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Kim Hollis: There are a couple of reasons I'm going to say yes, it attains the record number. First of all, it's opening in the summer, which automatically changes box office behavior to some extent, and therefore, will inflate the total number accordingly. Also, I would be very surprised if Part 2 is not released in some form of 3D, especially since they have time to get it all right by the time it is due for release. Just the ticket premium alone will be enough to account for the record. More than that, though, it will be a perfect storm of mania about the final chapter.

Edwin Davies: I'm going to say "Yes," because I think that whatever mania that currently surrounds Part 1, and there is a lot of it, will be increased ten times over when Part 2 comes out. As I've already said, this is only the beginning of the end, and it opens to $125 million. Extrapolating that, the actual end of the Harry Potter series will be just as seismic a pop cultural event as the release of the final book was back in 2007. As far as I am concerned, the only thing that can stop Harry Potter unseating The Dark Knight is if Warner Bros. decide to open it on Wednesday, which I don't think they will do because, even if Deathly Hallows Part 2 doesn't take down The Dark Knight, it'll still probably end up with the second biggest opening weekend of all time and, as David said, the bragging rights from that will mean a lot to the studio.

Shalimar Sahota: As already mentioned, provided that Warners releases it on a Friday, then it's certainly possible. Since The Dark Knight, the only film that has come close to toppling the record is Twilight: New Moon. From this I can gather that it has to be a film with major, "got to see it immediately" appeal and the final Harry Potter does fit that description. Also Twilight: Eclipse might have actually done it had it opened on a Friday. I think the main factor here is that Part 2 will be shown in 3D, and this could certainly help boost the final total, but enough to beat The Dark Knight? For now, all I'll say is that I think it'll be intimately close, but the kind where you're not quite touching each other.

Michael Lynderey: No. That's the simple answer. There's going to be a lot of anticipation and buzz, no doubt about that. But I just don't think we're going to see attendance go up all that significantly. The fans always turn out on opening weekend, anyway, and I suspect people who've sort of lost track of this series aren't necessarily going to come back to this one. So, it's possible, but in short, I would say no.

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