Weekend Box Office Report: November 16-18, 2018

Grindelwald beats Grinch!

Magizoologist Newt Scamander returned to theaters this weekend and put FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD in first place with an estimated opening of $62.2 million!

The new spinoff sequel not only came up short of the $74.4 million start of FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (on this same weekend in 2016), but also had the lowest opening of any movie in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter / "Wizarding World" series.

The follow-up with wand-waving Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law against villain Johnny Depp conjured an additional $191 million from international audiences for a $253.2 million global weekend.

Directed by Wizarding World regular David Yates, the PG-13 fantasy adventure (also featuring Ezra Miller, Katherine Waterston and Zoe Kravitz in its expansive cast) had a reported cost of $200 million.

The cinematic sorcery didn't put a powerful spell on critics, who gave the movie a 40% average on Rotten Tomatoes. Summon the JoBlo review right HERE.

Crabby Christmas criminal THE GRINCH crept down to second place with $38.1 million, a drop of 43% from the green grouch's first-place opening last weekend.

Whoville's holiday thief has a ten-day domestic total of $126.5 million, and the Benedict Cumberbatch-voiced Dr. Seuss creation has a worldwide total of $151.7 million (the Illumination animation cost a reported $75 million).

Fist-pumping music drama BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY was still singing strong in third place $15.7 million on its third weekend in theaters.

Led by Rami Malek as frontman Freddie Mercury, the PG-13 biopic of rock band Queen has a domestic total of $127.8 million (making it the second-biggest biopic behind STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON's $161 million total), and has scored $384.3 million worldwide on a reported $52 million cost.

In fourth place was the new PG-13 comedy INSTANT FAMILY with an opening of $14.7 million.

For star Mark Wahlberg, it's a better start than the $13.7 million of his last action movie MILE 22, but only a fraction of the openings for DADDY'S HOME ($29.6 million) and DADDY'S HOME 2 ($38.7 million), both also from INSTANT FAMILY director Sean Anders.

The feel-good feature, with Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as a married couple adopting a trio of foster children, came with a reported cost of $48 million.

Most critics were charmed by the chaos of sudden parenthood, giving the movie an 81% average on Rotten Tomatoes.

Even with a long list of familiar faces (including Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya and Jon Bernthal), the new drama WIDOWS had to settle for opening in fifth place with $12.3 million.

The R-rated thriller, from Oscar-winning 12 YEARS A SLAVE director Steve McQueen and GONE GIRL writer Gillian Flynn, cost a reported $42 million.

Most critics were fascinated by the heist plans of the titular wives, giving the movie an average of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes (you can find the JoBlo review HERE).

In sixth place was Disney's Christmas fairy tale THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS with $4.6 million. On its third weekend, the $120 million live-action fairy tale has a domestic total of $43.8 million, and $116.2 million worldwide.

The remake of musical romance A STAR IS BORN was in seventh place with $4.3 million, bringing the R-rated Bradley Cooper / Lady Gaga drama to a domestic total of $185.8 million and a worldwide total of $340.7 million (on a reported $36 million cost).

Falling to eighth place was the R-rated WWII action-thriller OVERLORD with $3.8 million, a gash of 62% from its opening last week. The $38 million J.J. Abrams production, with Wyatt Russell fighting Nazi horrors, has a ten-day domestic total of $17.7 million and a worldwide total of $32.7 million.

In ninth place was the thriller THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB with $2.5 million, hacked by 68% from last weekend's opening. The latest R-rated exploits of Lisbeth "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Salander (now played by Claire Foy) have a ten-day domestic total of $13.2 million and $26.5 million worldwide, on a reported cost of $43 million.

Closing out the list was writer-director Tyler Perry's R-rated comedy NOBODY'S FOOL with $2.2 million. The $19 million Tiffany Haddish headliner has a domestic total of $28.8 million on its third weekend.

Outside the chart, comic book movie VENOM  jumped into the shadows but not before Tom Hardy's violent vigilante made it to $780 million worldwide, reaching past the global totals of Marvel adaptations GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ($773 million), THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ($757 million), X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST ($747 million), DEADPOOL 2 ($734 million) and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER ($714 million).

The horror sequel HALLOWEEN also departed the list to lurk in the darkness, taking acclaimed teen drama THE HATE U GIVE along with it.

In limited release, the Viggo Mortensen / Mahershala Ali period drama GREEN BOOK drove into 25 theaters for $312k, a mediocre per-screen average of $12k before it expands next week.

Critics thought the fact-based PG-13 road trip was mostly enjoyable, giving it an average of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes (head on over to the JoBlo review HERE).

Next week's Thanksgiving feast includes Michael B. Jordan punching it up again in the Rocky sequel CREED 2, Taron Egerton stealing from the rich in the latest version of ROBIN HOOD, and Disney's animated videogame wrecker heading online in the sequel RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (all opening Wednesday).

What is your favorite movie in the Harry Potter "Wizarding World" series? VOTE HERE!