The Crimes of Grindelwald expected to conjure $65-75 million opening weekend

October 26th 2018, 10:13am

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Before Marvel movies started making bank and the Star Wars movies were given new life, the HARRY POTTER franchise had managed to become the highest-grossing series at the box office after the final film came out in 2011. Fans still love the Wizarding series, and even the first spinoff, FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, made serious gold in 2016. Now the latest movie, FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD will keep Warner Bros. smiling all the way to Gringotts with early tracking pointing to a $65-75 million opening weekend.

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The numbers come from a recent report from Variety and a previous estimation by BoxOffice Pro, both predicting the movie will open at $65 million and $75 million, respectively. This total is about in line with what the first FANTASTIC BEASTS was able to bring in during the pre-holiday weekend back in November 2016 ($74 million). It then went on to make $234 million domestically and $814 million worldwide, which is fantastic for a spinoff with none of the original HP characters making an appearance, and enough to fill a big vault with its own security dragon.

While that movie started off an original story set back in the Wizarding World of the 1920s, this one takes those characters (played by Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and more) and begins to mix them with characters more familiar to the original HP series, like Albus Dumbledore, played by Jude Law. This makes the link to the earlier movies clearer, which is getting fans excited about the expansion of the universe. GRINDELWALD should play well that first weekend against WIDOWS and INSTANT FAMILY, all before movies like CREED II, RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET and ROBIN HOOD follow that next week.

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Now it's still up in the air how well the movie will do in the long run, but it should have no problem cracking $200 million by the end of its run. Reviews should have a big impact on the movie's longevity, but already the trailers have showcased a more thrilling and expansive experience, promising to take the new story in a bold direction.

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIME OF GRINDELWALD hits theaters November 16.