‘Grindelwald’s’ fantastic start
The ‘Fantastic Beasts’ follow-up conjures up $62.2 million in its opening weekend.
The “Harry Potter” prequel debuts in first place at the box office with $62.2 million.
Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” met expectations in winning the weekend box office, 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 projections of $65 million to $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% “rotten” on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, a far cry from its predecessor’s A CinemaScore rating and 74% “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. The movie took in $191 million internationally for a global cumulative of $253.2 million, on par with analysts’ predictions of $250 million.
At No. 2, Universal’s “The Grinch” added $38.2 million in its second weekend, while Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” came in third in its third weekend, with $15.7 million.
In fourth place, Paramount’s “Instant Family” opened with $14.7 million. The comedy came in just short of analysts’ predictions of $15 million to $20 million. It went over well with audiences and critics, receiving an A rating on CinemaScore and an 81% “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.
The movie earned a B on CinemaScore and a 91% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The critically acclaimed film may need awards momentum to kickstart its box office performance, however.
In limited release, Universal opened “Green Book” in 25 theaters, with $313,000, and CBS Films debuted “At Eternity’s Gate” in four theaters, with $92,000.