Half Blood Prince Casts A Spell Over Box Office

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Half Blood Prince Casts A Spell Over Box Office

July 20th, 2009 - Shooting straight to the number one position at the New Zealand box office, Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince broke numerous opening weekend records by grossing $2.4 million with sold-out sessions across the country.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince now holds the mantle for the second highest opening weekend result of all time, only trumped by the epic final instalment of the Lord of The Rings trilogy.

The sixth instalment of Harry Potter grossed more in its opening weekend than any other film in the franchise and also topped all other Warner Bros. weekend film grosses in New Zealand to date.

Proven to be much loved by fans across NZ, the Harry Potter result also translates into the highest grossing opening weekend for 2009 (four and five day trading).

At present Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince holds the following records:
* Second highest grossing opening weekend ever:
1. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ($2,609,992)
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($2,405,040)
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($2,403,515)
4. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ($2,290,584)
5. Shrek 2 ($2,202,050)
* Highest grossing opening day of any Harry Potter film
* Highest grossing Warner Bros. Pictures title in New Zealand
* Highest grossing opening weekend of 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opened on Wednesday, July 15th and continues to play in cinemas nationally, including IMAX in select locations.

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www.harrypotter.co.nz
Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” the sixth instalment of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Harry Potter film franchise. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson return in the roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Helen McCrory, Julie Walters and Bonnie Wright.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. David Heyman and David Barron produced the film, with Lionel Wigram serving as executive producer and John Trehy co-producing.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. Roadshow Film Distributors are the official agents for Warner Bros. Pictures in New Zealand.
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