Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” shattered two box office records, breaking the record for a midnight opening with $22.2 million, defeating “The Dark Knight,” and the worldwide opening day record with $58.18 million domestic and $45.85 million international — $104 million — in just one day.

“We are so happy to share “ËœHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ with the fans and thrilled that they turned out in record numbers to see it,” said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Warner, in a statement.

“With many countries yet to open, these already outstanding box office numbers are another testament to the universal appeal of J.K. Rowling’s stories and the remarkable work of everyone behind the Harry Potter films,” said Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, president of international distribution for Warner.

Here in Boston, a manager at the AMC Boston Common Loews proudly boasted that midnight on Wednesday was the first time in the theater’s history that all 19 screens were sold out in the same day for the same show. The theater ran midnight and 12:10 a.m. showings on all of its screens.

With the anticipation leading up to the midnight release of the “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” movie, Blast can’t help but be a little nostalgic. After much deliberation and discussion with other avid Potter fans, we’ve collected the Top 10 moments leading up to, and including “HBP.”

It’s hard to compile a list of best moments while excluding “Deathly Hallows” but at least we know the best is yet to come. Beware, however, because there are definitely some major “Half Blood Prince” spoilers on the way.

10. Wizard Chess

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” took us into an intensely magical world, coexisting unknown next to our own. The game of life-sized wizard chess that Harry, Ron, and Hermione take on showed us how awesome, and how dangerous, this magic could be. We also get to see Ron take charge for the first time, proving that he has his own strengths alongside Hermione and Harry.

9. Ron, Fred, and George Rescue Harry from the Dursleys

Leave it to the Weasley twins to start off “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” with a bang. Always good for a laugh, the twins show that they’re also reliable when it comes down to it, and they’ve come to help their little brother Ron save Harry from the mistreatment he receives at the Dursley’s house via enchanted flying car. After pulling Harry into the car, they proceed to cause a flustered Uncle Vernon to fall out the window from holding onto Harry’s ankles. There’s something both satisfying and really hilarious about seeing the Dursleys get what they deserve.

8. Basilisk Battle *slight spoilers*

There are a ton of awesome things about this scene from “The Chamber of Secrets” most easily seen from the end of the series. First of all, those Basilisk fangs, or the knowledge of how they can be used, are going to be immensely useful to Harry later on. Secondly, Harry just unknowingly destroyed the first Horcrux — Tom Riddle’s (Voldemort’s) cursed journal. Not to mention that Fawkes came and saved the day bringing the Sorting Hat containing Gryffindor’s sword. Oh, the foreshadowing.

7. The Weasley Twins Leave Hogwarts

The twins: you’ve got to love them. Even though we didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing fireworks spelling “POO” floating into the sky outside Hogwarts, the movie version of “Order of the Phoenix” did not disappoint in regards to Fred and George’s epic send-off. Umbridge’s horror at the enchanted firework dragon chasing her out of the Great Hall and seeing that “W” traced into the night sky lightened the mood for a bit in a decidedly dark portion of the series.

6. Sirius Black Falls into the Veil

Ever since Potter fans met Sirius, they loved him. J.K Rowling herself once admitted she was a little concerned about the reception she would receive at killing off the much loved character. When Harry first discovered that Sirius was his godfather, it was impossible not to hope that Harry could finally have some sort of family; however, with Sirius on the run, Harry had to settle for long-distance communication with his godfather — not that it wasn’t valued. Everyone was crushed to lose him in “Order of the Phoenix.”

5. “EXPECTO PATRONUM”

Harry starts showing some serious skill here. Not only does he cast an extremely powerful spell, but he does it while watching himself and his godfather die. Not knowing that another version of himself is across the shore, Harry believes that his father has somehow saved him and Sirius from the mass of dementors, recognizing the stag-shaped Patronus. Of course, besides the enormity of the spell Harry casts, the scene in the movie “Prisoner of Azkaban” is absolutely and frighteningly awesome.

4. Rebirth of Voldemort

Oh, Snape! Voldemort’s return undoubtedly belongs somewhere in the Top 5 moments of “Harry Potter.” The movie lives up to the eerie descriptions written in “The Goblet of Fire” and seeing them come to life on screen was huge. Harry witnesses the return of his (and pretty much everyone else’s) enemy, made possible by his own blood. He then gets a good look at the identity of a few Death Eaters, confirming some long-standing suspicions, and fights the Dark Lord himself. Sure, he has a little bit of help, but his quick return to the Triwizard Tournament with the body of his fallen mate, Cedric, is more important than sticking around Tom Riddle Senior’s grave and fighting an impossible battle at the moment with You-Know-Who.

3. Sectumsempra: Harry shanks Draco *spoiler*

Unless you’re a self-proclaimed Slytherin, chances are you’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter have hated each other from the very beginning, and seeing them duel with no restrictions on screen in “Half Blood Prince” will be great (especially if you’re ready to see Malfoy put in his place). Of course, in the book, we know it gets a little out of control when Harry casts a spell he doesn’t understand, and cuts Draco wide open with some serious Dark Magic. He immediately regrets it, realizing he’s gotten in over his head, but the audience is still left with the thrill of knowing what Harry is capable of. This scene has some serious promise for the film.

2. Wizard Duel

Everyone has always understood that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore must be an exceptional wizard to be the headmaster of Hogwarts. What no one had gotten to see up until this point in “Order of the Phoenix” is Dumbledore prove it. Of course the duel was awesome to read about, but seeing Dumbledore and Voldemort duke it out on screen was out of this world. After all, Dumbledore is the only one Voldemort has ever feared, and this scene revealed exactly why.

1. Snape Kills Dumbledore *extreme spoiler!*

For those who aren’t expecting it, and for those who are, this scene on film is sure to be the most important moments so far in the “Harry Potter” series. For those audience members who haven’t read the books, it will be a huge blow, and we’re sure it will still be an emotional moment for those who have. Even if you know why it’s happening, it doesn’t take away the tragedy of losing Dumbledore, the most trustworthy, knowledgeable, and powerful wizard Harry has on his side. From here on out, Harry is more or less on his own.

We can only hope that “The Half Blood Prince” lives up to our wildly high expectations. What moments from the six movies out so far do you believe should be on this list?

I fully admit it: I love to daydream about how awesome it would be to have the magical powers invariably given to video game heroes.‚  That has never been truer than during my play-through of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for Nintendo DS”"I couldn’t stop fantasizing about Apparating out of this game and into another one.

Harry Potter and the Half-Hearted Adaptation is an attempt to capture all the nail-biting drama of the sixth installment of a seven-part mega-series and distill it into a DS-shaped sleeping pill. In this respect, it succeeded beyond my most generous expectations.‚  The cel-shaded artwork is admirably executed, but ultimately damaged by its faithfulness to the film actors’ likenesses: characters are difficult to tell apart and their stilted movements rely too heavily on motion capture techniques.‚  As I steered my little Harry Potter around the grounds of Hogwarts, I had the eerie sensation that I was really driving a miniature Daniel Radcliffe around a studio lot.‚  The shamelessly incoherent storytelling and expressionless dialogue only deepened my feelings of alienation towards these tiny, pixilated actors as the game progressed.‚  Major plot points were displayed as bland, disjointed cutscenes, leaving me in control to run around school just in time for the boring stuff.

Speaking of Hogwarts, the unabridged castle maps are probably the best part of the game.‚  I remember receiving the first Harry Potter tie-in game as a gift from well-meaning relatives years ago, and I was disappointed by the limited exploration opportunities.‚  Like Tomb Raider II, the most fun part wasn’t shooting the tigers but locking the farting old butler in the meat locker and roaming about your awesome digs!‚  I do wish there were more magical elements integrated into the environments; staircases remained resolutely immobile, which felt like a waste of perfectly good gameplay material.

As swiftly as I lay a compliment down at this game’s feet, I feel obliged to snatch it away.‚  As lovely as Hogwarts is to explore, tramping from one end of a castle to another gets really snoozeworthy when you’re playing Harry Potter and the Endless Fetch Quests. I was initially onboard with the errands as tutorials to familiarize myself with the extensive environment; but by the time Luna Lovegood asked me to track down her missing dress, shoes, and handbag to go to a plot-furthering meeting with me, I felt mightily abused.‚  The fetch quests provided no returns in terms of plot furtherance, but just creeping closer to the conclusion of this game began to feel like a worthwhile reward.

There are fun elements buried in this title. The over-abundance of minigames drowns the “real” gameplay, but that’s not to say they’re unenjoyable.‚  The physics feel correct and I loved reconnecting with my inner preschooler by playing endless games of marbles.‚  I just don’t know what that has to do with stopping a Dark Lord and saving the innocents of the world from racism, tyranny, and fear. I mean, come on”"it’s not even magical!‚  Didn’t Harry have, you know, more marketable job skills than this?‚  I expect more out of a Hogwartian education than the ability to win timed matching games.

Blast Factor: What makes Harry Potter cool”"as a franchise or a character”"is totally lost upon this game; be prepared to trudge through the monotony of gameplay-lengthening fetch quests, and to display yourself as the biggest tool in school in the process.‚  The coolness of the castle is the lone shining point, and its repetition and disappointingly linear structure dull this feature to the point of tarnish.‚  It’s ironic that you spend 85% of the latest Potter trading irrelevant items for even more irrelevant items, as you’ll surely be itching to trade this particularly irrelevant title in ASAP.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is available for the Nintendo DS for $39.99

PARAMUS, N.J.‚ ”" Hot Topic gets to have all the fun when the big movies come out. When Robert Pattinson came to the Saugus store last year, girls went nuts, we went nuts and it was all just very nutty.

We had a chance to ask a few questions to another rising British heartthrob, Mr. Draco Malfoy, himself, Tom Felton. Felton has been around since “The Sorcerer’s Stone” as the young, rich bad guy and the perfect foil character to Harry Potter’s goodness.

The craziness had us wondering if someone would create a Twilight-crossover “Team Malfoy.” Someone did. See the gallery below. It’s nutty.

Of course, Felton is no bad guy in real life, and the fans understood that on Friday evening.

When he first came into Hot Topic with his girlfriend, (oh yeah, he has a girlfriend) Felton said he couldn’t believe all the Potter memorabilia. “I’ve never seen myself on a t-shirt, this is wicked!” he said. “Oh man, look, I have a Draco Malfoy doll! How cool is this? And there’s a Slytherin hoodie, I’ve got to have that!”

When asked what he thought about the 1,000 fans waiting to meet him, he said, “This is totally amazing. I’ve only been to New York once before, this is beyond anything I expected. I’ve not done a fan event before; this is a chance to show some appreciation to the fans. These films don’t happen without them.”

BLAST: This is the biggest film so far for your character “" we finally learn that there’s more to Draco than meets the eye. What was it like expanding your character in the sixth movie?

TOM FELTON: I love Draco, his complexity. The books are based on choices, and Draco doesn’t really have any.

BLAST: It’s been a good few years for young British actors “" have you been getting love letters from plenty of female admirers? Are you and the other actors friends outside of the movie?

TF: We’re definitely friends; you couldn’t spend nine years working with people and not get close.

I’ve heard that bad guys get all the girls, but so far I haven’t seen any proof of that.

BLAST: What are your hobbies “" what do you do when you’re not making movies?

TF: I love music, you can check my band out on YouTube.

BLAST: What’s been the most exciting part of the Harry Potter series so far?

TF: The bathroom fight scene. Dan (Ratcliffe) and I have been waiting years to kill each other, so filming that scene was great. We did our own stunts; it was a week of being rigged up in a bathroom filled with explosives, Dan and I were flipping around.

Blast would like to thank Holly Fussell of Edelman PR. John M. Guilfoil of the Blast staff contributed writing to this report from Boston.

Nice legs, Emma.

We don’t much care about this story, but the real story here is Emma’s smart and candid response to a wardrobe malfunction that left her designer dress opened at the middle, giving fans and photogs a legs and undies glimpse of the 19-year-old star.

She appeared on “The Late Show” last night. She blushed when David Letterman asked about it, but she smiled and replied smartly.

“This was a small wardrobe malfunction that happens,” she said. “At least I’m wearing underwear.”

She was clearly embarrassed, saying she’s “still learning.”

We disagree. We think Watson’s learned plenty. (A) She WAS wearing underwear. (B) She DIDN’T do it on purpose. (C) She responded to it on national television.

Smart girl. There’s a corps of American female celebrities that could learn a thing or two from Miss Watson.

But still … nice legs.

Movie ticket website Fandango is reporting that some 500 screens are already sold out on its site for Harry Potter and the Half-BLood Prince, which opens Tuesday at midnight.

“There’s considerably more interest in the Half-Blood Prince because of pent-up anticipation from moviegoers originally expecting to see it last November,” said Rick Butler, Chief Operating Officer of Fandango. “Fans have been literally waiting two years for this installment.”

Fandango also reports that the latest Harry Potter film is the fastest-selling title of 2009, with 65 percent of its daily ticket sales, beating Bruno, which opens tomorrow.

Surveying customers, Fandango also found out some interesting facts about Harry Potter fans:

• 82 percent have viewed Half-Blood Prince trailers or clips online.
• 52 percent said they found the story’s darker elements most appealing, while 15 percent picked the romance and 9 percent picked the comic, lighter elements.
• 48 percent selected Emma Watson as the Potter lead actor most likely to become a major movie star in the next five years, while only 9 percent picked Rupert Grint and 43 percent picked Daniel Radcliffe.

IMAX Corporation released a very short, very pointed statement late Thursday night after news broke about the nine month delay of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment in the Harry Potter film series.

Trying to keep things upbeat, IMAX says they’re confident a replacement will be found for Harry Potter on the super-big screen this holiday season.

“Reflecting today’s announcement that the release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has moved to July 2009, IMAX Corporation confirmed it is already exploring alternative titles for this year’s holiday season and is confident it will secure a solid film for the IMAX theatre network.”

“The Company looks forward to announcing a replacement film as soon as possible.”

I bet you 10 bucks it’s Twilight. Twenty?

Warner Bros. Pictures announced Thursday that it has moved back the release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from November 21 to Summer 2009.

Warner president and COO Alan Horn announced that the sixth installment of the mega-popular series will be released in theatres July 17, 2009.

Could it be that competition from other holiday movies like Twilight caused Warner to reevaluate Harry Potter’s marketing strategy? Was it the writers strike?

“Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last ‘Harry Potter’ film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment,” Horn said. “Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”

“The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films. Post-production on ‘Half-Blood Prince’ was completed on time, and the studio’s release plans for the two-part ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ will not be affected by this change,” said Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Pictures Group. “We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and the first part of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’”

Translation: they’re worried they won’t make enough money in November, and are pushing it back to create a new “Harry Potter mania” next summer so that these last three features will make more and more money.

At least now we know why they took so long to release a trailer.

The following was released by Warner Bros. Thursday:

“Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince” Moves To Summer 2009

(August 14, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that it has moved back the release date of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” to Summer 2009. The sixth installment of the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise will now open day-and-date domestically and in the major international markets on July 17, 2009. The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.

In making the announcement, Mr. Horn stated, “Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films-changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”

Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, confirmed, “The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films. Post-production on ‘Half-Blood Prince’ was completed on time, and the studio’s release plans for the two-part ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ will not be affected by this change. We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and the first part of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’”

Commenting on the release date change for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” David Heyman, the producer of all the Harry Potter films, offered, “When Jeff Robinov explained the rationale behind moving the release date of ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ to July 2009, it was immediately apparent that this offered us the potential to reach the widest possible audience. I am extremely proud of this latest film and of the work of David Yates and our incomparable cast; I believe we have developed and pushed the series further still. We are all looking forward to sharing it with Harry Potter fans around the world, even if we have to wait just a bit longer.”

David Yates, the director of both “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and who will also helm “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,’ added, “It has been a joy to work on ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.’ Dan, Rupert and Emma and all our returning young cast continue to blossom, and our new cast members bring fresh color and life to Hogwarts. Even as we put the finishing touches on this latest film, we are already beginning preparations on the final two films-we start filming in February-and I am excited to bring this remarkable series to the exciting and moving conclusion its loyal fans deserve.”

In “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” David Yates, who directed last year’s summer blockbuster “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” returns to direct “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” David Heyman and David Barron are the producers, with Lionel Wigram serving as executive producer. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay, based on the book by J.K. Rowling.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are reprising their roles as young wizards Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film also stars Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis and Julie Walters. The cast also features David Bradley, Jessie Cave, Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Natalia Tena, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Bonnie Wright.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

One word: finally.

Click here to see the trailer.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” hits theaters November 21, 2008.