Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald debuted at number one over the weekend but its domestic opening fell short of its predecessor but it did see a strong showing from its overseas debut.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald grossed $62.1 million over the weekend secured a number one finish despite coming in $13 million short of the first film’s debut. There is a lot of speculation as to why the film came up a bit short and it begins with, despite its heavy connections to the Harry Potter franchise, moviegoers haven’t quite embraced the spinoff in the same way they did with the kids at Hogwarts. Another factor at play was the reviews which had the film rotten at 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the 73% fresh rating of the first film. The poor reviews may have kept some non-fans away from seeing the film.
The Crimes of Grindelwald scored a “B+” CinemaScore which is a fine score on its own but it comes down from the “A” earned by the first film. The movie should see a decent hold thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday but it does face more competition beginning Wednesday from Ralph Breaks The Internet, Creed II & Robin Hood. The domestic performance will be one to watch but as I stated during my box office predictions, Warner Bros. knows this is a global franchise and it definitely shined in its overseas debut. Internationally, the film brought in $191 million from 79 markets, including record openings in 18 of them, including Russia ($12.1 million) and Brazil ($6.9 million) along with performances ahead of the first film in 43 markets, including France ($11.7 million), Germany ($12.8 million), Russia, Brazil and Mexico ($6.2 million). China led all markets with an estimated $37.5 million debut, which is a shade behind the $40.4 million opening for the first film. All told, we’re looking at a $253 million global debut and it only has one more market to open in on Friday (Japan). The overseas grosses should definitely ease the pressure for the $200 million film but I think the studio will take a different approach with how the next film is handled to ensure no more bleeding comes on the domestic front.
Dropping to second is The Grinch with $38.5 million. The film was dropped a decent 42.9% and it brings its domestic total to $126.9 million. The film faces direct competition from Ralph Breaks The Internet this week but the holiday theme should allow this film to play strongly for weeks to come. The Grinch only cost $75 million to make so the studio should be really happy with its performance.
Falling to third is Bohemian Rhapsody with $16 million. The film saw a decline of 48.6% which is bit heavier than its week 2 decline but that was to be expected with competition from other new releases. The film has still grossed a stellar $128.2 million at the domestic box office off a $52 million budget. Internationally, the film added another $45.5 million this weekend for an overseas total that now tops $256 million. The film releases in Italy on November 29 and South Africa on the 30th.
Debuting in fourth is Instant Family with $14.5 million. The film debuted below the nearly $20 million it was tracking at and many are calling the debut soft in relation to its $48 million budget. The studio should be happy that it earned an “A” CinemaScore which could allow for decent legs through the holidays but a debut on the low end like this doesn’t really allow it to gain much momentum unless the hold is particularly solid.
Rounding out the top five is Widows with $12.3 million. The film also debuted beneath the $15-18 million it was tracking at and it’s a shame because the film is very good and entered the weekend as the best-reviewed film of the new wide releases (91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). The film has a $40 million budget and I hope it can catch on but the debut is on the low end of expectations and it may find itself having issues matching its budget in the states.
Check out the full top ten results below:
| Film | Total | % Change | Gross to Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onward | $10,601,952 | -72.9% | $60.3 |
| Bloodshot | $9,176,695 | NEW | $9.17 |
| I Still Believe | $9,103,614 | NEW | $9.10 |
| The Invisible Man | $5,890,805 | -61.1% | $64.3 |
| The Hunt | $5,304,455 | NEW | $5.3 |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | $2,522,584 | -67.3% | $145.7 |
| The Way Back | $2,356,115 | -71.2% | $13.3 |
| The Call of the Wild | $2,226,720 | -67.1% | $62 |
| Emma. | $1,295,215 | -73% | $9.9 |
| Bad Boys for Life | $1,102,208 | -63.5% | $204.2 |
