‘Fantastic Beasts’ Sees Powerful Chinese Opening Day

Warner Bros. reports that early results show that “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” has grossed a strong $11.2 million on opening day in China. The Harry Potter follow-up grabbed 64% of the box office of the top five movies and quintupled the takings of Disney’s “Moana.”

Local box office tracking service EntGroup reported the figure as $10.01 million, or $10.4 million including previews. CBO reported the figures as RMB72.6 million or $10.5 million, and RMB75.1 million or $10.9 million including previews.

“Fantastic Beasts” remains the No. 1 film internationally in its second week, with a total $170.7 million so far. The fantasy is expected to cross $200 million overseas by Saturday. In the U.K., the Eddie Redmayne starrer is up to $23.1 million, followed by Korea at $16.3 million and Germany, Russia and France all topping $11 million.

Japan, a strong market for anything Potter-related, also opened on Wednesday, but grosses have not yet been reported. In the U.S., the J.K. Rowling adaptation has topped $110 million for its first seven days and should finish the weekend at around $155 million.

The “Fantastic Beasts” number should help propel it to a meaty box office in China, but it’s far from a record. “Jason Bourne” saw a $12.3 million opening day over the summer, while local blockbuster “Warcraft” opened to a whopping $45.8 million in just one day.

Source: variety.com