Warner Bros. streak continues in Fantastic way
LOS ANGELES — Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald met expectations in winning the box office over last weekend, opening in first place with $62.2 million, according to figures from measurement firm Comscore.
The Harry Potter prequel, a follow-up to 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, came in much softer than its predecessor, which opened with $74.4 million. It came in a bit short of analysts’ projections of $75 million.
Directed by David Yates, Crimes of Grindelwald follows magical zoology expert and wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he teams with a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) against the titular dark wizard, played by Johnny Depp.
The $200 million film received mixed reviews, with a B plus on CinemaScore and a 40 percent rotten on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, a far cry from its predecessor’s A CinemaScore rating and 74 percent fresh Rotten Tomatoes score.
Warner Bros. plans three additional films in the series but may have to plan to do the bulk of its business in overseas markets.
Globally the first nine Harry Potter films have earned $8.5 billion, a total that this one’s worldwide take will inflate.
Overseas, the new movie rolled out in 79 markets and sold an estimated $191 million in tickets, a total that Warner described as “spectacular” in a statement Sunday. Ron Sanders, the studio’s president of worldwide theatrical distribution and home entertainment, said that the film’s “very successful opening” set it up well to play “throughout the holiday season.”
“This is yet another example of a movie whose opening weekend skewed heavily into the international territories,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. “This happens a lot with bigger franchise movies. For many of these blockbusters, it’s the international component that comes in and saves the day.”
In the United States., Warner Bros. is hoping young devotees who are out of school will keep Fantastic Beasts in flight through Thanksgiving.
“It’s a big week coming up,” Goldstein said. “Friday [today] is one of the biggest movie days of the year.”
Fantastic Beasts continues a year of high points and hits for Warner Bros. from a diverse string of movies, including The Meg, Crazy Rich Asians, The Nun and A Star Is Born.
“Warner Bros. is on a roll that every studio would envy,” Dergarabedian said.
At No. 2, Universal’s The Grinch added $38.2 million in its second weekend, for a cumulative $126.5 million.
Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody came in third in its third weekend, adding $15.7 million for a cumulative $127.8 million.
In fourth place, Paramount’s Instant Family opened with $14.7 million.
The comedy, which stars Rose Byrne and Mark Wahlberg as a couple who adopt three children, came in just short of analysts’ predictions of $20 million. It went over well with audiences and critics, receiving an A rating on CinemaScore and an 81 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rounding out the top five, Fox premiered Widows with $12.3 million.
Written by 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen and Gone Girl scribe Gillian Flynn, the picture came in on the low end of analysts’ projections of $12 million to $18 million. Starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabeth Debicki, the film follows women who must complete a job after their criminal husbands are killed during a heist.
The movie earned a B on CinemaScore and a 91 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The critically acclaimed film may need awards momentum to kick-start its box office performance, however.
In limited release, Universal opened Green Book in 25 theaters with $313,000, a per-screen average of $12,520. The awards contender got an A-plus on CinemaScore.
CBS Films debuted At Eternity’s Gate in four theaters with $92,000, for a per-screen average of $23,000. Directed by Julian Schnabel, the film stars Willem Dafoe as Vincent van Gogh and offers a glimpse into the final two years of the artist’s life.
Two sequels and a remake open today. MGM releases the boxing drama Creed II, Disney opens the animated Ralph Breaks the Internet and Lionsgate premieres another remake of Robin Hood. In limited release, Fox Searchlight opens the period drama The Favourite, and Netflix begins an exclusive theatrical window for Roma three weeks ahead of its debut on the streaming service.