HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE has smashed box office records to become the biggest grossing midnight opening ever - it raked in $22.2 million in less than 24 hours on Wednesday (15Jul09).The sixth movie in the boy wizard franchise easily topped The Dark Knight's midnight opening earnings of $18 million when it was released last summer (08), and the $17 million grossed by Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith in 2005. The latest installment, which stars Daniel Radcliffe as Potter, even cast its spell over a record number of Potter fans - the new film drew more devotees in its first few hours on show than 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which took $12 million in its first day of release. Wednesday's box office haul means director David Yates' big screen adaptation holds the title for biggest midnight draw of the year so far - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen took $16 million upon its first screenings in June (09). And experts are predicting the Hal...

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HARRY POTTER star DANIEL RADCLIFFE has made a grovelling apology to his onscreen love interest after witnessing their kissing scene - because there's very little magic in it.The young Brit admits he feels sorry for co-star Bonnie Wright - because smooching with him must have been a very unpleasant experience. He tells WENN, "I saw the film at the London premiere and, my God, my lips are like the lips of a horse distending independently away from my face and trying to encompass the lower half of hers, and so I apologies, Bonnie."

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HARRY POTTER stars DANIEL RADCLIFFE and EMMA WATSON have urged the film franchise's bosses to burn their Hogwarts school uniforms when the series wraps - because they hated the outfits.Co-star Rupert Grint has confessed to stealing one of his ties, but Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson wanted nothing to do with their film school attire. The actress says, "I was like, 'Burn it!' Oh, my God, to be done with those shoes and that uniform." And Daniel Radcliffe is also happy to ditch his robes. He tells Entertainment Weekly magazine, "When you're 18, one of the worst things to be wearing while trying to chat up a girl on the set is a school uniform. "You look like a kid. You're not going to score dressed like that."

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DANIEL RADCLIFFE didn't mind shooting his on-screen kiss in the upcoming HARRY POTTER movie - because appearing naked on Broadway has left him unfazed about filming intimate scenes.Daniel Radcliffe disrobed onstage in New York and London's West End for his role in Equus, in which he played a 17-year-old schoolboy who is obsessed with horses. The experience ensured Daniel Radcliffe was fully prepared for his big screen kiss in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, which hits movie theaters later this month (Jul09). But his 18-year-old co-star Bonnie Wright wasn't as confident with the smooching shoot. Daniel Radcliffe says, "By the time I made this film I'd done a nude scene on stage and a few kissing scenes, so I was totally blase. "Poor Bonnie was very nervous. I hadn't factored that in. I'd taken it for granted that she'd be fine too. She'd never had to do that so I had to be calming with her and she did very well."

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British monarch QUEEN ELIZABETH II has allowed filming for the new HARRY POTTER movie to take place on her land. The cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, are currently shooting scenes for the final instalment of the wizard franchise Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is being split into two movies.   They brought traffic in London to a standstill while filming earlier this year (09) - and now they're moving to the Queen's grounds for the final scenes.   The monarch has rented out part of woodland at Windsor Castle in south England for use in the film, and shooting will take place over the summer (09).

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Actress EMMA WATSON is planning her movie career around her university schedule - she will film HARRY POTTER scenes during school holidays. The 20-year-old vowed to put acting on hold to concentrate on her degree, which she'll begin later this year (09).   But Emma Watson will have to work through her Christmas and Easter breaks as she's required on the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final two-part film of the wizard franchise.   She tells Interview magazine, "We’re filming both the seventh and eighth movies at once, and I’m trying to do all of my scenes now and through the summer so I’ll be available for university come September - though it already looks like I’ll be working on Christmas and March breaks."

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The stars of HARRY POTTER brought the streets of London to a standstill on Monday night (20Apr09) as they filmed scenes for the latest movie. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were all on-set in the U.K. capital to shoot an action sequence for the first instalment of two-part film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is due for release next year (10).   The actors, along with 400 extras, took over London's famous Piccadilly Circus and the surrounding roads to film scenes in a cafe and on the streets.   Watson, who plays clever Hermione Granger in the wizard franchise, was wearing a glamorous red dress and heels, while Radcliffe and Grint, who play Harry Potter and his best friend Ron Weasley, both donned smart suits for the scenes.

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