As expected, the second installment in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter prequel series topped the box office. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald didn't exactly light the box office on fire, however. The sequel earned $62.2 million in its debut (solid $14,941 per-venue average). That's a little bit behind expectations, which ranged between $65 and $75 million. In the meantime, that's off 16% from the $74 million debut of the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. That film went on to have solid legs through the holidays and earn over $200 million stateside. Audiences didn't quite respond as positively to this installment, with the CinemaScore a moderate "B+". This will be one to watch over Thanksgiving and beyond to see how it plays. On a budget of approximately $200 million, distributor Warner Bros. definitely could have used a bigger debut here. Of course, however, sequels usually have a hard time matching their predecessors' opening, anyhow.That being said, the film did perform stronger overseas. The Wizarding World film earned $191 million overseas, for a worldwide launch of $253 million. Grindelwald has opened in almost all markets except for Japan, which will open it this coming week. At this point, a final gross above $500 million worldwide is guaranteed. Whether or not it reaches the original Fantastic Beasts' $800 million worldwide gross is currently unknown, but we will get more of an idea as we get further into the holiday season. Warner Bros. was expecting $65 million.
After a strong debut last weekend, The Grinch did lose a little bit of steam, off 43% to $38.2 million. However, the animated Dr. Seuss tale has earned a very good $126.5 million in 10 days. Grinch's 10-day total is currently running way ahead of recent November animated pics like Megamind, Tangled and Wreck-it Ralph. Speaking of the latter of those three, Grinch will have a test next week from the opening of that movie's sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet. However, the Christmas theme should keep the film afloat through the next several weeks. The film has yet to open in many overseas markets.
In third place, Bohemian Rhapsody didn't hold nearly as well as last week. The Freddie Mercury biopic was down 50% in its third frame to $15.7 million. However, the biopic is still in great shape, with a strong $127.9 million gross in 17 days, and should earn strong numbers over Thanksgiving as well.
Meanwhile, opening in fourth place with OK numbers was Mark Wahlberg's latest, Instant Family. The PG-13 pic opened a bit below expectations with $14.7 million (mild $4,474 per-venue average), and also ranks as one of Wahlberg's lowest openings of the past two decades (it's in line essentially with his last film, Mile 22 [$13.7 million]). The Paramount release is hoping to catch on with positive word-of-mouth through the holidays. With a strong "A" CinemaScore, that might happen. Perhaps the biggest explanation as to why this didn't break out was the PG-13 rating. With this being a family-focused film, Instant Family probably would have pulled in a bigger crowd if it had earned a PG instead (even though younger kids had The Grinch already). On a $48 million budget, the film will need some strong holds through Christmas to give it a good chance at success. Paramount and analysts were forecasting a mid-to-high teens millions opening.That leaves the last new release, Widows, in the fifth spot. Steve McQueen's crime drama didn't exactly catch on, opening to $12.3 million (mild $4,388 per-venue average). That's behind the mid-teens millions distributor Fox and other analysts were expecting. That being said, awards season contenders don't always start strong. Take a look at Bridge of Spies for example, which opened with $15 million and ended up at $75 million. With a somewhat mixed "B" CinemaScore, it remains to be seen if this will hold well over the coming weeks. But, if awards season buzz takes off, it very well may. Widows had a $42 million budget.
The competition is proving to be too much for The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which dropped another 54% to $4.7 million. The fantasy flop has earned only $43.9 million in 17 days, and may only get just above $50 million in its entire run here stateside. Overseas isn't great either ($70 million). Also not holding well was the remake of A Star is Born, which fell 46% in its seventh weekend to $4.4 million. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper have sung away with a strong $185.8 million in 49 days, and will hope Thanksgiving weekend will give them the boost they need to get to $200 million.
The remainder of the titles in the Top 10 are falling fast. Overlord plunged 62% in its sophomore frame to $3.9 million, for a weak $17.7 million in 10 days, and will likely end its run around $25 million. The Girl in the Spider's Web plunged 68% in its second weekend to $2.5 million, for an awful $13.3 million in 10 days, with the final gross likely not to even reach $20 million. Rounding out the Top 10 was Nobody's Fool, which fell 66% in its third weekend to $2.3 million. Tyler Perry and Tiffany Haddish are faring the best of the three with a moderate $28.9 million in 17 days.
And that's about it. Next weekend will bring the extended Thanksgiving frame and three new releases to the circuit. As usual for this time of year, Disney brings a new movie with Ralph Breaks the Internet. Also opening are boxing sequel Creed II and a new remake of Robin Hood. Look out for a special predictions post on Tuesday. :)
