Friday Estimates: Grindelwald Comes in First, but Doesn’t have a Fantastic Friday
November 17, 2018
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opened in first place with $25.7 million on Friday. The film actually had better previews than Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but its Friday was 13% below its predecessor. This is a bad sign for its legs. Additionally, its reviews fell to just 40% positive, while it only managed a B plus from CinemaScore. On the positive side, the film is doing much better internationally and the film already has $74.3 million in just two days of international release. It will break even on just its international numbers, but the film’s poor reception with critics and moviegoers could hurt the rest of the installments in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Dr Seuss’ The Grinch fell 52% from its opening Friday earning $8.91 million putting it on pace to match our $37 million prediction, and perhaps a couple million dollars more. By the time you read this, the film will have already crossed $100 million domestically and the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend is almost upon us.
Instant Family opened in third place, but it is not going to stay there for long. It managed $4.5 million on Friday, putting it mere percentage points above Bohemian Rhapsody’s Friday number. Its reviews have improved and it earned an A from CinemaScore, so should have long legs. That said, it is not going to match our $19 million prediction. Getting to $13 million might be asking too much.
Bohemian Rhapsody was right behind with $4.25 million on Friday, putting it on pace for just over $15 million over the weekend. The film is very likely already profitable, so Fox’s share of the box office is pure profit at this point.
Widows also missed expectations a little bit with $4.2 million putting it on pace for $12 million over the weekend. Its reviews are the best of the weekend and nearly award-worthy; however, it only managed a B from CinemaScore, which could kill its word-of-mouth.
On the limited release front, Green Book only managed $93,000 in 25 theaters during its opening day, which is not enough to warrant a wide expansion next weekend.
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Comparisons
- Instant Family Comparisons
- Widows Comparisons
Filed under: Friday Estimates, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, Widows, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Bohemian Rhapsody, Instant Family, Green Book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them