By Ryan Parsons | Image property of respective holders, Variety.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Unlike gaming consoles, Scholastic was sure to make more than enough copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to satisfy demand. Considering that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold 7 million copies on its first day, the publisher had a lot to look forward to. Though the ticket sales for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one of the lowest in the Potter franchise -- thanks most in part to a summer release and the arrival of the final installment on book -- Deathly Hallows proved that the story still had all the magic expected with a whopping 8.3 million books sold the first day.
First-Day Sales Record for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
With 8.3 million sold, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows did in a single day what many tentpoles hope to do across a holiday weekend. Taking into account the wholesale price of the book, carry the two, and one can figure that Saturday alone generated more than $150 million in receipts for Scholastic and Rowling.
Just like a midnight release of a highly-anticipated blockbuster, thousands of fans lined up outside stores such as Barnes & Noble in costume.
Of the 12 million copies of Hallows that were printed, 1.2 million were sold by Borders while Amazon handled another 2.2 million. Barnes & Noble also accounted for 20% of the book's opening sales.
Scholastic compared the weekend release to another iconic British invasion. "The excitement, anticipation, and just plain hysteria that came over the entire country this weekend was a bit like the Beatles' first visit to the U.S.," said Scholastic prexy Lisa Holton.
I'm only half way through with the book, but early responses and reviews are hailing the franchise's ending.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is available now.
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