Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Creates Cinema History and Shatters Box Records in the UK and Ireland with an Astonishing Opening Weekend of £23 Million

LONDON, July 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Warner Bros. Pictures' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, the final adventure of the film series based on the beloved books by J.K. Rowling, smashed all box office records in the UK and Ireland, earning an incredible £23 million in its opening weekend.  The announcement was made today by Josh Berger, President and Managing Director Warner Bros. Entertainment UK and Ireland.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 opened on 15th July 2011, with fans across the country queuing for hours to be among the first to see the film.  The opening weekend gross eclipsed the previous record of £18.319 million, set by the seventh film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, which opened on 19th November 2011.  Therefore - HP7 Part 2 opened 26% bigger than HP7 Part 1.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part 2 enters the world record books with the biggest opening weekend in UK box office history, £23m. It also claims the record for the biggest single day box office with the biggest Friday ever £9,424m - 59% ahead of HP7 Pt 1 £5,930m.  

The biggest Saturday ever £7,543m, 12% ahead of HP7 Pt 1 £6,726m.

The biggest Sunday ever £6,033m, 6% ahead of HP7 Pt 1 £5,663m.

The biggest 3D weekend gross ever in the UK £13.8m, beating the previous record of £8.893m held by Toy Story 3.

Josh Berger stated, "After a decade of Harry Potter films, the final film is truly a cultural phenomenon.  We are thrilled with this astounding response and we would like to thank all Harry Potter fans across the UK and Ireland.  These incredible results are a testament to the incredible achievement of the filmmakers, cast, and, of course, J.K. Rowling, and will ensure the film series a place in history for years to come"

The Harry Potter film series had already achieved the distinction of being the top-grossing film franchise of all time, a milestone it reached with the combined success of the first five films.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, reprising their roles as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.  The film's ensemble cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Matthew Lewis, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Julie Walters and Bonnie Wright.

The film was directed by David Yates, and produced by David Heyman, David Barron and J.K. Rowling.  Screenwriter Steve Kloves adapted the screenplay, based on the book by J.K. Rowling.  Lionel Wigram is the executive producer.

http://www.harrypotter.co.uk