\u201cFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them\u201d dominated the weekend box office, debuting to a boisterous $75 million and launching a new cinematic franchise.<\/span><\/p>\n It confirms Warner Bros.\u2019 high hopes for the property and its decision to back five installments in the fantasy series. \u201cFantastic Beasts\u201d is a spinoff of the Harry Potter films, but instead of Hogwarts, it unfolds in 1920s New York City and features an entirely new cast of wizards and mythical creatures.<\/span><\/p>\n The studio spent $180 million to make the picture, enlisting Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling to write the screenplay and bringing back David Yates, the director of several previous boy wizard outings. Eddie Redmayne stars as Newt Scamander, a textbook writer and collector of the titular beasts.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is dead on what we were looking for,\u201d said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros. \u201cJo Rowling brilliantly told a story that inspired her fanbase to come out in a big way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It was a softer opening than any of the previous Potter films, but Warner Bros. argues that comparisons aren\u2019t fair. Those movies were based on global best-sellers, whereas \u201cFantastic Beasts\u201d is largely an original work.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not the same,\u201d said Goldstein. \u201cIt\u2019s apples and kumquats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Audiences may have embraced the return to Potter-dom, but they gave the cold shoulder to several new films, among them the boxing drama \u201cBleed for This\u201d and the Iraq War drama \u201cBilly Lynn\u2019s Long Halftime Walk.\u201d Both pictures bombed, with \u201cBleed for This\u201d eking out $2.4 million and \u201cBilly Lynn\u2019s\u201d mustering $930,000 after expanding from four to 1,176 theaters. It has earned $1.1 million since opening in limited release a week ago, a disastrous result for a film that was expected to be a major Oscar contender.<\/span><\/p>\n Open Road is distributing \u201cBleed for This,\u201d which chronicles Vinny Pazienza\u2019s efforts to get back into the ring after a car accident. It has a $6 million budget, which cushions the box office blow.<\/span><\/p>\n Sony is backing \u201cBilly Lynn\u2019s\u201d along with Bona Film Group, Film4, and Studio 8. The $40 million is a technological gamble. Ang Lee shot the picture so it could be exhibited at 120 frames per second in 3D at 4K HD resolution in order to achieve greater clarity and realism. Critics have been divided about the look of the picture, with some faulting it for looking too much like a telenovela. It\u2019s something of a moot point, as only a handful of theaters have the ability to exhibit the film at the higher speeds.<\/span><\/p>\n STX\u2019s \u201cEdge of Seventeen\u201d didn\u2019t fare much better than the other struggling new releases. The teen dramedy with Hailee Steinfeld only managed to pull in $4.8 million for a seventh place finish. Heading into the weekend, it was expected to gross $10 million. The film is one of the year\u2019s best-reviewed comedies. It centers on a high school girl grappling with the fact that her best friend is dating her brother. \u201cEdge of Seventeen\u201d cost $9 million to make, and was positioned as counter-programming for women between the ages of 17 and 39.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wish to god it had started better,\u201d said Adam Fogelson, STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group chairman. \u201cWe hope that the love the critics have shown for it, and that audiences have for it, leads to it being seen now and going forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The failures of \u201cEdge of Seventeen,\u201d \u201cBleed for This,\u201d and \u201cBilly Lynn\u2019s\u201d are signs of the difficulties that adult dramas and comedies face when they compete against big franchise films.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA lot of these great little films are going the way of Netflix,\u201d said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. \u201cThe audience is not there anymore and they\u2019re withering on the vine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Second place went to Marvel\u2019s \u201cDoctor Strange,\u201d which brought in $17.5 million to push its domestic gross to $181.5 million after three weeks in theaters. DreamWorks Animation\u2019s \u201cTrolls\u201d took third, earning $17.5 million to bring its haul to $116.2 million.<\/span><\/p>\n Paramount\u2019s \u201cArrival,\u201d a science-fiction thriller with Amy Adams, nabbed fourth place, picking up $11.8 million to bring its stateside gross to $43.4 million. Universal\u2019s \u201cAlmost Christmas\u201d rounded out the top five, picking up $7 million to push its domestic total to $25.4 million.<\/span><\/p>\n In limited release, \u201cManchester by the Sea\u201d capitalized on glowing reviews and Oscar heat to open to $241,230 with a robust $60,308 per-screen average. Amazon bought the film out of Sundance for $10 million and is releasing it in conjunction with Roadside Attractions. Casey Affleck stars as a janitor trying to come to terms with a personal tragedy.<\/span><\/p>\n Focus Features also debuted \u201cNocturnal Animals,\u201d Tom Ford\u2019s noir-ish thriller, in 37 theaters where it made $493,000.<\/span><\/p>\n Weekend ticket sales were down more than 10% year-over-year, owing to a difficult comparison to \u201cThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay \u2013 Part 2,\u201d which opened to $102.7 million during the same period in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n Many analysts expect a rebound. Next week brings the Thanksgiving holiday, which is traditionally one of the busiest periods for movie-going, and Disney is debuting \u201cMoana.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe can handle one down weekend,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore. \u201cNext week could be one of the biggest Thanksgivings ever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Source:\u00a0http:\/\/variety.com\/2016\/film\/box-office\/box-office-fantastic-beasts-jk-rowling-1201923041\/<\/span><\/p>\n