Breaking Dawn will have to settle for the third-best opening of all time, I’m afraid.
In an update to our quick report of Breaking Dawn‘s Friday performance, it appears that the early morning estimates were off by $1.5 million. Instead of besting New Moon‘s franchise best $72.7 million opening day total, the film had to settle for second-best with $72 million. The total makes it the third best-ever Single Day and Friday opening, $19 million behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2‘s $91 million this year. Despite receiving some of the worst critical reviews of the franchise, its target audience was faithful enough to earn it a B+ CinemaScore.
This latest adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling vampire novels has also proven to be a hit internationally. Opening in 54 markets on Wednesday, the film has so far grossed $66 million. That puts its global total at $138 million.
