‘Fantastic Beasts 2’ Charms With $62 Million

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” enchanted moviegoers with a debut of $62 million. While that’s slightly lower than the start of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the first installment in the “Harry Potter” spinoff series, it was easily enough to dominate the weekend box office. Warner Bros., the studio behind the wizarding series, sees “Fantastic Beasts” as more of an international play, where the follow-up has already earned $191 million. Stateside, “Crimes of Grindelwald” has battled the worst reviews yet for a “Harry Potter” entry. It currently holds a bleak 40 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ Cinemascore.