At Jordan Commons

At Jordan Commons, all 17 of the theater's screens were playing "Harry Potter" at midnight on Friday. Tickets for the film were selling out so rapidly online in the weeks leading up to the film's debut that the theater decided to show the movie virtually nonstop for the first 24 hours of the movie's release. The cinema also ran marathon screenings of previous "Harry Potter" installments before "Deathly Hallows Part 2" premiered and sold V.I.P. ticket packages that allowed certain patrons to sip on Butterbeer and participate in costume contests.

The headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of course, is headquartered in Salt Lake City. And Jeffrey Roy Holland, a Mormon senior apostle, appears to be a "Potter" supporter, having referred to Rowling's books in public addresses.

"Utah clearly has some avid 'Harry Potter' fans," said Jeff Whipple, marketing director for Megaplex theaters. "We hear from a lot of families that were reading the books together, and we had multiple generations come out to see the film together. The LDS church embraces that kind of activity."

Meanwhile, the only film brave enough to open opposite the "Harry Potter" juggernaut this weekend was "Winnie the Pooh," Disney's attempt to reintroduce the iconic honey-loving bear to modern audiences. But the hand-drawn animated film, rated G, mustered only $8 million in ticket sales.

Those who saw "Pooh" — an audience dominated by families, which accounted for 85 percent of those who saw the movie — liked it, giving it an average grade of A-minus. Disney, which spent about $30 million to produce the movie, can only hope that the strong grade will help "Pooh" hold up well in the coming weeks as the "Harry Potter" buzz begins to fade.