JK Rowling's wizarding world replaced the sorcery of Doctor Strange at the US box office this weekend as Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them arrived around the world and topped the charts. The new movie, set years before Harry and co., earned $75 million in its first three days, according to studio estimates.
That doesn't exactly score it a place in the Potter pantheon, as it represents an opening below even the lowest of the original movies (Order Of The Phoenix), but it's not a bad start for what Warner Bros. hopes will be a franchise spanning five movies. And given its worldwide take so far – $218.3 million – it's doing well enough.
Doctor Strange fell just one place, continuing to earn for Marvel and Disney, and adding $17.6 million for $181.5 million in the States to date. Trolls slipped to third on $17.5 million. We'd expect that one to take a hit when Disney's Moana launches in the US this coming Thanksgiving week. Sci-fi gem Arrival was fourth on $11.8 million and family comedy drama Almost Christmas slipped to fifth with $7 million.
At sixth was Hacksaw Ridge, which made $6.7 million. New arrival The Edge Of Seventeen took in $4.8 million in seventh, launching ahead of fellow newbie Bleed For This, which made $2.3 million.
The Accountant fell to ninth, notching up $2.1 million, while thriller Shut In dropped three places to 10th and $1.6 million.