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    Movie Talk

    From 1st to Worst: Harry Potter Posts Biggest 2nd Week Decline Ever for a Blockbuster

    By Daniel Frankel, The Wrap | Movie Talk – Mon, Jul 25, 2011 7:45 PM EDT

    Harry Potter and companyComing off the biggest box-office opening ever, the eighth and final Harry Potter movie just experienced the biggest second-weekend decline of all time for any blockbuster.

    The Warner Bros. film declined 72 percent from its record $169.2 million domestic opening to just $47.4 million.

    Plenty of films have experienced bigger percentage drops in their second weekends of release, but none of them were in the elite blockbuster class of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2."

    Also read: 'Spider-Man' Villain Rhys ifans Arrested for Battery at Comic-Con, Police Say

    In fact, among the 36 films that experienced bigger percentage drops than "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" in weekend No. 2, only three films opened to more than $20 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

    Also read: Another Harry Potter Movie Under Way -- But Not the Hogwarts Guy

    And only one film on that list, Warner's 2009 reboot of "Friday the 13th," managed to crack the $40 million mark (it opened to $40.6 million).

    Among blockbusters with domestic openings over $100 million, only one film, Summit Entertainment's "Twilight Saga: New Moon," which dropped 70 percent, has a weekend-to-weekend decline in the same league.

    Avid fan support, which causes pent-up demand to be released in a big opening-weekend rush, factors in here.

    Like the Potter films, the Twilight saga is book-driven and usually features a big midnight performance on each installment's first day in theaters.

    Also read: 'Harry Potter' by the Numbers: Audience Grew Older, Series Got Richer

    But even for the Potter franchise, 72 percent is big. At 62.7 percent, 2004's "Prisoner of Azkaban" was the series' previous biggest weekend-two decliner; 2001's "Sorcerer's Stone" dropped just 36.3 percent.

    Alarm bells, however, are hardly going off at the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, Calif.

    "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" has grossed $560.4 million so far internationally. And with $833.9 million in the bank so far, the film is still on pace to be the only movie in the Potter series to break the $1 billion barrier globally.

    Watch a clip of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2' below:

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    2,354 comments

    • LIND
      LIND  •  9 months ago
      When I went to this movie, the lady in the row behind me asked her husband: "Wait, who is VOLDEMORT?" Yeah... She probably should have seen the other films first...
      • Schooled
        Schooled 9 months ago
        Or read the books, which are better than the movies.
      • George
        George 9 months ago
        Voldemort is John Boehner, of course.
      • George
        George 9 months ago
        Voldemort used to be George Bush II, but he changed . . . .
    • Rick S
      Rick S  •  9 months ago
      When tickets are going at $15 per how can anyone seriously think that $600 million in box office receipts means as much as back in 1995 when tickets were $7.50 per? I think the movie industry much actually look at head counts and not dollars when it comes to measuring how popular a movie is.
      • Morgan
        Morgan 9 months ago
        Again, $15.00? Where do you people see movies, NYC? Regular ticket prices across America are around $9.50, tops.
      • Xiomara
        Xiomara 9 months ago
        I live in Seattle, tickets were $15.
      • kristyp
        kristyp 9 months ago
        i saw it in IMAX 3D for only $12 but i do agree with you Rick s head counts probably would be a more effective way to measure popularity versus money. however all that really matters to the makers is how much money is made
    • Flicker
      Flicker  •  9 months ago
      I love living in a small town. We have an old fashion two screen theater and the tickets are only $4. People cant afford to take a family to the big malls disguised as movie theaters today, not for $15 a pop.
      • Kwild
        Kwild 9 months ago
        Sounds like where I live, but ours only has one screen. I got in for $3 and got a popcorn and a pop. Whole trip was $5! Go small towns!
      • Flicker
        Flicker 9 months ago
        It's nice. Get to experience the joy of the movies and it's dirt cheap!
      • kristyp
        kristyp 9 months ago
        lucky!! the cheapest ticket i can get is 7 and popcorn and drink is like 6-10 depending on size. but i do like the more variation that is offered at one time in movies and format. still money wise y'all are lucky
    • Paul
      Paul  •  9 months ago
      Over 40 million the second weekend is still a lot more than most movies make their opening weekend. The higher the starting amount, the higher the fall will be. It's not THAT surprising. Sure, Sorcerer's Stone had a smaller percentage drop, but it also only made 90 mil its first weekend....
      • Miss Kitty89
        Miss Kitty89 9 months ago
        No this is not what typically happens for most movies; only the ones with crazy fans like Twilight who camp out over night for the midnight show and see it twenty times that weekend. There is expected to be a fall but most slowly decline like TDK or Titanic or like Avatar which stayed consistently.

        Sorry but Potter has always mainly appealed to it's loyal fans and they all came out that first week showing that it has a limit on how much it can make domestically. (Please note that none of this is suppose to be mean spirited)
      • Jesus
        Jesus 9 months ago
        Exactly. It's simple math. The number of people that are going to see a movie on the big screen it's a fixed number. The more people that see the opening the less people (percentage wise) will watch it on weeks to come. I can go on, but I think you get the picture. I am one of those people that are not going to watch the movie. Never watched an entire movie. I guess I couldn't stand their accents. :)
      • Spawn32f
        Spawn32f 9 months ago
        well you know they could've made it adult version of harry potter movie like say harry trying to find something under his gf's witches outfit you know what i mean sorry but i'm pretty sure alot of adults would actually go see it then
    • Simone
      Simone  •  9 months ago
      It's only because the people who really want to see it see it the first weekend. Anyone else who just wants to see it in theatres will go when it is less crowded. So of course there is a gap. If most of the people who are going to see it already saw it then there is less people going the next week.
      • Allie
        Allie 9 months ago
        I'd see it several times over if I could before it comes to DVD. I'm one of the people who saw a 12:01 showing this time around, but just because I've waited for this movie and my sister in law invited me to see it with her and my brother. She's a HP geek. I asked "When does it come out on DVD?" after it was over.

        I can see where your reasoning is from. It is a very reasonable theory. :)
      • An American Citizen
        An American Citizen 9 months ago
        Your comment is so intelligent. The voice of reason. Good for you.
      • Thomas W
        Thomas W 9 months ago
        Spot on.
    • Blake
      Blake  •  9 months ago
      That's because if 90% of the population sees it in the first week, how is it supposed to keep the success going? This is a stupid article.
    • Jack
      Jack  •  9 months ago
      lol as if 48 mill is weak.
    • Buckley's angel
      Buckley's angel  •  9 months ago
      It's not a reflection of fan approval, but of the dismal economy. Most fans have to be content with just seeing it once and waiting for DVD release when they can watch it 100 times. It's not the same but what can you do?
    • A Yahoo! User  •  9 months ago
      Im pretty sure it's common sense that almost EVERYONE that wanted to see the movie saw it the weekend it came out, therefore, of course a decline is going to occur because no one is going to see the movie again the next weekend.
    • Hogfather
      Hogfather  •  9 months ago
      tickets are just getting too damn expensive. I went to go see it and it was $17.50! I laughed and we left. I can wait a few months for DvD release.
    • asdjkl
      asdjkl  •  9 months ago
      This makes so much sense. Everyone's seen it already and tickets are expensive. Why is this surprising to you people at Yahoo?
    • Rick
      Rick  •  9 months ago
      Every time I go see a film at the theater, I think to myself, that is one month of Netflix.
    • Archie
      Archie  •  9 months ago
      I won't attend the movie theater. I wait on the DVD to be released. that way, i can watch it in the comfort of my own home, wearing what I want to wear, eating less expensive snacks, drinking less expensive drinks...I can even have a drink of an alcoholic nature if I wish to. And the most important partis...I do NOT have to put up with rude a$$ people.
    • Lyinar
      Lyinar  •  9 months ago
      It's because everyone's already seen it, or is waiting until Harry's Birthday to go see it.
    • UDUNKNOWME
      UDUNKNOWME  •  9 months ago
      OH NOOOO!!! Just $47.4 million???? I hope they dont go bankrupt!!!!!
    • MikenKaren
      MikenKaren  •  9 months ago
      Because of the IDIOTS who don't know what "TURN OFF YOUR PHONES" means, I have the largest growing collection of movies around. I REFUSE TO GO TO THE THEATER and drive my BP up. I just purchase every movie that comes out that looks good. The ones that suck, I give away. 500 and growing. Until they post an usher in each and every theater to escort the "IDIOTS" out the first time they use their IDIOT DEVICE, I won't be wasting my $$ ever again... IDIOTS!!!!! Harry Potter is on my list to buy, no matter how bad it tanks in the second week.
    • “Saint”
      “Saint”  •  9 months ago
      I know one reason a lot of people in my town are waiting for the DVD: 3D. Our theater (I don't know about others) is only showing the movie in 3D, which costs considerably more than watching it in regular 2D. Our movie theater's prices are already jacked-up without having to pay more just to get some cheap glasses and have stuff pop out at you. I went to see the movie and didn't see too much that was '3D' about it. And I wasn't impressed with the $11-something it took to get in. Will I see the movie again? Sure, when it comes out on DVD.
    • fools_and_sages
      fools_and_sages  •  9 months ago
      I'm waiting 12 days so I can use free passes to see it. Yes, I won't see it in 3D-- but my past experience with 3D Potter movies was that they weren't worth it. Movies are too expensive these days. $9 for a matinee? RIDICULOUS!
    • Kitkat J
      Kitkat J  •  9 months ago
      Wow, what's with all this $15 for a ticket? I went to see it for $5.50, first showing of the day. Where do they have tickets for $15?!
    • Nick
      Nick  •  9 months ago
      who cares? Are we forgetting the fact that it's made the most money in movie history? This just means that everybody saw it the first week
     Post a comment

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