'Harry Potter' conjures up $79.5 million (Variety)

Five-day domestic take totals $159.7 million

Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” grossed an estimated $79.5 million from 4,325 theaters over the weekend for a five-day domestic opening of $159.7 million, the best start ever for the still-magical franchise.

Film also was an international powerhouse. Foreign grosses will be released later this morning.

Elsewhere at the domestic B.O., Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno” fell a steep 73% in its second weekend. The Universal pic grossed an estimated $8.4 million from 2,759 theaters for a 10-day cume of $49.6 million, making it unlikely that the mockumentary will come anywhere near what Cohen’s “Borat” cumed domestically ($128.5 million).

“Bruno” placed No. 4 for the weekend, after “Half-Blood Prince,” 20th Century Fox’s “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” ($17.7 million) and Paramount’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” ($13.8 million).

On the specialty side, Fox Searchlight’s offbeat rom com “500 Days of Summer” posted a boffo per location average of $31,000 as it opened in 27 theaters, grossing an estimated $837,500.