Weekend Actuals: ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Conjures $62.1M; ‘Instant Family’ Warms to $14.5M; ‘Widows’ Steals $12.3M

Monday Update: The new Harry Potter spinoff movie movie Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald might not been quite as “magical” of an opening as some hoped, but still debuted in first place with $62.1M.

The Warner Bros. fantasy started -16.4% behind the $74.4M opening of predecessor installment Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which opened on this same weekend in 2016.

Last weekend’s leader, Universal’s animated Dr. Seuss’ The Grinchdropped -42.9% to take second place. (The film hopes to have legs for the month and a half beyond its opening given the Christmas nature of the plot.)

Paramount’s comedy Instant Family instantly started in fourth place with $14.5M, while Fox’s action drama Widows began in fifth place with $12.3M.

Comparisons

Total box office this weekend was $174.4M.

That’s +4.1% above last weekend but -12.4% below this same weekend last year, when Justice League led for a second frame with $93.8M.

Year-to-date box office stands at $10.32B. That’s +10.6% ahead of this same date last year, down from +10.8% after last weekend.

Demographics

The audience for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was 57.5% female and 35.0% under age 25.

Demographics of Instant Family and Widows, courtesy of BoxofficeProfile by Vertigo, were not immediately available. With those two caveats:

The most male audience in this weekend’s top 10 was Overlord at 73.6%, while the most female audience was Nobody’s Fool at 66.0%.

The most under-25 audience in this weekend’s top 10 was Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch at 54.4%, while the most over-25 audience was The Girl in the Spider’s Web at 89.3%.

A full demographic breakdown of the top 30 movies this weekend, courtesy of BoxofficeProfile by Vertigo, is included below:

Our full table of weekend actuals is below, followed by our Sunday update featuring fuller analysis.


Monday’s Weekend Actuals (Domestic)

FRI, NOV. 16 – SUN, NOV. 18

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald $62,163,104 4,163 $14,932 $62,163,104 1 Warner Bros.
2 Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch $38,587,130 -43% 4,141 0 $9,318 $126,963,410 2 Universal
3 Bohemian Rhapsody $16,042,965 -49% 3,810 -190 $4,211 $128,228,824 3 20th Century Fox
4 Instant Family $14,504,315 3,286 $4,414 $14,504,315 1 Paramount Pictures
5 Widows $12,361,307 2,803 $4,410 $12,361,307 1 20th Century Fox
6 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms $4,772,950 -53% 2,635 -1131 $1,811 $43,965,640 3 Walt Disney Pictures
7 A Star is Born $4,293,663 -47% 2,010 -838 $2,136 $185,784,570 7 Warner Bros.
8 Overlord $3,790,251 -63% 2,859 0 $1,326 $17,683,140 2 Paramount Pictures
9 The Girl in the Spider’s Web $2,501,616 -68% 2,929 0 $854 $13,292,139 2 Sony / Columbia
10 Nobody’s Fool $2,216,073 -67% 1,301 -1167 $1,703 $28,843,691 3 Paramount
11 Venom $1,976,625 -60% 1,307 -1044 $1,512 $210,077,668 7 Sony / Columbia

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Boy Erased $1,323,832 75% 409 332 $3,237 $2,675,782 3 Focus Features
2 Can You Ever Forgive Me? $893,180 -38% 555 164 $1,609 $5,071,365 5 Fox Searchlight
3 The Hate U Give $780,051 -62% 593 -515 $1,315 $28,223,244 7 20th Century Fox
4 A Private War $701,589 257% 865 827 $811 $1,068,110 3 Aviron Pictures
5 Halloween (2018) $699,185 -83% 922 -1795 $758 $158,795,325 5 Universal Pictures
6 Beautiful Boy $582,263 -60% 558 -218 $1,043 $6,401,267 6 Amazon
7 Smallfoot $423,604 -72% 493 -825 $859 $81,356,772 8 Warner Bros.
8 Night School $333,325 -67% 370 -347 $901 $76,600,015 8 Universal
9 First Man $243,790 -73% 328 -487 $743 $44,345,100 6 Universal
10 The House With A Clock In Its Walls $172,855 -44% 195 -86 $886 $68,074,030 9 Universal Pictures
11 The Old Man & The Gun $163,773 -64% 171 -224 $958 $10,614,566 8 Fox Searchlight
12 Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween $142,711 -84% 307 -1212 $465 $46,371,838 6 Sony
13 Crazy Rich Asians $125,095 -45% 188 -34 $665 $173,729,639 14 Warner Bros.
14 Hunter Killer $84,702 -88% 194 -763 $437 $15,649,493 4 Lionsgate / Summit
15 Incredibles 2 $80,805 -34% 130 -10 $622 $608,401,000 23 Disney
16 A Simple Favor $33,854 -51% 101 -26 $335 $53,530,025 10 Lionsgate

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Green Book $320,429 25 $12,817 $320,429 1 Universal Pictures
2 Johnny English Strikes Again $115,490 -68% 77 -114 $1,500 $4,253,875 4 Universal Pictures
3 Mid90s $114,833 -71% 84 -256 $1,367 $7,149,088 5 A24
4 Maria By Callas $96,651 -1% 29 3 $3,333 $470,153 3 Sony Pictures Classics
5 Suspiria $95,804 -74% 53 -208 $1,808 $2,236,185 4 Amazon Studios
6 At Eternity’s Gate $92,855 4 $23,214 $92,855 1 CBS Films
7 The Front Runner $75,364 46% 22 18 $3,426 $166,533 2 Sony / Columbia
8 A Cool Fish $71,187 15 $4,746 $71,187 1 China Lion Film
9 Wildlife $64,348 -51% 94 -11 $685 $727,324 5 IFC Films
10 Burning $64,171 -16% 25 -2 $2,567 $300,125 4 Well Go USA Entertainment
11 Border $59,775 24% 30 14 $1,993 $343,943 4 Neon
12 Colette $51,201 -44% 86 5 $595 $5,069,741 9 Bleecker Street
13 Last Letter $41,027 -49% 23 5 $1,784 $159,052 2 China Lion Film
14 Bad Times At The El Royale $36,942 -61% 67 -57 $551 $17,777,422 6 20th Century Fox
15 Disney’s Christopher Robin $33,111 -49% 92 -30 $360 $99,172,010 16 Disney
16 The Nun $32,556 -49% 91 -37 $358 $117,433,636 11 Warner Bros.
17 Indivisible $25,891 -84% 59 -143 $439 $3,372,507 4 Pure Flix
18 El Ángel $21,977 -6% 11 9 $1,998 $53,999 2 The Orchard
19 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation $20,830 -42% 56 -25 $372 $167,485,460 21 Sony / Columbia
20 Tea With the Dames $13,969 -62% 23 -16 $607 $804,344 9 IFC Films
21 The Wife $13,583 -55% 25 -10 $543 $7,768,601 14 Sony Pictures Classics
22 Alpha $12,814 -40% 28 -9 $458 $35,851,379 14 Sony / Columbia
23 Wings of Desire (2018 re-release) $11,278 221% 4 3 $2,820 $71,674 5 Janus Films
24 What They Had $10,481 -71% 24 -29 $437 $254,383 5 Bleecker Street
25 Studio 54 $8,053 8 $1,007 $175,465 7 Zeitgeist Films
26 The Sisters Brothers $6,564 -77% 23 -81 $285 $3,101,468 9 Annapurna Pictures
27 Chef Flynn $6,473 -14% 3 2 $2,158 $38,385 2 Kino Lorber Films
28 The Happy Prince $4,859 -75% 13 -60 $374 $445,999 6 Sony Pictures Classics
29 Gosnell: The Trial Of America’s Biggest Serial Killer $4,444 -62% 11 -22 $404 $3,651,059 6 GVN Releasing
30 Pick of the Litter $4,092 80% 5 1 $818 $530,845 12 IFC Films
31 Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. $3,469 71% 3 1 $1,156 $219,858 8 Abramorama
32 Narcissister Organ Player $2,997 51% 2 1 $1,499 $7,944 2 Film Movement
33 Unbroken: Path to Redemption $2,569 38% 4 0 $642 $6,209,074 10 Pure Flix
34 Bodied $2,499 -91% 4 -13 $625 $113,956 3 Neon
35 Rampant $2,293 -85% 2 -7 $1,147 $166,540 4 Well Go USA Entertainment
36 Under The Wire $2,271 2 $1,136 $2,271 1 Abramorama
37 The Fog (2018 Re-Release) $1,763 25% 3 0 $588 $69,029 4 Rialto Pictures
38 Puzzle $1,568 143% 4 2 $392 $2,031,242 17 Sony Pictures Classics
39 Blaze $1,460 -68% 4 -2 $365 $696,793 14 IFC Films / Sundance Selects
40 Andrei Rublev $1,243 1 $1,243 $100,148 13 Janus
41 Senso $1,161 -55% 1 -1 $1,161 $20,308 4 Rialto Pictures
42 In Searching $874 -72% 1 -1 $874 $4,536 2 Indican Pictures
43 Horn from the Heart: The Paul Butterfield Story $859 -68% 1 0 $859 $21,093 5 Abramorama
44 The Rider $567 75% 1 0 $567 $2,406,753 32 Sony Pictures Classics
45 School of Life $461 1 $461 $6,300 11 Distrib Films US
46 Here And Now $449 -94% 2 -49 $225 $13,337 2 AMBI Distribution
47 Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco $432 -38% 1 0 $432 $43,169 10 Film Movement
48 Return of the Hero $417 1 $417 $7,792 12 Distrib Films US
49 Let the Corpses Tan $205 -76% 1 0 $205 $92,886 12 Kino Lorber
50 Liyana $130 -95% 1 -2 $130 $14,201 6 Abramorama
51 Weed the People $90 36% 1 0 $90 $9,199 4 Mangurama
52 1945 $70 -97% 1 -2 $70 $1,004,303 55 Menemsha Films

 


Sunday Update: 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.

Sixth place went to Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which brought in an estimated $4.7 million in its third weekend of release. Despite boasting overt holiday themes and a recognizable cast, the film struggled to catch on and seems to have suffered particularly in the wake of The Grinch’s strong debut last weekend. With $43.9 million after 17 days of release, the film seems destined to fade quickly, particularly with a slew of family-oriented films primed for release in the coming weeks.

In seventh, A Star Is Born continued strong with an estimated $4.3 million in its seventh weekend, bringing the total for the Lady Gaga-Bradley Cooper romance to $185.8 million so far. Eighth place, meanwhile, went to the sophomore frame of WWII horror film Overlord, which fell sharply from its $10.2 million opening last weekend to an estimated $3.8 million and a total of $17.7 million after ten days. Dropping even more precipitously was Girl with the Dragon Tattoo follow-up The Girl in the Spider’s Web, which plummeted 68% to an estimated $2.5 million in its second weekend. The Sony thriller has just $13.2 million after ten days of release.

Rounding out the Top 10 was Tyler Perry comedy Nobody’s Fool, which brought in an estimated $2.2 million in its third weekend of release. The total for the Paramount release now stands at $28.8 million.

Outside the Top 10, Focus Features’ Boy Erased expanded to 409 locations and brought in an estimated $1.3 million, good for a per-screen average of $3,178. The fact-based film about a teenage boy being sent to gay conversion therapy has $2.6 million after three weeks of release.

Elsewhere, the acclaimed Melissa McCarthy dramedy Can You Ever Forgive Me? faltered a bit in its expansion, grossing an estimated $800K from 555 locations. That gives the Fox Searchlight release a per-screen average of $1,586, which suggests audiences outside the core arthouse demo haven’t been quite as receptive to McCarthy’s dramatic turn.

Finally, Aviron’s A Private War made a bold expansion to 865 theaters this weekend after playing in limited release for two weekends. With an estimated $725K and a per-screen average of just $838, the well-reviewed Rosamund Pike drama seems to have reached the limit of its expansion.

Limited Release: 

Debuting in limited release this weekend was Universal’s civil rights drama Green Book, which took in an estimated $313K from 25 locations, giving it a per-screen average of $12,520. Starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, the film has been well-received by critics with an 83% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It will expand wider over Thanksgiving weekend.

Director Julian Schnabel’s Vincent Van Gogh biopic At Eternity’s Gate starring Willem Dafoe got off to a solid start, bringing in an estimated $92K from four screens. That represents a per-screen average of $23K for the CBS Films release.

Sony’s The Front Runner continued its slow rollout this weekend with an estimated $72K on 22 screens, giving it a just-okay per-screen average of $3,272. The Jason Reitman-directed drama, which stars Hugh Jackman as Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart, will expand wider over Thanksgiving weekend.

Overseas Update:

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald debuted with an estimated $191 million in 79 overseas markets, bringing its global debut total to a sizzling $253 million, including $37.5 million in China and $16.3 million in the U.K. You can read a more extensive analysis of the sequel’s international opening here.

Venom retained the No. 1 spot in China over the weekend with an estimated $51.2 million, bringing its total in the country to an incredible $207.1 million. It is now the third-largest superhero release of all time in China after only Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Age of Ultron, which brought in $359.5 million and $240.1 million, respectively. Additionally, it now boasts the strongest second-weekend hold ever in the country for a superhero release.

Bohemian Rhapsody also continued to post fantastic results internationally, with the Fox release bringing in an estimated $45.5 million from 78 markets. That brings the film’s international cume to an astonishing $256.4 million and its global total to $384.2 million. International totals include $45.3 million in the U.K., $24.5 million in South Korea and $18.3 million in France.


Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates (Domestic)

FRI, NOV. 16 – SUN, NOV. 18

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald $62,200,000 4,163 $14,941 $62,200,000 1 Warner Bros.
2 Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch $38,170,000 -44% 4,141 0 $9,218 $126,546,280 2 Universal
3 Bohemian Rhapsody $15,700,000 -50% 3,810 -190 $4,121 $127,885,859 3 20th Century Fox
4 Instant Family $14,700,000 3,286 $4,474 $14,700,000 1 Paramount Pictures
5 Widows $12,300,000 2,803 $4,388 $12,300,000 1 20th Century Fox
6 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms $4,678,000 -54% 2,635 -1131 $1,775 $43,870,690 3 Walt Disney Pictures
7 A Star is Born $4,350,000 -46% 2,010 -838 $2,164 $185,840,907 7 Warner Bros.
8 Overlord $3,850,000 -62% 2,859 0 $1,347 $17,742,889 2 Paramount Pictures
9 The Girl in the Spider’s Web $2,500,000 -68% 2,929 0 $854 $13,290,523 2 Sony / Columbia
10 Nobody’s Fool $2,260,000 -66% 1,301 -1167 $1,737 $28,887,618 3 Paramount
11 Venom $1,930,000 -61% 1,307 -1044 $1,477 $210,031,043 7 Sony / Columbia

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Boy Erased $1,280,000 69% 409 332 $3,130 $2,631,950 3 Focus Features
2 Can You Ever Forgive Me? $880,000 -39% 555 164 $1,586 $5,058,185 5 Fox Searchlight
3 The Hate U Give $815,000 -60% 593 -515 $1,374 $28,258,193 7 20th Century Fox
4 A Private War $725,000 269% 865 827 $838 $1,091,521 3 Aviron Pictures
5 Halloween (2018) $715,000 -82% 922 -1795 $775 $158,811,140 5 Universal Pictures
6 Beautiful Boy $587,016 -60% 558 -218 $1,052 $6,406,020 6 Amazon
7 Free Solo $491,825 -35% 187 -79 $2,630 $8,960,308 8 National Geographic Entertainment
8 Smallfoot $457,000 -70% 493 -825 $927 $81,390,168 8 Warner Bros.
9 The Old Man & The Gun $160,000 -65% 171 -224 $936 $10,610,793 8 Fox Searchlight
10 Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween $135,000 -85% 307 -1212 $440 $46,364,127 6 Sony
11 Incredibles 2 $93,000 -24% 130 -10 $715 $608,413,195 23 Disney
12 Hunter Killer $75,000 -90% 194 -763 $387 $15,639,791 4 Lionsgate / Summit
13 A Simple Favor $30,000 -57% 101 -26 $297 $53,526,171 10 Lionsgate

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Green Book $313,000 25 $12,520 $313,000 1 Universal Pictures
2 Mid90s $125,000 -69% 84 -256 $1,488 $7,159,255 5 A24
3 Maria By Callas $110,507 13% 29 3 $3,811 $484,009 3 Sony Pictures Classics
4 Suspiria $93,950 -74% 53 -208 $1,773 $2,234,331 4 Amazon Studios
5 At Eternity’s Gate $92,000 4 $23,000 $92,000 1 CBS Films
6 The Front Runner $72,000 40% 22 18 $3,273 $163,169 2 Sony / Columbia
7 Burning $65,000 -15% 25 -2 $2,600 $299,639 4 Well Go USA Entertainment
8 A Cool Fish $65,000 15 $4,333 $65,000 1 China Lion Film
9 Border $55,001 14% 30 14 $1,833 $339,169 4 Neon
10 Colette $51,522 -43% 86 5 $599 $5,070,062 9 Bleecker Street
11 Last Letter $37,000 -54% 23 5 $1,609 $155,025 2 China Lion Film
12 Disney’s Christopher Robin $34,000 -48% 92 -30 $370 $99,172,899 16 Disney
13 The Wife $18,103 -40% 25 -10 $724 $7,773,121 14 Sony Pictures Classics
14 What They Had $10,326 -72% 24 -29 $430 $254,228 5 Bleecker Street
15 Bodied $1,277 -96% 3 -14 $426 $112,734 3

News Stories