'Deathly Hallows' highest earner of Harry Potter series

The latest film in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1", has become the highest grossing instalment of the Harry Potter franchise globally as of Wednesday.

The seventh movie about the exploits of the British boy wizard has earned USD 657.24 million and counting, surging past the previous record-holder -- 2001's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", which grossed USD 657 million, distributor Warner Bros said.

The film, based on the final instalment of the series of best-selling books by author JK Rowling, performed strongly from the start last November, landing at No 6 on the list of all-time best US weekend debuts.

The six previous "Potter" films collected USD 5.4 billion globally for Warner Bros. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2", the final instalment, is set to hit theatres on July 15.