'Half-Blood Prince' scores $22M from midnight shows

David Yates' "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" delivered a fantastic debut early Wednesday by scoring $22.2 million from 3,003 midnight shows.

Yes, that means the sixth installment in the "Harry Potter" series set a new midnight screening record. Even "The Dark Knight" only pulled in $18 million. Previously, "Star Wars: Episode III —Revenge of the Sith" took $17 million.

"Half-Blood Prince" officially hit theaters today and is currently playing at 4,275 locations. These early figure suggest the flick is on its way to a massive five-day total. Possibly the highest grossing "Potter" yet? Probably!

Check out our review right here, and make sure to see what other Web critics are saying as well.

Source: Variety

Review: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

Seen on: July 15, 2009

The players: Director: David Yates, Writer: Steve Kloves, Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter

Facts of interest: David Yates is also directing the two "Deathly Hallows" parts.

The plot: It's his sixth year at Hogwarts, and Harry Potter explores the past of Voldemort as dark forces descend upon Hogwarts.

Our thoughts: The world’s most famous wizard returns to the big screen for a sixth time in David Yates’ “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” a splendidly executed family adventure and yet another superb addition to an already marvelous series based on the novels by J.K. Rowling. You know what? I’m just going to say it right now: as far as I’m concerned, this is the best Potter yet!

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