Harry Potter casts spell on Russia

Harry Potter is the second biggest grossing movie ever

Russia is the latest country to fall under Harry Potter's spell.

The fantasy movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has taken more than $1.5m (£1m) at the Russian box office since its première on Thursday.

Over 415,000 Russians have rushed to see the adventures of the trainee wizard created by novelist JK Rowling, said the film's distributor, Karo-Premier.

Pottermania has also hit Moscow bookstores, which have been flooded with Harry Potter books for weeks.

However, Potter still has a long way to go to catch up with the Russian takings of The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.

The Lord the Rings won four Oscars

The Oscar-winning movie has brought in more than $6m (£4.2m) at the box office after a month on release.

Harry Potter is now the second biggest grossing movie of all time, taking more than $926m (£649m) at the worldwide box office.

Daniel Radcliffe stars as the young wizard, with Mrs Doubtfire director Chris Columbus at the helm.

Rivals

The movie, which is known in some countries as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, smashed a string of box office records on its release, including the most profitable opening weekend in the US ever with $90m (£63m).

Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings go head-to-head again this winter.

The follow-up to The Philosopher's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, is due to open on 15 November.

Kenneth Branagh joins the cast as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers comes out a week before Christmas.