"Potter" packs a global punch at box offices

LOS ANGELES, July 17 (Reuters) 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' conjured up 333 million dollars at global box offices in its initial release, marking the best worldwide debut ever for the British boy wizard, according to final studio figures.

The fifth film in the series of smash hit movies raked in 193 million dollars in 44 international territories and was No 1 in every market in which it opened, said the Warner Bros studio yesterday.

In the US and Canada, the final box office tally was 77.1 million dollars for the weekend and 139.7 million dollars for the first five days starting last week with Wednesday's debut. Final US and Canadian numbers were slightly below Sunday's estimates.

Overseas, final ''Harry Potter'' numbers were higher than Sunday's estimates, and the movie marked the biggest opening ever for Warner Bros Pictures International, the company said.

Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc..

Based on the best-selling books by British author JK Rowling, the ''Harry Potter'' movies have become major blockbusters. The first four movies combined have sold roughly 3.5 billion dollars worth of tickets worldwide.

Reuters JK VP0600