MONEYMAKER

Harry Potter Hits $1 Billion

The first in franchise to reach the mark.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is expected to hit the $1 billion mark this weekend. The final installment of the magical franchise has already grossed $296 million domestically and $630 overseas. Another blockbuster weekend will push the total gross into the billions only two weeks after its release. The film in only the ninth in movie history to hit the number, including Warners’ The Dark Knight ($1 billion), Disney’s Alice in Wonderland ($1.02 billion) and Disney’s 2011 summer tentpole Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($1.03 billion). James Cameron's Avatar is the only film to pass $2 billion ($2.8 billion).