Potter Finale Conjures Up $1 Billion Worldwide

FIRST PUBLISHED: July 31, 2011 5:01 PM EDT LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Harry Potter has joined the billion-dollar club. Distributor Warner Bros. said Sunday that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. Its soon expected to pass Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is this years top grossing movie at $1.03 billion. The last of the eight films about the young wizard is the first in the franchise to reach the billion dollar mark. The previous best global haul was $974.8 million for the original film, 2001s Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. With $21.9 million domestically this weekend, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 climbed to a domestic total of $318.5 million. That tops the franchises previous best of $317.6 million for Sorcerers Stone. But factoring in todays higher admission prices, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has not caught up to Sorcerers Stone in terms of actual tickets sold. The 2009 film Avatar holds the record for the biggest worldwide box office haul, grossing $2.8 billion. Its followed by another James Cameron film, Titanic, which brought in $1.8 billion. Copyright 2011 by Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.