LOS ANGELES — The bespectacled boy wizard has worked his biggest box-office magic to date.

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” grossed $101.4 million in its debut weekend, the best results yet for the franchise.

The latest Potter movie led a lineup that helped reverse the Hollywood box-office slump, with the top 12 films raking in $171 million, up 19 percent from the same weekend last year.

“Goblet of Fire” was the fourth-best, three-day opening weekend ever.

The fourth installment of the adventures of Harry and his curious classmates at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the first Potter film to earn a PG-13 rating for its fantasy violence and special effects. But that did not deter audiences.

Debuting in second place was the Johnny Cash film biopic “Walk the Line,” which took in $22.4 million. The film chronicles the early musical career of Cash, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and also stars Reese Witherspoon as Cash’s lifelong love, June Carter. Phoenix and Witherspoon do their own singing.

Disney’s computer-animated film “Chicken Little,” which held the top spot last week, slipped to No. 3 with $14.8 million. Jennifer Anniston’s thriller “Derailed” ranked fourth with $6.5 million.

Based on the best-selling books by J.K. Rowling, “Goblet of Fire” follows 14-year-old Harry, who unwillingly competes against three older wizards in a dangerous Triwizard Tournament. The movie features a dramatic face-off between Harry and Lord Voldemort, the dark warlock who killed Harry’s parents and who tried to kill him when he was a baby.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday:

1. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” $101.4 million

2. “Walk the Line,” $22.4 million

3. “Chicken Little,” $14.8 million

4. “Derailed,” $6.5 million

5. “Zathura,” $5.1 million

6. “Jarhead,” $4.8 million

7. “Get Rich or Die Tryin,” $4.4 million

8. “Saw II,” $3.9 million

9. “The Legend of Zorro,” $2.3 million

10. “Pride & Prejudice,” $2.1 million

By The Associated Press