The penultimate film based on the fantasy series by J. K. Rowlings, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I [HPOT7] casts an estimated $125.1 million to set a new franchise record for opening weekend. Fans who are now old enough to stay up late packed the midnight screenings. Even with the front-loading, the seventh film is likely to surpass the $302 million totaled by the previous installment Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
After two weeks at the top, Megamind [MEGAM] stepped down to second with $16.2 million. The animated film has summed up $109.5 million.
Unstoppable [USTOP] finished third at $13.1 million. The action thriller declined 42% in its second weekend.
The weekend's other new wide release, The Next Three Days [N3DAY] mustered just $6.8 million to open fifth overall.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 | $125,120,000 | $125,120,000 |
| 2 | MEGAMIND | $16,175,000 | $109,476,000 |
| 3 | UNSTOPPABLE | $13,100,000 | $41,961,914 |
| 4 | DUE DATE | $9,150,000 | $72,669,000 |
| 5 | THE NEXT THREE DAYS | $6,750,000 | $6,750,000 |
| 6 | MORNING GLORY | $5,233,000 | $19,856,000 |
| 7 | SKYLINE | $3,430,770 | $17,642,545 |
| 8 | RED | $2,467,000 | $83,573,922 |
| 9 | FOR COLORED GIRLS | $2,400,000 | $34,539,697 |
| 10 | FAIR GAME | $1,470,000 | $3,738,727 |
| 11 | SECRETARIAT | $962,000 | $56,368,000 |
| 12 | PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 | $926,000 | $83,564,000 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): HPOT7, MEGAM, USTOP, N3DAY