What to See This Weekend: 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I,' 'The Next Three Days'

Here's a rundown of what's opening this weekend - as if anyone's going to go see anything other than 'Harry Potter.'

New and Noteworthy: 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I'

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes
Directed by: David Yates
What's It About? In the first half of the 'Potter' series' apocalyptic finale (Part II is due next summer), Harry, Ron and Hermione head toward a final confrontation with Voldemort while seeking the scattered fragments of the dark wizard's torn soul. Of course, they're still teenagers, so hormones do get in the way.
Why Should You See It? Uh, because everyone else you know will? Because the same writing/directing team behind the last couple of increasingly dark installments are behind this one? Because it's your (second-to-) last chance to see Harry Potter on the big screen?
You Might Like It If You Like: The first six 'Harry Potter' movies, Western civilization

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Trailers & Clips
•'Harry Potter' to Pass 'Star Wars' as Biggest Movie Franchise of All Time
•The Week in Geek: Five Great Things About 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I'
•'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I' NYC Premiere Red Carpet
•In Defense of Draco Malfoy
•Moviefone's Search for the Biggest Harry Potter Fan: Submit Your Video
•10 Things We Learned on the Set of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I'
•Reviews | Leonard Maltin's Review | Mr. Moviefone's Six Second Review

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I' - Trailer No. 2

Also New: 'The Next Three Days'

Starring: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Brian Dennehy, Lennie James
Directed by: Paul Haggis
What's It About? Y'know, in the current real-life drama 'Conviction,' Hilary Swank gets her framed-for-murder brother out of jail by spending 18 years earning college and law degrees and working through the system. In this thriller, however, when Russell Crowe's wife (Banks) is convicted of murder, he gives up on the system after three years and plans to bust her out instead, with the help of a jailbreak expert (Neeson).
Why Should You See It? It's Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson in butt-kicking mode. It's directed and co-written by Paul Haggis, the screenwriter of the last two James Bond movies (and of course, the Oscar-winning 'Crash' and 'Million Dollar Baby'). Did we mention the part about Crowe and Neeson kicking butt?
You Might Like It If You Like: 'Taken,' 'Anything for Her' (the 2007 French film this one is adapted from), 'Proof of Life'

•Showtimes & Tickets
•Trailers & Clips
•Reviews

'The Next Three Days' - Trailer No. 2

In Limited Release

'Made in Dagenham' is a drama loosely based on a real-life 1960s strike at a British auto plant that marked the first victory in the fight for equal pay for women. There's even been some Oscar talk for star Sally Hawkins ('Happy Go Lucky') .
Showtimes & Tickets
'Heartless' is a horror film starring Jim Sturgess ('21') as a loveless young man with a large facial birthmark who strikes a Faustian bargain after he discovers that his gritty London neighborhood really is hell on Earth, complete with thuggish demons.
Showtimes & Tickets
Still In Theaters, Still Awesome

•'Unstoppable' - Runaway train loaded with explosives? Big deal. It's Denzel Washington, 55-year-old action hero, who's unstoppable. | Showtimes & Tickets
•'Morning Glory' - This backstage comedy set at a struggling morning news show seems to be pleasing audiences. Except, we'll bet, for Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson, who probably aren't too flattered by the mismatched, bickering anchors played by Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford. | Showtimes & Tickets
•'Fair Game' - Whether or not you agree with the movie's take that Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson were selfless public servants who endured a political firestorm for trying to unearth the the truth behind the stated rationales for the Iraq War, you'll appreciate the awards-worthy performances of Naomi Watts and Sean Penn as a couple undergoing an undeniably unique marital crisis. | Showtimes & Tickets
Staying In This Weekend?

New on DVD This Week: If you never bought Ebenezer Scrooge's yuletide conversion because you didn't find the ghosts scary enough to force a change of heart, then Disney's 'A Christmas Carol' is for you. Motion-capture animation allows director Robert Zemeckis to amp up the fantasy elements and icy chills of Charles Dickens' ghost story. If anything, it may be too scary for the youngest viewers, even with a full-of-humbug Jim Carrey as the voice of Scrooge. Buy or rent the DVD | More new DVD releases

Movie Homework: As 'Made in Dagenham' suggests, moviegoers like their labor heroes to be heroines. That includes such stand-up sisters as Meryl Streep in 'Silkwood' and Charlize Theron in 'North Country,' but most of all, Sally Field in 1979's 'Norma Rae.' Loosely inspired by the true story of a woman who fought abysmal working conditions in her local textile mill by unionizing it, the film contains an Oscar-winning performance by Field that's so iconic, even after three decades, that it was just parodied this week on 'Glee.' Only instead of standing on a table silently holding a sign that says, "UNION," Mercedes hoists one that says "TOTS," to protest the removal of the students' beloved potato puffs from the school cafeteria menu. Buy or rent the DVD

On My Netflix Queue: Since I can't afford a vacation at a French beach resort right now, I'll settle for a viewing of Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953), the sunniest and breeziest of all movie comedies, and the platonic ideal to which all other comedies about vacation mishaps aspire. Buy or rent the DVD
•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I' Smashes Records: Box Office Report November 19-21

Just how big was this weekend's opening of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I'? Well, take the combined earnings of the other nine movies in this weekend's top 10, about $60 million, then double that number, and you still won't reach the sales figure that 'Potter' conjured up.

According to studio estimates, 'Potter' earned $125.1 million this weekend, a record for the franchise that far surpasses the $102.7 million earned by 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' in 2005, the last time a 'Potter' picture opened over just a three-day weekend. 'Deathly Hallows' also set a franchise record with $24 million in midnight screenings on Friday morning. Its full Friday take was $61.2 million, yet another franchise record and the fifth-biggest single-day sales figure in box office history. If that $125.1 million figure holds after final numbers are released on Monday, it will be the sixth biggest opening weekend of all time, behind May's 'Iron Man 2' ($128.1 million).

Even with such staggering numbers, 'Deathly Hallows' still slightly underperformed predictions, which anticipated a take as high as $130 million. Maybe that's because the movie still faced a small amount of family-audience competition from 'Megamind,' still going strong with an estimated $16.2 million in its third weekend. It still boasts an enormous screen count (3,779 venues, second behind 'Potter's' 4,125), so if 'Potter' screenings were sold out, chances are good 'Megamind' was still playing next door. In three weeks, it's earned $109.5 million.

'Unstoppable' was third this weekend with an estimated $13.1 million, down just 42 percent from last week's opening. In 10 days, the runaway train thriller has earned $42.0 million.

In fourth place, 'Due Date' was the weekend's top comedy, with an estimated $9.2 million and a modest third-weekend drop of 40 percent. It's grossed $72.7 million to date.

Opening at No. 5, Russell Crowe's action thriller 'The Next Three Days' disappointed with just an estimated $6.8 million. In a weekend dominated by Harry Potter, expectations were low to begin with, but Crowe's movies these days tend to open between $11 and $14 million. Apparently, there was still plenty of competition for the guy audience with 'Unstoppable' and 'Due Date.' Hey, is it too late for Crowe to get himself cast in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II'?

The full top 10:
1. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' $125.1 million (4,125 screens), new release
2. 'Megamind,' $16.2 million (3,779), $109.5 million total
3. 'Unstoppable,' $13.1 million (3,209), $42.0 million
4. 'Due Date,' $9.2 million (3,229), $72.7 million
5. 'The Next Three Days,' $6.8 million (2,564), new release
6. 'Morning Glory,' $5.2 million (2,544, $19.9 million
7. 'Skyline,' $3.4 million (2,883), $17.6 million
8. 'Red,' $2.5 million (2,034), $83.6 million
9. 'For Colored Girls,' $2.4 million (1,216), $34.5 million
10. 'Fair Game,' $1.5 million (386), $3,7 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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'Harry Potter' Works Thanksgiving Magic: Box Office Report November 26-28

Harry, Ron and Hermione may be spending a miserable winter hiding out in various forests, but they can be thankful for holiday weekend moviegoers, who made 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I' the top-grossing film for the second week in a row. It's an impressive feat, considering that four new wide-release movies opened Wednesday to steal some of Harry's Thanksgiving thunder.

According to studio estimates, the Potter picture pulled another $50.3 million over the last three days. That's down a striking 60 percent from last week's business, which might be cause for alarm if the movie's domestic gross over its first 10 days weren't already up to 220.4 million. Over the five-day holiday, it earned $76.3 million, which is also better than its four new competitors over the same period.

Still, 'Tangled' was close behind, with an estimated $49.1 million for the weekend. And with a five-day total of $69.0 million, the Disney take on the Rapunzel tale scored the best Thanksgiving opening since Disney's own 'Toy Story 2' back in 1999. (That film earned $57.4 million over the three-day weekend and $80.1 million from Wednesday to Sunday.) It also boasted the best per-screen average ($13,628) of any top 10 movie this week. Credit the Disney marketing machine, glowing reviews, a princess story that also had some boy appeal, a PG rating that was a little more family-friendly than the dark 'Deathly Hallows' and 3-D ticket surcharges.

A distant third but still holding strong (stronger, anyway, than three of the four newcomers), 'Megamind' grossed another estimated $12.9 million. Like 'Tangled,' it's benefiting from 3-D ticket prices and family crowds, and it's also playing in more theaters than every other movie except 'Tangled' and 'Deathly Hallows.' Down just 20 percent from last weekend, 'Megamind' claims a four-weekend total of $130.5 million.

Opening at No. 4 was the Cher/Christina Aguilera musical 'Burlesque.' Pundits had been expecting an opening weekend of $13 million with a five-day total of $19 million. It performed slightly below those guesses, earning an estimated $11.8 million over the weekend and $17.2 million since it opened on Wednesday. Despite tireless promotion from its two leads, the movie still may have seemed like an enigma to potential viewers -- a musical not based on a familiar Broadway title, a pop star (Aguilera) who'd never acted in a film before, teasing hints of adult sexuality wrapped in a PG-13 rating and wishy-washy reviews.

LIke 'Megamind,' 'Unstoppable' is still in good shape, taking the No. 5 spot with an estimated $11.75 million, just a hair behind fourth-place 'Burlesque.' (When final numbers are released Monday, those positions could switch.) The runaway-train thriller barely lost any of last week's business (just 10 percent), for a three-weekend total of $60.7 million.

Debuting in sixth place was 'Love and Other Drugs,' which scored an estimated $9.9 million over the weekend and $14.0 million since Wednesday. That's near the low end of expectations, which had been in the $9-$11 million range for Friday to Sunday and $14-$16 million over the first five days. On the minus side, the romantic drama had a tough-sell adult premise, middling reviews and word-of-mouth, and competition for the adult female audience from 'Burlesque.' On the plus side, much hype about a frequently naked Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.

The last of this weekend's new wide releases, 'Faster' opened in a disappointing seventh place. Predictions had been around $11-$13 million for the weekend and $17-$19 million for the first five days, but it opened with only an estimated $8.7 million weekend and $12.2 million since Wednesday. Despite the return of Dwayne Johnson to action films for the first time in five years, the absence of other new action product and positive word-of-mouth, the movie was underhyped and under-released (on just 2,454 screens). Plus, it had to compete with the still-popular 'Unstoppable.' Nonetheless, $12.2 million is more than half the movie's reported $24 million budget, so 'Faster' should turn a modest profit even if it's out of theaters soon.

Opening in limited release, 'The King's Speech' set a record for the best per-screen average of 2010, earning a regal $87,448 on each of four screens. Sure, that's just $350,000, but watch for its numbers to grow as it rides a wave of strong Oscar buzz for Colin Firth's performance and opens wider across the country.

The full top 10 (three-day grosses):
1. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' $50.3 million (4,125 screens), $220.4 million total
2. 'Tangled,' $49.1 million (3,603), $69.0 million
3. 'Megamind,' $12.9 million (3,411), $130.5 million
4. 'Burlesque,' $11.80 million (3,037), $17.2 million
5. 'Unstoppable,' $11.75 million (3,183), $60.7 million
6. 'Love and Other Drugs,' $9.9 million (2,455), $14.0 million
7. 'Faster,' $8.7 million (2,454), $12.2 million
8. 'Due Date,' $7.3 million (2,555), $85.0 million
9. 'The Next Three Days,' $4.8 million (2,564), $14.6 million
10. 'Morning Glory,' $4.0 million (2,441), $26.5 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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Box Office Spotlight: 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1'

The Movie: 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,' the seventh and next-to-last film in the 'Harry Potter' franchise, directed by David Yates and starring every character actor to ever hail from the United Kingdom.

The Target Audience: Every die-hard, fan and admirer of the most widely appealing series since at least 'Star Wars,' and maybe ever. And their friends and families.

The Competition: Very little, predictably – Hollywood cleared the way for the juggernaut, with only Lionsgate offering 'The Next Three Days' as new counter-programming. It did not end well for 'The Next Three Days,' though it offered Russell Crowe, Liam Neeson, Paul Haggis, and a fun little high concept plot. Nor did it end well for every other film in the top 10, all of which saw at least a 50% drop – more evidence of 'Potter''s insanely broad appeal. For the full lowdown on the weekend's results, check out Moviefone's Box Office Report.

The Number: An estimated $125 million – a franchise record, and the sixth highest opening weekend of all time. The next biggest 'Harry Potter' opening is 'Goblet of Fire' with $102 million; the previous two films each opened in the summer to roughly $75 million, though 'Half-Blood Prince' ultimately ended up out-grossing 'Goblet of Fire.'

The thing about 'Harry Potter' is that far from waning in popularity, it seems to pick up fans as it goes. The first film, Chris Columbus's 'Sorcerer's Stone,' is still the highest-grossing domestically, but the order after that is six-five-four-two-three. 'Deathly Hallows: Part 1' has a good chance of wresting away the crown.

All of which suggests that, even as they count the 'Potter' profits, Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling's publishers must be in agony over Rowling's unwillingness to write another book, 'Harry Potter' or otherwise. (I hope no one thinks splitting 'Deathly Hallows' into two movies was a purely artistic decision.) It's been over three years since the last book was published (yes, I stood in line), and we've heard nary a peep. That speaks well of Rowling as a woman of her word – she said she was done, and apparently she is – but you can almost hear the worldwide gnashing of teeth.

Staying Power: The total-gross-to-opening-weekend-gross ratio for the 'Harry Potter' films tends to hover around 3, and is itself inversely proportional to the opening weekend number. (In other words, when the movies open huge, the opening weekend ends up being a higher percentage of the total take, which is common.) Based on that, it seems reasonable to project $350 million for 'Deathly Hallows: Part 1.' That would be enough to make it the richest 'Harry Potter' yet.

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'Tangled' Brushes Past 'Harry Potter': Box Office Report December 3-5

No surprise that 'Tangled' brushed past 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I' to take the box office crown. For more striking box office news, you have to look further down the chart, for the stunning thud made by 'The Warrior's Way' (the week's only new wide release) and the astonishing leaps made by Natalie Portman's ballet drama 'Black Swan' during its limited-release debut.

According to studio estimates, 'Tangled' raked in $21.5 million this week, bringing its 12-day total to $96.5 million. Slipping 56 percent from last week, Disney's Rapunzel cartoon was still coasting on unanimously positive word-of-mouth and strong reviews, a more family-friendly rating than 'Deathly Hallows,' and those 3-D surcharges.

'Harry Potter,' which had been showing signs of slowed momentum as early as its second weekend (which was last week, when 'Tangled' came within a hair of beating it), fell faster than 'Tangled,' dropping 66 percent this weekend to an estimated $16.7 million. Still, it should easily pass $250 million in a couple of days, well within three weeks of its release.

Like 'Tangled,' other movies showing an impressively slow decline this weekend were 'Burlesque,' 'Unstoppable' and 'Love and Other Drugs.' 'Burlesque' danced into third place this weekend with an estimated $6.1 million, down just 49 percent from its debut last week. Despite middling reviews, the Cher-Christina Aguliera musical is getting strong word of mouth from its target audience, for whom it delivers on the campy spectacle its ads have promised. Its 12-day total is just shy of $27 million.

'Unstoppable' keeps living up to its name. The runaway train thriller tied for third place with 'Burlesque' with an estimated $6.1 million. (Final numbers released Monday will probably find one or the other pulling ahead.) That's down just 47 percent from last week, for a four-weekend total of $68.9 million.

'Love and Other Drugs' fell just 41 percent in its second weekend. It scored an estimated $5.7 million, good for fifth place. Like 'Burlesque,' it's overcome middling reviews with positive word-of-mouth, strong adult appeal, and plenty of hype over its steaminess. Its 12-day total is $22.6 million.

Hype is what 'The Warrior's Way' could have used more of. The only new movie this week that had even close to a wide release (in 1,622 theaters), the martial arts/western had been sitting on a shelf for nearly three years, had a star and a first-time director unknown in the U.S., opened without screening for critics, and may have confused viewers who didn't know what to expect from its genre-mixing. Plus, it was vying for action fans with the still-popular 'Unstoppable' and even last week's box office disappointment 'Faster,' which at least could boast a familiar leading man in Dwayne Johnson.

About all 'The Warrior's Way' had going for it was a lack of competition from other new wide releases. Predictions ran in the range of $5 million, but the film opened with an estimated $3.1 million, taking the No. 9 spot on the chart.

Just a few rungs down, at No. 13, 'Black Swan' opened with an estimated $1.4 million, an impressive number for just 18 screens. That's a per-screen average of $77,459, a number topped this year only by last week's release of 'The King's Speech' ($88,862 on each of four screens). Both movies are riding a wave of Oscar buzz ('Black Swan' for Portman's performance, 'King's Speech' for Colin Firth's), while 'Black Swan' has also enjoyed months of hype over Portman's torrid on-screen liaison with Mila Kunis. Watch for this one to vault up the chart as it goes nationwide over the next few weeks.

The full top 10:
1. 'Tangled,' $21.5 million (3,603 screens), $96.5 million total
2. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' $16.7 million (4,125), $244.2 million
3. 'Burlesque,' $6.1 million (3,037), $27.0 million
3. 'Unstoppable,' $6.1 million (3,152), $68.9 million
5. 'Love and Other Drugs,' $5.7 million (2,458), $22.6 million
6. 'Megamind,' $5.0 million (3,173), $136.7 million
7. 'Due Date,' $4.2 million (2,450), $91.0 million
8. 'Faster,' $3.8 million (2,470), $18.1 million
9. 'The Warrior's Way,' $3.1 million (1,622), new release
10. 'The Next Three Days,' $2.7 million (2,236), $18.4 million

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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'Harry Potter' and the Inappropriate Tie-Ins: 5 Items You Won't Find in Diagon Alley

The 'Harry Potter' inflatable funhouse picture (where Harry is really loving his "broomstick" ... ) is currently making the rounds, which reminded us of a few other inappropriate ways that the wizard boy and his world have been used. 'Harry Potter' fandom spread rapidly after J.K. Rowling's first book appeared in 1997 (drawing obscenely long lines at bookstores all over the world) and the first film in the popular series only upped the ante.

In the years since, we've been treated to a seemingly never ending stream of fan art, music videos, slash fiction, games, toys and more -- some of it hilariously awful. Join us now as we take a look at our five favorite pieces of inappropriate Potter-inspired stuff.

The Vibrating Nimbus 2000 Broom

Mattel's Nimbus 2000 Broomstick seemed like a good idea. The magical "whooshing" sounds the toy broom made helped little boys and girls pretend they were playing a match of Quidditch, just like Harry. Trouble is, many parents flipped when they realized the broom also vibrated -- and suddenly the easy-riding broom handle didn't seem so innocent anymore. It appears that Amazon.com is no longer selling the toy, but thanks to the Internet some consumer reviews -- which are wink-wink-nudge-nudge-worthy -- are still floating around:

"My 12 year old daughter is a big Harry Potter fan, and loved the part with the Nimbus 2000, so I decided to buy her this toy. I was afraid she would think it was too babyish, but she LOVES this toy. Even my daughter's friends enjoy playing with this fun toy. I was surprised at how long they can just sit in her room and play with this magic broomstick! A great buy for any Harry Potter fan! :) --Ashley, TX"

The Slutty Girls Of Gryffindor

There's a slutty Halloween costume version of pretty much everything you could possibly imagine. While whorey 'Harry Potter' schoolgirls seem to make more sense than trashy 'Sponge Bob,' it's just another example of how kid-friendly fiction can go astray. Many argue that 'Harry Potter's' sexual tension needed an outlet, however, and you get just that in this short, cleavage-happy getup.

Harry Potter and the Brokeback Phoenix

People have been speculating about the sexual orientation of several of 'Harry Potter's' characters for years. J.K. Rowling has expressed that Dumbledore is indeed gay, and has long viewed her books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance," but that doesn't stop fans from poking fun at some of the wizarding world's other characters. This fanvid shows how Professor Snape (hot!) ravages Harry Potter's chamber of secrets.

If 'Harry Potter' Took Place in a Tenement House ...

Merlin's beard! Cockroaches are evil and Harry Potter Cockroach Clusters are pretty revolting. Each one has a gummy underbelly and crunchy candy shell with edible wings. They're pretty big too -- about two inches long -- so they're a little too close to the real thing.

Spoiler Alert!

Men having babies. It's a beautiful thing.

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