Potter beats Bond on film franchise list

LOS ANGELES: The Harry Potter film series has become the biggest in box office history, beating James Bond and Star Wars. The five movies have taken $4.47bn around the world, surpassing the $4.44bn made by the spy franchise’s 22 outings to date. The six Star Wars films now sit in third place, with takings of $4.23bn.

There are still two Harry Potter films to be released next year and in 2010, based on the final installments of the popular books by author JK Rowling.

The latest film, The Order of the Phoenix, remains a box office draw in a dozen countries, and has taken over $920m around the world. The film entered the UK box office chart at number one in July, taking six times as much as its nearest rival in just three days. Each of the first five films is in the top 20 worldwide cinema releases of all time.

Warner Bros’ domestic distribution president Dan Fellman said: “It is a thrill to see the Harry Potter franchise reach this unparalleled mark. “With two movies yet to come, it is amazing to think what heights the franchise could reach by the end of the decade,” he added.

Earlier this year, Casino Royale, the latest Bond film and the first to star Daniel Craig became one of the top 10 UK box office hits of all time. The Bond film was, however,  outstripped by Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which was the second biggest film behind Titanic.