Harry Potter earns $24M in midnight showings, doesn't beat Eclipse's record $30M

But "Deathly Hallows," which opened early in a record 3,700 theaters, fell just short of Eclipse's record.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 conjured a lively $24 million in estimated box-office from a record 3,700 theaters in the U.S. and Canada offering midnight-Thursday performances of the action fantasy.
Its midnight box office fell just short of record territory. Last summer’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse rung up $30 million in witching-hour coin as part of its $68.5 million first-day tally on Wednesday, June 30.

Midnight receipts for Hallows: Part 1 included $1.4 million from high-grossing Imax specialty venues. That is a record, surpassing Imax’s $1 million midnight contribution by Summit Entertainment’s Eclipse.

source hollywoodreporter