The final instalment of the Potter series Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix sold 8.3 million copies in the US, in its first 24 hours following release on July 21.
Washington, July 23 : The final instalment of the Potter series 'Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix' sold 8.3 million copies in the US, in its first 24 hours following release on July 21.
The sought after last nook in the hit JK Rowling one-off outsold the earlier sequel 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince', which sold close to 7 million copies on its release in July 2005.
The sale on Saturday alone is expected to fetch 150 million dollars for both Rowling and US Publisher Scholastic.
The Internet leak of the much-awaited tome hasn't dinged the sales, and ironically, many ended up buying copies faster to avoid knowing more from the leaked reports
Scholatisc, which printed 12 million copies of the book, compared the book's release to the legendary band 'The Beatles' visit to the country.
"The excitement, anticipation, and just plain hysteria that came over the entire country this weekend was a bit like the Beatles' first visit to the U.S.," Variety quoted Scholastic prexy Lisa Holton, as saying.
Wal-Mart, Costco, supermarkets and other supposed non-traditional retailers that offered discounts, account to almost half of the sales.
The latest Potter flick saw a dip in its box-office earnings due to attention diverted towards the book's launch.
Rowling has said that continuation of the Potter series is not likely, and that her future writing plans remain undecided.
ANI