'Fantastic Beasts' sequel casts spell over U.S. weekend box office

Reuters - "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" worked its magic at the top of the box office with an opening U.S. domestic take of $62 million for the weekend ending November 18, according to boxofficemojo.com. The film, which sees Eddie Redmayne return as Newt Scamander alongside Jude Law as Dumbledore and Johnny Depp as titular villain Grindelwald, is the sequel to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." That film opened with ticket sales of $74 million on the same weekend in 2016. In the second place, the festive family film "The Grinch" drew in $38.2 million, as it started its second week in theatres across the United States. Champions no more, ticket sales for "Bohemian Rhapsody" dropped down 49%, according to boxofficemojo.com, with the highly anticipated Queen biopic bringing an estimated $15.7 million to settle for third place. The week's other wide releases, adoption comedy and Mark Wahlberg vehicle "Instant Family" and heist movie awards-tipped "Widows," that boasts an impressive ensemble cast headed by Viola Davis, brought in $14.7 million and 12.3 million to take fourth and fifth places respectively over the pre-Thanksgiving weekend.