Reuters reports that the release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has crushed UK box office records by taking over five million pounds ($9.23 million) on the first day of its release.
The film was released on Monday in 535 theaters and coincided with a state Bank Holiday and school half-terms making it much easier for patron to get to the cinemas.
The film will be released domestically this Friday, June 4th, and just the same type of fan fare is expected.
Speaking of Harry Potter it was also reported in Variety today that the WB is considering several options to prevent piracy of the film including night vision goggles for ushers to better see bootleggers and their camcorders in the dark.
Another precaution in consideration is watermarks on prints, so you may have to start paying for your films instead of stealing them. Go figure.
The article goes on to report that the MPAA estimates bootlegging of films is costing the industry upwards of $3 billion a year.
