The seventh Harry Potter movie opened to a jaw-dropping $330 million in global ticket sales over the weekend, underscoring the magical powers of the Warner Brothers marketing and distribution departments.
That brawny total easily made "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" No. 1 in North America, where the boy wizard generated an estimated $125.1 million. It was the second-biggest domestic opening for the Harry Potter franchise; adjusting for higher ticket prices, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" sold $127.4 million over its first three days in November 2005.
The strong results for the film, the penultimate in the franchise, reflect the continued popularity of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, and "Deathly Hallows" also earned strong reviews.
But equally important was a yearlong, full-court press by Warner's global marketing chief, Sue Kroll, to position "Deathly Hallows" as a must-see event for children and adults alike. The advertising campaign played up the sophisticated, darker elements of the plot. Harry and pals are now grown up, for instance, and the good-versus-evil battle is intensifying as the story line reaches its climax. 'Harry Potter' has $330 million debut weekend
