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Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter_20090715132004_JPEG

In this image released by Warner Bros., Daniel Radcliffe is shown in a scene from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." (AP Photo/Warner Bros., Jaap Buitendjik)

'Harry Potter' breaks Midnight record

Midnight hour strikes with $22M for 'Harry Potter'

Updated: Wednesday, 15 Jul 2009, 1:21 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 15 Jul 2009, 1:20 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Harry Potter has conjured up a record-breaking witching hour.

Warner Bros. says "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" took in $22.2 million domestically from midnight screenings. That breaks the record set by another Warner blockbuster, "The Dark Knight," which grossed $18.5 million from midnight showings last summer.

The sixth installment in the "Harry Potter" franchise also topped the midnight haul of this year's biggest hit, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." The "Transformers" sequel pulled in $16 million from midnight screenings on its first day in June.

And the new adventure of the teen wizard raked in $10 million more from midnight screenings than part five, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."