Harry Potter 8's First Day at the Box Office: Will the Weekend Beat The Dark Knight's Record?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 charted a record midnight domestic estimate of $43.5 million from 3,800 sites, unseating previous champ The Twilight Saga: Eclipse which had earned $30 million in the slot, reports Anthony D'Alessandro. Bowing abroad on Wednesday in 26 countries, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 collected $43.6 million from 24 countries, Today, stateside, the film unspools in 4,300 venues--70% (or 3,000) of which are 3-D. Of these, 275 are IMAX hubs. While earlier projections saw Deathly Hallows: Part 2 becoming the third-highest weekend opener of all-time, the town is now predicting that the film will kick The Dark Knight's all-time Friday-Sunday record of $158.4 million in the pants. Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is also set to topple the all-time $260-million international »

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