Warner Bros film studio has said the second Harry Potter movie helped fuel record overseas ticket sales last year.

The company said international ticket receipts had risen to $1.6bn (�1.04bn) by the end of November, its best overseas performance so far, and the second-highest total by any US film studio to date.

The figure reflected the runaway success of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," the studio's top-grossing film with international ticket sales of $476.1m.

Warner Bros is the latest company to reap the benefits of the Harry Potter boom, triggered by the soaring popularity of author JK Rowling's best-selling children's books.

Money-spinner

The Potter phenomenon has generated windfall profits for the books' UK publishers Bloomsbury, and has also fuelled a boom in merchandising sales.

News of Warner Bros' bumper overseas ticket sales come ahead of industry-wide figures, due out next week.

The data are expected to show overall ticket sales, including North American receipts, in excess of $9.2bn, making 2002 one of the US film industry's best ever.

The industry's strong performance, which comes despite a weak economy and a surge in film piracy, stands in stark contrast to sluggish sales of recorded music.

Market researchers Nielsen Sound Scan said earlier on Friday that CD sales for 2002 slumped 9.3% on the year to 624.2 million, the second consecutive year-on-year fall after a 2.8% decline in 2001.