"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is the much-awaited J.K. Rowling-penned flick and during the first few days of its release, it was not so evident that many people went out to watch the new movie. "Fantastic Beasts" topped the domestic box office with $75 million in sales but this is said to be the lowest number recorded when it comes to "Harry Potter" flicks.
The news comes after five years since the premiere of "The Deathly Hallows - Part 2" and almost two decades since the release of the first ever "Harry Potter" flick in the eight-part franchise. According to Entertainment Tonight, although the $75 million mark is great especially for the stars of the show such as Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, and Ezra Miller, it does not measure up to the standards of the past "Harry Potter" films considering that "Fantastic Beasts" is a spinoff.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" had a $180 million budget and on top of the $75 million domestic earnings over the weekend in the United States alone, the movie also earned a total of $143.3 million internationally. That makes the total earning of "Fantastic Beasts" to $218.3 million.
In a report by Variety, adults comprised the bulk audience for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" possibly being the reason for the low income. Accordingly, 65 percent were made up by people over 25 years of age. Fifty-one percent of the moviegoers also cited that they want to see "Fantastic Beasts" because it has a connection to Harry Potter.
Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros., said in a statement that they are hoping more young people will see "Fantastic Beasts" since next week schools will be letting them out for Thanksgiving.
As for the other flicks out now in cinemas, "Doctor Strange" came it at number 2. "Trolls" is at the third spot, "Arrival" has dipped to number 4 and "Almost Christmas" rounds out the top five.
Have you seen "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"? Do you think the flick will get more younger audiences? Let us know what you think below!
