By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - All hail Harry! ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' a hugely hyped fantasy about an English boy wizard, bewitched moviegoers of all ages in North America and Britain over the weekend, smashing industry records in the process.

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the film grossed $93.5 million in the United States and Canada in its first three days of release. It surpassed the three-day record of $72.1 million set four years ago by Steven Spielberg's ``The Lost World: Jurassic Park.''

In Britain, where it also opened on Friday and is called ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,'' the film conjured up $23 million (including previews), beating the record of $14.7 million attained by George Lucas' ``Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace'' in 1999.

``To be up there with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, what an honor,'' said ``Harry Potter'' producer David Heyman, adding that he was smiling from ``ear to ear.'' Based on the best-selling children's books by English author J.K. Rowling, ``Harry Potter'' follows the exploits of a bespectacled orphan with magical powers who attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Newcomer Daniel Radcliffe played the title character.

The box office data were provided by executives at Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc. . Rival studios said the North American estimate appeared generous, with their own tallies averaging about $89 million. One studio reportedly put the opening as low as $83 million. Final figures will be released on Monday.

Either way, the film dominated the box office. Walt Disney Co.'s animated ``Monsters, Inc.'' slipped to No. 2 with $23.0 million, followed by Twentieth Century Fox comedy ``Shallow Hal'' with $12.7 million. The top 12 films grossed $157.1 million, up 35 percent from last weekend and up seven percent from the year-ago period, when ``Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' opened at No. 1.

HARRY A ``WIN-WIN''

``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' which reportedly cost Warner Bros. $125 million to produce and an additional $40 million to market in North America alone, played on more than 8,200 screens at a record 3,672 theaters.

Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman said exit polls were ``spectacular'' and the film played broadly to both parents and children, readers and nonreaders.

``It's just a win-win all the way around for us,'' Fellman said.

The film's Saturday haul of $32.9 million becomes the highest single-day gross in movie history, beating the opening day of ``Phantom Menace'' ($28.5 million). Its respective Friday and Sunday tallies of $31.6 million and $29 million also set new records for those particular days.

The only major record that hangs in the balance is the race to $100 million. ``Phantom Menace'' took five days, and Fellman hoped ``Harry Potter'' could get there on Monday, in four days. He expected business to remain very strong over the week, boosted by the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.

Heyman said principal photography on the sequel, ``Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,'' will begin on Monday. Director Chris Columbus will return to shoot the film.

Warner Bros. hopes that Harry Potter will become a huge franchise along the lines of the ``Star Wars'' and James Bond films, and its corporate parent is using the muscle of its other businesses, such as its America Online flagship, to get the word out.

``MONSTERS'' PASSES $150 MILLION

Elsewhere at the North American box office, ``Monsters, Inc.'' has grossed $156 million after three weekends, two of them at No. 1. Disney partnered on the film with Pixar Animation Studios Inc. .

``Shallow Hal,'' starring Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit, has hauled in $41.3 million after 10 days. The film should end up with $65 million-$70 million, said an executive at Fox, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group Inc. .

The John Travolta drama ``Domestic Disturbance'' (Paramount) held steady at No. 4 in its third week with $5.6 million. Its total is $33.9 million. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc. .

Also unchanged from last week was fifth-ranked ``Heist'' (Warner Bros.), a thriller starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito, with $4.7 million. Its 10-day total is $15 million.

The top 10 contained one other new entry, ``The Wash,'' an urban comedy starring rappers Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. The Wednesday release bowed at No. 8 with $3.0 million for the weekend and $3.9 million to date. The $4 million-budgeted film attracted blacks aged 18 to 24, said a spokesman for Lions Gate Films, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. .

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the final data for the top 10 movies at the North American box office during the November 16-18 weekend, according to studio figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Film Three-day Cumulative

Title Gross Gross

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone .......... $90,294,621

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $90,294,621

2. Monsters, Inc. .......... $22,716,685

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $156,341,118

3. Shallow Hal .......... $12,106,586

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $40,687,100

4. Domestic Disturbance .......... $5,377,031

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $33,672,327

5. Heist .......... $4,682,249

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $15,004,225

6. The One .......... $4,105,741

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $38,274,334

7. K-Pax .......... $3,138,750

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $45,325,425

8. The Wash .......... $2,875,067

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $3,711,657

9. Life as a House .......... $2,646,422

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $8,998,627

10. Thirteen Ghosts .......... $2,132,473

BOX OFFICE SO FAR: $37,674,219

Reuters/Variety REUTERS

John L.: