'Deathly Hallows Part 2' soars to third highest-grossing film of all-time

(AFP PHOTO / Philippe Lopez)

This past weekend, the finale in the Harry Potter franchise reached the magical $1.14 billion mark worldwide to become the third highest grossing film of all-time, sweeping past the previous record holder, 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 now ranks under James Cameron's Titanic ($1.8 billion) and Avatar ($2.8 billion), the second and first films, respectively.

In under four weeks, the eighth installment of the film series has collected $343.1 million in the US and $792.4 million internationally, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Potter blockbuster opened in China last weekend, making $26.5 million, the biggest ever debut for a Warner Bros. film.

Based on the best-selling J.K. Rowling novels, the eight Harry Potter films make up the highest-grossing film franchise, having made more than $7.4 billion worldwide, per TheNumbers.com. Not adjusting for inflation, this is higher than the 22 James Bond films and six Star Wars films.

With home video/DVD/Blu-ray sales, the estimate climbs closer to a total of $10 million, according to Forbes - an impressive feat for a 10-year old series.

RC