"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" conjured up $61.2 million domestically in its first day, positioning it for the best opening weekend ever for the series about the young wizard.
Friday's haul puts "Deathly Hallows" on track to shoot past the franchise's previous high, a $102.7 million opening weekend for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" in 2005.
"Deathly Hallows" lands at No. 5 on the box-office charts for biggest opening day, behind "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" at $72.7 million, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" at $68.5 million, "The Dark Knight" at $67.2 million and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" at $62 million.
It set a record for its own franchise, coming in ahead of the $58.2 million opening day of last year's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Price."
The franchise has taken in $5.5 billion worldwide in theatrical revenue since the first film debuted in 2001.
The latest film is based on the first part of J.K. Rowling's seventh and final "Harry Potter" novel. The finale, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2," is due out in July.
