LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Harry Potter cast a spell  over moviegoers worldwide as the sixth entry in the fantasy  franchise set a new opening record of $396.7 million, a clear  sign that the lucrative franchise has lost none of its magic.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” earned $159.7  million in the United States and Canada, the sixth-biggest  opening for a five-day period, distributor Warner Bros.  Pictures said yesterday.

The international component stands at $237 million from 84  markets, also setting a new record.
The old records were held by “Spider-Man 3” in 2007 when  its global bow of $381.7 million included foreign sales of  $230.5 million.
In North America, the new film outpaced its predecessor,  “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” which opened to  $139.7 million two years ago. That picture ended with $938  million worldwide, the seventh-biggest movie of all time before  accounting for inflation.

But while the five-day sum was impressive, it was dwarfed  by the $200 million opening for “Transformers: Revenge of the  Fallen” last month, which was just $3.8 million behind the  record set last year by “The Dark Knight.”

Top international markets for the new film included Britain  with $32.4 million, Germany with $23 million, France with $20.2  million and Japan with $18.2 million.