'Potter' finale conjures up $1 billion worldwide

Actress Emma Watson (C) poses with fellow cast members Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint (L) as they arrive for the world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" at Trafalgar Square in London July 7, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

LOS ANGELES - Harry Potter has joined the billion-dollar club.

Distributor Warner Bros. said Sunday that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. It's soon expected to pass "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," which is this year's top grossing movie at $1.03 billion.

The last of the eight films about the young wizard is the first in the franchise to reach the billion dollar mark. The previous best global haul was $974.8 million for the original film, 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

With $21.9 million in the US this weekend, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" climbed to a domestic total of $318.5 million. That tops the franchise's previous best of $317.6 million for "Sorcerer's Stone."

But factoring in today's higher admission prices, "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" has not caught up to "Sorcerer's Stone" in terms of actual tickets sold.

The 2009 film "Avatar" holds the record for the biggest worldwide box office haul, grossing $2.8 billion. It's followed by another James Cameron film, "Titanic," which brought in $1.8 billion.