remains: does Bond still have the magic?
