On a crowded frame at the pre-Thanksgiving weekend box office, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Instant Family, and Widows all debuted near the lower end of expectations, with the Wizarding World sequel bringing in an estimated $62.2 million in first place. That said, with a long holiday window ahead, all three are expected to enjoy relatively strong legs as we move deeper into the season.
In the top slot, Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald came in significantly below the $74.4 million opening of its predecessor on the same weekend two years ago, a result that can partially be blamed on considerably less-positive reviews. Indeed, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 40%, critics were much less kind to Grindelwald than they were to the first installment, which came in “Fresh” with a score of 74%. With so many options available to audiences this weekend – including a strong sophomore frame for family blockbuster The Grinch – it’s possible that critical derision may have had a significant negative impact on turnout. It’s worth noting that moviegoers weren’t quite as keen on the new Beasts either, as the film finished with a “B+” Cinemascore versus the first entry’s “A” based on exit surveys from opening day audiences.
Nevertheless, Grindelwald benefitted from the enduring popularity of the Harry Potter brand, and with a family-friendly few weeks ahead as children enjoy time off of school, it’s certainly a ripe time of year for a film like this. Looking ahead, the film will certainly have its fair share of competitors vying for the dollars of both older and younger viewers, with films like next weekend’s Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, Mortal Engines (Dec. 14), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Dec. 14), and Mary Poppins Returns (Dec. 19), and specifically offering stiff competition for the family audience in the weeks ahead. It will be interesting to see how a less well-received Beasts holds up in such a climate.
Coming in with a strong showing in second place is Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, which declined just 44% to $38.2 million in its sophomore frame. That’s an encouraging hold for Universal’s animated retelling of the classic children’s book, which now has a total of $126.5 million after ten days in theaters. Despite a slew of competition in the coming weeks, the film should benefit from its holiday-centric themes as we move closer to Christmas, indicating a run similar to the 2000 live-action Grinch starring Jim Carrey, which grossed nearly five times its opening weekend by the time it left theaters.
Yet another holdover finished the weekend in third place, with the smash hit Bohemian Rhapsody bringing in an estimated $15.7 million in its third weekend. That’s a drop of just under 50% from its gross last weekend, which suggests that word-of-mouth continues reasonably strong for the Freddie Mercury biopic despite increasing competition. The Fox title now has $127.8 million in the bank after 17 days of release, making it the latest music-themed hit after this fall’s phenomenally-successful A Star Is Born.
Fourth place went to newbie Instant Family, which stars Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as a couple who wade into the world of foster-care adoption. Its $14.7 million opening is a shade lower than many had been predicting for the PG-13 comedy, though it’s still a relatively strong start for a film without a pre-existing fanbase a la last year’s family-oriented smash Wonder. Working in its favor going forward will be the film’s positive Rotten Tomatoes score – it currently sits with an 81% “Fresh” rating – and warm and fuzzy themes that will play well during the holiday season. Notably, the film also boasts an “A” Cinemascore, the highest of any of the weekend’s three new releases, as well as a strong Flixster audience rating of 88%. All of this suggests that the Paramount release – the third collaboration between Wahlberg and his Daddy’s Home 1 and 2 director Sean Anders – may well be looking at a leggy run ahead.
In fifth place, the weekend’s final new wide release Widows brought in an estimated $12.3 million, which is a slightly less-robust opening than many had been predicting. That said, it’s still a reasonably strong debut that was no doubt helped along by strong critical notices (its Rotten Tomatoes score is “Certified Fresh” at 91%) and interest from women over 25, an audience segment who may have gravitated toward the film’s strong ensemble cast including Viola Davis and Michelle Rodriguez and its feminist spin on the traditional heist movie. By all appearances, the R-rated release directed by Steve McQueen is primed for a leggy run in a corridor traditionally favorable to awards-worthy prestige fare, a category Widows certainly falls into. That said, as was shown by the disappointing performance of the critically-acclaimed Neil Armstrong biopic First Man this fall, it’s certainly possible for a release that seems to tick all the right boxes to fall short, even in a season known for being more hospitable to thoughtful filmmaking. Still, if Widows can keep up some momentum through the Thanksgiving corridor, it should be in for a healthy run long-term.
More to come…
The post Studio Weekend Estimates: ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Conjures $62.2M; ‘Instant Family’ Warms to $14.7M; ‘Widows’ Steals $12.3M appeared first on BoxOffice Pro.
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