Harry Potter makes box-office magic with record weekend

The goblins at Gringotts bank are set for a busy week: the latest Harry Potter film has smashed the British box office record for an opening weekend, taking £18.3m in its first three days. The figure eclipses the £15.3m raked in by the most recent James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, in 2008. Figures released this lunchtime confirm that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 has broken records for the best Friday, the best Saturday and the best for a single day. The latter two records are currently held by the fourth film in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which took £5.7m on a Saturday in 2005. Deathly Hallows also topped the US box office at the weekend, debuting with an estimated $125m. "The opening of this film has become an extraordinary worldwide event," said Josh Berger, president and managing director of Warner Bros UK. "These remarkable box office numbers are a testament to the talents of the film-makers, cast and to the vision of JK Rowling." Deathly Hallows, once again directed by David Yates and starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, is the penultimate film in the series based on JK Rowling's hugely popular books about a boy wizard and his struggle against the forces of evil. The film has received positive reviews from critics, with the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw writing: "It has to be said that now there are weird and, for me, rather unexpected signs of life." Part 2 is released on July 15 next year.