Warner Bros. Pictures’ "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" Breaks Industry and Studio Records

Entering only its second day in theaters around the world, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is breaking both industry and studio box office records. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” set a new industry record for a Wednesday opening with $44.2 million (previous record was $40.4 million in 2004). This gross includes the film’s $12 million take from midnight shows, also an industry record.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” also stormed the international box office, taking in an estimated $29.2 million for Wednesday from 29 countries. The film garnered the biggest industry opening day in both Holland and Belgium, and the second-highest opening in France, Italy and Brazil. Additionally, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” had the biggest opening for the “Harry Potter” franchise in 22 countries, including France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Australia, Korea and Brazil. The international figure does not include the U.K. and Mexico, both of which opened the film today, and Japan, which goes into sneaks on Saturday.

The film continues to break the studio’s own domestic release records, as “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is now Warner Bros. Pictures’ top-grossing midnight show, top-grossing single day, and top-grossing opening of the “Harry Potter” franchise to date. As previously announced, Warner Bros. Pictures is opening the film domestically in 4,285 locations and more than 9,000 screens, the widest release pattern ever for any Warner Bros. film. In addition, Warner Bros. has generated the greatest overall number of prints for “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” with over 22,000 prints going to exhibitors around the world. Worldwide, it is also the largest digital cinema release to date for any Warner Bros. title with over 1350 screens.

On the IMAX front, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” also shattered industry records, becoming the biggest IMAX opening with $1.9 million on 90 North American screens, which includes a record-breaking midnight show of $450,000. The film will open on 126 IMAX screens worldwide – 91 of those in the US, with many featuring the final scenes of the film in IMAX 3D – more than any previous release.

In “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts only to discover that much of the wizarding community has been led to believe that the story of the teenager’s recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort is a lie, putting Harry’s integrity in question. Worse, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has appointed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the duplicitous Professor Dolores Umbridge. But Professor Umbridge’s “Ministry-approved” course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the Dark forces threatening them, so, at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry is convinced to take matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves “Dumbledore’s Army,” Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Heyday Films Production, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson and Julie Walters.

The film was directed by David Yates and produced by David Heyman and David Barron. Michael Goldenberg wrote the screenplay, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. Lionel Wigram served as executive producer.

“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

This film has been rated “PG-13” by the MPAA for “sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.”