LOS ANGELES: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" has smashed the all-time record at the North American box office for an opening weekend, dragging in $168 million, industry trackers said.
The eighth and final film in the Harry Potter series, which surpassed the last Batman film "The Dark Knight" by $10 million to notch up the weekend milestone, had already raked in a record $92.1 million in opening day sales.
"Deathly Hallows -- Part 2," the finale to one of the most successful movie franchises of all time, sees the boy wizard take on the evil Lord Voldemort in a climactic showdown, the second of two movies based on the final Potter book by British author J. K. Rowling.
"The Dark Knight," the most recent Batman film, which featured the late Heath Ledger in his final and most acclaimed role, previously held the opening weekend title with a $158-million take upon its 2008 release.
The latest Potter movie, in which stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint reprise their lead roles, pushed past single-day records previously set by "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which took $72.7 million in 2009.
"Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" is the first Potter movie to have a 3D version as well as the regular 2D release.
The young sorcerer's exploits are a global phenomenon, with the books now available in 69 languages and the films mesmerizing audiences worldwide.
Cast members through the years have comprised of some of the best-known names in British cinema, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Gary Oldman and Robbie Coltrane.
"Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" covers the final third of the last book and is a fast-paced adventure, in contrast to "Part 1" which served as a scene-setter.
More than 400 million copies of the Potter books have been sold since struggling single mother Rowling published the first instalment, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", in 1997.
Despite the films and books coming to an end, Rowling last month unveiled an interactive website featuring new material about Potter's world.
The first Harry Potter film was released in 2001 and the seven movies so far have earned over 6.4 billion dollars (4.4 billion euros) globally, making stars -- and multi-millionaires -- out of Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, with each taking different paths on their post-Potter journeys.
Radcliffe has gone into musical comedy, Watson into modelling and Grint into low-budget films, each seeking to make their name outside the world created by Rowling.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011
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