“Deathly Hallows – Part 2” shatters midnight box office record

Raking in $43.5 million before dawn, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 set the new midnight box office record, according to Hollywood.com and The Associated Press. It was previously held by last summer’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse at $30 million.

With the addition of 3-D, Part 2 could end the franchise’s spellbinding 10-year story with a total weekend debut approaching $150 million, according to Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. That would surpass the $125 million opening last November of the first Deathly Hallows installment.

At $158 million, 2008’s The Dark Knight has the current opening weekend record.

How many times will you be seeing the movie this weekend?