'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald' Box Office Tracking Proves Poor Reviews Won't Stop The Magic

Reviews for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald have been the worst in Harry Potter history, but that's not going to stop audiences from turning out. Early Crimes of Grindelwald box office tracking indicates the film is flying towards a $275 million global launch, which would put it well above the global opening weekend intake of the previous film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

According to Deadline, the latest entry in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World is headed towards an opening weekend between $253 million and $275 million globally. That's 15% higher than the global release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The first Fantastic Beasts had a low opening weekend domestically, but Warner Bros. cares more about the global haul, which is why they're opening Crimes of Grindelwald both domestically and globally on the same exact day.

Here's a breakdown of the total worldwide intake for every Harry Potter-related film to date, from highest to lowest (via BoxOfficeMojo):

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 $1,341.5Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone $974.8Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 $960.3Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $939.9Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $934.4Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire $896.9Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets $879.0Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them $814.1Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban $796.7Early reviews for Grindelwald have already come in, and the film sits at a Rotten 58% – making it the lowest-rated Potter-related film to date. And yet, this tracking proves that these films are essentially critic-proof. The fandom is too strong, and very devoted. No matter what, they're going to turn out opening weekend. The question is: will they stick around for multiple weekends, long enough to put Crimes of Grindelwald above the first Fantastic Beasts? Or will they drop off, and lead to a disappointment in Warner Bros.' eyes? Time will tell. Obviously, the studio has their fingers crossed for success, because they have three more of these movies planned.Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens this Friday, November 16, 2018, everywhere.

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans of raising pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided world.