Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince grosses $22 million on Thursday.

According to Warner Bros, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince grossed $22 million on its second full day. That's a pretty harsh drop of about 62% from its massive $58.1 million Wednesday. However, for what it's worth, when you take out the $22.2 million in midnight showings, the normal day-to-day drop is a more reasonable 49% drop. In two days, the sixth Potter picture has grossed $80 million, surpassing Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as the highest-grossing sixth chapter in a continious franchise. Still, the obvious frontloading is slightly disturbing for longterm playability. At a glance, this appears to be the ninth-biggest two-day gross in history. The two-day totals that are larger are: The Dark Knight ($114m), Spider-Man 3 ($111m), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($100m), Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End ($93m), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($91m), Shrek the Third, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ($83.5m), and Spider-Man ($83m). Obviously, the full weekend story will be known by tomorrow morning.

Scott Mendelson