‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Opens to $62 Million at the Box Office

The second Harry Potter prequel movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, will open in first place at the box office, though it is performing well below expectations.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald earned $25.7 million on Friday, including $9.1 million in previews on Tuesday and Thursday, on its way to a $62.2 million opening weekend. The film was projected to earn $75 million in its first weekend, but this total is below even early weekend projections of $65 million, perhaps affected by the negative reviews and word of mouth.

The film is also underperforming compared to its predecessor, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which opened to $74.4 million two years ago, going on to earn $234 million in total at the domestic box office.

The first Fantastic Beasts‘ opening was already a smaller debut than any of eight original Harry Potter movies. This continued decline may be a sign that franchise fatigue is setting in for JK Rowling’s wizarding world.

The fatigue extends to reviews from fans and critics as well. The Crimes of Grindelwald has is the first Harry Potter movie to receive a “rotten” score from review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, earning just a 44 percent critical approval rate. The film also scored a B+ CinemaScore, making it the first Harry Potter movie to earn a grade worse than an A- from audiences.

That’s the story at the domestic box office, at least. Globally, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is expected to outdo its predecessor’s opening, earning about $250 million compared the original’s $220 million.

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, which opened in first place last weekend, will move into second this weekend. The film will earn another $38.1 million. Its domestic box office total will climb to $126.5 million.

Are you going to see Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald this weekend? Let us know what you think about it or whatever else you’re seeing in the comments section!

Keep reading to see the other top films at the box office this weekend.

1. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Opening Weekend
Friday: $25.7 million
Weekend: $62.2 million

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans of raising pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is written by JK Rowling, directed by David Yates, and stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp.

2. Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch

Week Two
Friday: $8.9 million
Weekend: $38.1 million
Total: $126.5 million

The Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, live a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. His main source of aggravation comes during Christmastime when his neighbors in Whoville celebrate the holidays with a bang. When the Whos decide to make Christmas bigger and brighter, the disgruntled Grinch realizes there is one way to gain peace and quiet. With help from Max, the green grump hatches a scheme to pose as Santa Claus, steal Christmas and silence the Whos’ holiday cheer once and for all.

The Grinch is directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, written by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Cameron Seely, and Angela Lansbury.

3. Bohemian Rhapsody

Week Three
Friday: $4.3 million
Weekend: $15.5 million
Total: $127.6 million

Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day

Bohemian Rhapsody is directed by Bryan Singer, written by Anthony McCarten, and stars Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech and Mike Myers.

4. Instant Family

Opening Weekend
Friday: $4.5 million
Weekend: $13 million

When Pete and Ellie decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child, but when they meet three siblings, including a rebellious 15-year-old girl, they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight. Now, Pete and Ellie must try to learn the ropes of instant parenthood in the hope of becoming a family.

Instant Family is directed by Sean Anders and stars Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Moner, Margo Martindale, Julie Hagerty, Tig Notaro and Octavia Spencer.

5. Widows

Opening Weekend
Friday: $4.2 million
Total: $12.3 million

A police shootout leaves four thieves dead during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago. Their widows — Veronica, Linda, Alice and Belle — have nothing in common except a debt left behind by their spouses’ criminal activities. Hoping to forge a future on their own terms, Veronica joins forces with the other three women to pull off a heist that her husband was planning.

Widows is directed by Steve McQueen and stars Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson. 

6. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

Week Three
Friday: $1.1 million
Weekend: $4.7 million
Total: $43.9 million

Young Clara needs a magical, one-of-a-kind key to unlock a box that contains a priceless gift. A golden thread leads her to the coveted key, but it soon disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. In that world, she meets a soldier named Phillip, a group of mice and the regents who preside over three realms. Clara and Phillip must now enter a fourth realm to retrieve the key and restore harmony to the unstable land.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston and written by Ashleigh Powell, based on ETA Hoffmann’s short story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” and Marius Petipa’s ballet The Nutcracker. The film stars Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy, Eugenio Derbez, Matthew Macfadyen, Richard E. Grant, Misty Copeland, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman.

7. A Star Is Born

Week Seven
Friday: $1.1 million
Weekend: $4.1 million
Total: $185.6 million

Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers — and falls in love with — struggling artist Ally. She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer until Jackson coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jackson fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.

A Star is Born is a remake of the 1937 film of the same name that is produced, directed by, and stars Bradley Cooper. Cooper also co-wrote the film’s screenplay with Eric Roth and Will Fetters. The film also stars Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, and Sam Elliott, 

8. Overlord

Week Two
Friday: $1 million
Weekend: $3.7 million
Total: $17.6 million

On the eve of D-Day, American paratroopers drop behind enemy lines to penetrate the walls of a fortified church and destroy a radio transmitter. As the soldiers approach their target, they soon begin to realize that there’s more going on in the Nazi-occupied village than a simple military operation. Making their way to an underground lab, the outnumbered men stumble upon a sinister experiment that forces them into a vicious battle against an army of the undead.

Overlord is directed by Julius Avery, written by Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith, and stars Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, John Magaro, Gianny Taufer, Pilou Asbæk, and Bokeem Woodbine.

9. The Girl in the Spider’s Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story

Week Two
Friday: $709,000
Weekend: $2.4 million
Total: $13.1 million

Fired from the National Security Agency, Frans Balder recruits hacker Lisbeth Salander to steal FireWall, a computer program that can access codes for nuclear weapons worldwide. The download soon draws attention from an NSA agent who traces the activity to Stockholm. Further problems arise when Russian thugs take Lisbeth’s laptop and kidnap a math whiz who can make FireWall work. Now, Lisbeth and an unlikely ally must race against time to save the boy and recover the codes to avert disaster.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web is directed by Fede Álvarez and written by Steven Knight, Álvarez and Jay Basu. The film is based on the novel by David Lagercrantz, the first book in the Millennium series written and published after the death of original author Stieg Larsson. It is also a sequel to the film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, though it features a new cast. It stars Claire Foy, Sverrir Gudnason, LaKeith Stanfield, Sylvia Hoeks, and Stephen Merchant.

10. Nobody’s Fool

Week Three
Friday: $595,000
Weekend: $2.1 million
Total: $28.7 million

Wild child Tanya looks to her buttoned-up, by-the-book sister Danica to help her get back on her feet. As these polar opposites collide, Tanya soon discovers that Danica’s picture-perfect life and boyfriend may not be what they seem.

Nobody’s Fool is written and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tiffany Haddish, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick, Mehcad Brooks, Amber Riley, and Whoopi Goldberg.