Harry Potter held off a fair haired princess to eke out a win over the weekend.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows made $50.3 M, bringing its ten day total to $220 M.  If you count the entire Thanksgiving weekend (Wednesday through Sunday) the five day total was over $76 M, making it the fourth best Thanksgiving total on record.

It was hardly an easy task. Disney’s new princess caper Tangled performed very well, and made $49.1 M for the weekend;  $69 M over the five days.  This Thanksgiving opening take is second only to Toy Story 2, back in 1999.  When actual grosses come in on Monday, Tangled very well could top the box office.  It also got the first “A+”  from Cinemascore for the entire year. Audiences absolutely loved it.

Megamind is still performing very well.  It only dropped 19% in its fourth weekend for an additional $12.8 M.  It has now made $130 M, finally matching its reported budget. The Cher/Christina Aguilera musical Burlesque played well to audiences, and received a surprising “A-” from Cinemascore exit polls.  It placed fourth with $11.8 M ($17.2  M five-day total).

Denzel Washington’s Unstoppable was just a tad behind, in fifth place. Another new release, Love and Other Drugs, came in sixth with $9.8 M.  It should be noted that the film played on about a thousand fewer screens than the top three films this week.  Faster (starring Dwayne Johnson) came in just behind it.

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The Harry Potter franchise enjoyed its biggest opening weekend ever, as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 bowed at the box office with $125.1M.  That included midnight totals ($24M) from Thursday.  The film made $61M on Friday (factoring in the midnight totals).

That is a great total, but it did fall short of Twilight: New Moon’s opening day total of $72.7 last November.

The film was well received by audiences, and received an “A” according to a Cinemascore poll. The franchise’s previous best opening weekend total was $102.7M back in 2005, with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Deathly Hallows can now boast the sixth best opening weekend of all time, and the fifth best opening day ever. It also had an outstanding per/screen average of about $30,000.

Coming in at a very distant second was Megamind, now in its third week of release.  The film made $16M, and has now made just shy of $110M over its entire run. Unstoppable dropped about 42%, but managed another $13.1M.  Its two week total is $41.9M.  It will have  a steep climb to reach its $100M budget total.

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There is an inherent twinge (and by ‘twinge’ I mean big-ass boatload) of sadness that I feel when I reach the end of a beloved book, television series or film. This is one of the reasons that I am perfectly fine with the decision to divide Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two parts - all the better to prolong (and put-off) the end to a long, rich story.

While I heard some grumbling about the two-part split appearing to be a greedy cash-grab (and the studio does stand to earn a sizable fortune by doing so), I genuinely think that drawing out the story into two separate films serves to better adapt the original source material – which has such an epic scope.

So far, I have been very impressed with the way in which director David Yates (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) has handled the Harry Potter film series and Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 1 is no exception.  As the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have matured, so have the films – which have become increasingly darker in tone as they progress.

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We’re only a few days away from the big premiere of the next Harry Potter film and leave it to the Internet, specifically to the various torrent sites, to spoil it for Warner Brothers. Thirty-six minutes of the new film have leaked onto the ‘net and studio execs, who I’m sure are concerned, must be high-fiving their decision to only provide a small portion of the film to the press to screen. The footage is watermarked and obviously from a DVD screener, generally sent to the press prior to a film’s official release, however Warner Bros is not confirming this at this time.

For those with even a cursory knowledge of how torrent sites work, they’re probably quite busy getting a solid look at the film before the world-wide release later this week. According to TorrentFreak.com, this is not the first time ‘Deathly Hallows’ has made a splash on the torrent scene. In 2007 a scan of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book was posted online before it hit the book stores, and was then quickly transcribed by fans. Someone had managed to get their hands on the American edition of the book and had photographed each page of the book and uploaded it to BitTorrent.

Flash forward a few years and dozens of torrent sites are  offering up the lengthy “preview” of the film. No surprise really, considering TorrentFreak reports that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince scored a spot on its “most pirated movies” list with nearly 8 million downloads last year. Industry watchers are speculating whether the leak will have any affect on ticket sales, which seems remote unless the initial half hour of the film is disastrously bad. Instead, it may have the opposite effect, whetting movie-goers appetite for the full movie.

Wired.com is already reporting an official statement by the studio, who is vowing to find and prosecute those responsible.

“Last night a portion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was stolen and illegally posted on the internet. This constitutes a serious breach of copyright violation and theft of Warner Bros. property. We are working actively to restrict and/or remove copies that may be available. Also, we are vigorously investigating this matter and will prosecute those involved to the full extent of the law.”

What do you think? Will a little more than a half hour of the film have any bearing on opening night box office sales? Let us know your opinion in the comments section.

It’s been a long, dry summer with no Harry Potter trailers to carry us fans through until we can watch this fall’s big finale of the long-running franchise. With the November 2010 release of part one of the long-awaited conclusion approaching rapidly, it was exciting news indeed to see that Warner Bros has released a brand-new Harry Potter trailer. Featuring plenty of footage from part 1 of the ‘Deathly Hallows,’ the trailer really sets the stage for Harry’s big conclusion.

As you may know, the final installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, has been broken up into two parts for movie-going audiences. Part 1 will premiere November 19th and Part II will open next year on July 15, 2011. Both parts are directed by David Yates, the same directer of Order of the Phoenix and the Half Blood Prince.

Part 1 continues the saga of Harry, Ron and Hermione  as they pursue what seems like an inevitable and ultimate show-down with Voldemort. The Death Eaters vigorously search for Harry with orders to bring him back to Voldemort alive.

Without the protection of Professor Dumbledore or any of Hogwart’s professors, the trio must rely on each other more than ever as they search for the Horcruxes, Voldemort’s secret devices that maintain his immortality. As the three old chums search for clues, Harry uncovers an old and almost forgotten tale–the legend of the Deathly Hallows.

Part 1 of Deathly Hallows seeks to deal, once and for all, with Harry and his nemesis and their intertwining fates.

Hit the jump to watch the new theatrical trailer for yourself.

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The LEGO games have always been known for taking popular franchises and turning them into enjoyable, family-friendly videogames. In the case of LEGO Harry Potter, they manage to achieve this and more. With an already beloved story and characters behind it, this game is certainly one of the summer’s greatest, but also quite possibly the best LEGO game to date.

LEGO Harry Potter starts at the very beginning of Harry Potter’s tale and progresses all the way through the fourth story in the series. While most games had a central home base where you could do everything (The Batcave in LEGO Batman, the Mos Eisley Cantina in LEGO Star Wars, etc.), LEGO Harry Potter uses The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley as sort of a starting point, but also utilizes Hogwarts Castle as a sort of “mission center.” This does away with the “rinse and repeat” feeling of the previous games, as you’d always access everything from the same area.

This also allows for an almost completely explorable Hogwarts, including Hagrid’s cabin, the Great Hall, and the Quidditch Pitch. While there are always missions available, including all the previous ones, it’s nice to have the option to just go run around, explore, and maybe do some shopping in Diagon Alley or ride a broomstick around in between getting the missions done. The game also includes the memorable film score by John Williams, adding to the experience and atmosphere of the game.

The typical gameplay of most of the LEGO games of building objects to overcome obstacles and move through the game is changed somewhat, as characters cast specific spells instead of building. This is a welcome change, as the task of choosing the right spells to complete each task is never as boring or tedious as just holding down a button and watching your character build something.

Instead, you’re using Lumos to chase away plant monsters and Wingardium Leviosa to move rocks out of the way or reassemble a suit of armor to progress in the game. And whereas LEGO Batman made you pick up the suit upgrades one at a time in Story Mode, LEGO Harry Potter’s spells are always available for easy access on the controller.

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Previously, we brought you a teaser for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One but sadly, that video has since disappeared. Guess it wasn’t ready for the light of day. But now, thanks to the magic of the Internets, we can bring you the new full trailer for the film in all of its glory.

In this trailer we get a look at what our favorite cast of characters has been up to. Harry, Ron, Hermone and the rest, including the “Big Bad” Voldemort, are all back for another go around. And this time, with Dumbledore no longer in the picture, the stakes for the young wizard and his pals are even higher.

In fact, it looks like we’ll finally see that big fight between Harry and Voldemort we’ve all been waiting for. What will happen and how will it all end? You’ll just have to wait until the movie comes out.

Until then, check out the new trailer after the break. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One hits theaters on November 19th. Part Two arrives in July 2011.

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If you watched the MTV Movie Awards last night and were paying attention you got to see a lot of trailers for movies that didn’t involve vampires versus werewolves or star Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner or Kristen Stewart. In fact, another tween-friendly franchise you might have hear of dubted a trailer during the show last night. That franchise? Harry Potter of course.

In this new teaser we get a good look at some of the events that will make up the next Potter film. All of your favorites are back, of course, and they all look a bit older, a bit wiser (maybe) and it looks as if they will be engaging in all sorts of new adventures. Well, new to anyone who hasn’t read the books that is (like me). Why do Harry and Ron have to fight? So sad.

It’s sometimes hard to tell from trailers just what a movie will really be about. But if previous Potter trailers have taught us anything, we know that these images are just the tip of the iceberg. We can look forward to a whole lot more when the film eventually comes out.

Check out the trailer after the jump just in case you missed it or want to relive the magic again. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part the first hits theaters on November 19.

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It’s that time of the year when the regular award season comes to a halt and those “other” award shows start picking up the slack. The quotes are in place due to the fact that awards like the upcoming MTV Movie Awards are only awards in the sense that the chosen winner gets a trophy. It can’t even be called a popularity contest anymore as it’s more like the ”Twilight wins while people promote their upcoming project” awards.

Last year, Twilight collected a record four awards, which is a third of the categories given. This year, there are a few others hoping to knock the shiny vamps off of the hill like Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

Parks and Recreation star Aziz Ansari is hosting this year, so expect some solid written material for the opening monologue and more. Check out the site to vote for your favorite film and actor/actress, and be sure to catch the 2010 MTV Movie Awards Live(ish) on June 6th at 9PM/8PM Central.

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Whenever Lego takes a franchise and turns it into a video game, the end result is always a bucketful of fun, and Lego’s take on the wonderful and magical world of Harry Potter looks to be no different. Lego Harry Potter, which includes games based off of the first four films in the franchise, will be released this summer, and The Flickcast got to peek at the trailer for the second installment in the story, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

What’s interesting about the Lego Harry Potter games is that they’re based off of the films, not the books. Video game adaptations of the first few books were released a few years ago for Playstation, and they were pretty disappointing with some crummy character design and terrible game-play. Not surprisingly, the trailer for Lego Harry Potter reveals nothing but the promise of great things. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their fellow witches and wizards all look great in their Lego forms, and Hogwarts makes a great transition from real bricks to Lego blocks.

John Williams’ iconic film score is also present, further immersing the player within the world of Hogwarts. Players will be able to play through their favorite moments in the game including flying the car into the Whomping Willow, teleporting into the past through Tom Riddle’s diary, and entering the Chamber of Secrets to fight the mighty basilisk. The game play features familiar Lego franchise staples, like the collection of Lego studs throughout the world of Harry Potter, and uses the magical abilities of characters to interact with Lego pieces in the game.

It looks like the hijinx that fans expect from Lego games blends well with the mystical and magical world of Harry Potter, proving that these two franchises have always meant to be together, and on June 29th, you’ll be able to play Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 for Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, and PC . In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for any news from the world of witchcraft and wizardry right here at The Flickcast and check out the trailer after the jump.

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With the screen adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows getting split into two films, the first of which hits theaters next November, we’re just now getting a glimpse at the first scenes from the film.

The book was claimed to be too epic in size by Warner Bros. to be released as one film, so it will be split between two films on November 19 of 2010 and July 15 of 2011. This is the final chapter in the book’s series, and according to IMDb, the premise alone is pretty heavy.

Voldemort’s power is growing stronger. He now has control over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore’s work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. But little hope remains for them, so everything they do must go as planned.

Check out the first featurette and teaser for the film after the jump, in which producer David Heyman and director David Yates discuss working on the project. The next films also star John Hurt (Alien, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) reprising his role as Mr. Ollivander.

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With Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th getting remade and rebooted these days, it’s only inevitable to hear about a remake of arguably one of the scariest horror films of the 1980s in Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist.

About two years ago, it was announced that MGM Studios was working on the remake, and then a year later they announced that House of Sand and Fog director Vadim Perelman would take the helm. Even later, MGM picked up  Stiles White and Juliet Snowden, the team behind 2005′s Boogeyman and this year’s Knowing, would be penning the script.

It has now been announced that the film will have a release date of November 24 of next year. Not a terrible draw, being Thanksgiving weekend, and also one week after the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. You can expect to see more November releases in the coming years after the success of the Twilight franchise and it’s positioning.

No word yet on casting, but it has to be asked whether or not the studio is worried about the legendary Poltergeist Curse, which allegedly took the lives of several cast and crew members over the years. With a release date only 14 months away, we are sure to hear more about casting and when shooting begins in the coming weeks.