Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live had 14 different screens showing the film at midnight, and all of them sold out.
"There were over 4,000 people in here, just piling in to this theater, trying to get themselves seated. It was quite an event," said fan Adrienne Rumley. "Of course they seemed pleased with what they saw. Everyone had smiling faces today."
"All of my friends are super into it. They wouldn't be my friends if they weren't," said fan Iliana Bonilla.
The latest movie is the seventh in the "/*Harry Potter*/" film series, and it is part one of the final book. It's a lot darker and more advance than some of the other movies have been.
A total of 30,000 theatres with midnight showings sold out across the country. About 11 people watched the 3:20 a.m. showing in downtown Los Angeles, and they were happy with what they saw.
"It was interesting. It just kept me up. I'm not a movie person. I always fall asleep when I sit down to watch TV or a movie, so it was really good," said one fan.
Will Harry have the magic spell to be the biggest franchise ever? USA Today reports that the six "Star Wars" film brought in $1.9 billion. The six "Harry Potter" movies have made $1.7 billion. But with the newest film and the last one coming out in July 2011, the "force" may fail.
"That's kind of mind-blowing. For our generation, it's definitely our 'Star Wars,'" said one Harry Potter fan.
Whether or not "Deathly Hallows" will have the biggest weekend open ever remains to be seen. The title with the best opening weekend still belongs to the 2008 movie, "The Dark Knight," which opened at the box office with $156 million.
