Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has crossed the $1bn (£609m) mark in global box office takings, distributor Warner Bros has announced.

The film joins an exclusive club of nine movies that have so far reached the $1 billion milestone.

Avatar tops the list having generated the most dosh at US$2.8 billion

Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the first of the Potter franchise to reach the $1 billion mark.  Prior to that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone got closest with global takings of $974.8m in 2001.

The final instalment in the eight-part Potter series is expected to outsell even Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which is this year's top grossing movie so far at $1.03bn.

The nine films to have surpassed the $1 billion mark are:

Avatar – US$2.8 billion
Titanic – US$1.8 billion
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – US$1.11 billion
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest – US$1.07 billion
Toy Story 3 – US$1.06 billion
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – US$1.03 billion
Alice in Wonderland – US$1.02 billion
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2  – US$1.01 billion
The Dark Knight – US$1 billion

Harry Potter breaks UK box office records