‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ box office hit $6M yesterday

Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore whirled up $6M in Thursday previews that started at 2PM at 3,350 venues.

The David Yates directed J.K. Rowling co-scripted movie is expected to make between $45M-$50M over the Easter holiday weekend stateside; 73% of all K-12 schools off today according to Comscore. Dumbledore is also expanding into 44 more offshore markets including France, Italy and Korea and looks to make at least $40M+ abroad, bringing the threequel’s global take to $157M. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave Dumbledore a 51% Rotten rating which is an improvement on part 2’s 36% Rotten but still off the first movie’s 74% fresh.

That figure is under the preview grosses of the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016 which made $8.75M (before a $29.66M first Friday and $74.4M opening) and its 2018 sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald which did $7.3M in its Thursday alone (not counting the sequel’s earlier week $1.8M previews). Grindelwald posted a $25.4M Friday, $62.1M 3-day. At the same time in regards to pure Thursday previews, Dumbledore is ahead of the $5M made by Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 last Thursday.

The other wide release this weekend is Sony’s Mark Wahlberg priest drama, Father Stu, which did an estimated $765K yesterday at 2,705 theaters, -51% from its $1.55M Wednesday (which included previews), ranking 5th for the day. Outlook this weekend for the R-rated film which is 45% Rotten is between $7M-$10M.

Among films already in release, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ends its first week with an estimated $89.6M at 4,234 locations, 12% ahead of its 2020 first installment’s first week. Yesterday rang up $4.4M, +22% over Wednesday.

Sigaram Cinema’s K.F.G. Chapter 2 from filmmaker Prashanth Neel racked up an estimated $1.4M on Thursday at 510 locations. Logline: In the blood-soaked Kolar Gold Fields, Rocky’s name strikes fear into his foes. While his allies look up to him, the government sees him as a threat to law and order. Rocky must battle threats from all sides for unchallenged supremacy.

Paramount’s The Lost City, booked at 3,797, saw an estimated $907K yesterday, +22% over Wednesday, in 3rd for a running total through week 3 of $72M.

Sony’s Morbius earned $808K at 4,268 sites, +8% over Wednesday for a running total through week 2 of $60.4M.

A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once at 1,250 locations made $751K, +4% over Wednesday, for a running three week total of $11.4M.

Universal/Endeavor Content’s Ambulance ended its first week with $11.6M at 3,412 after a $638K Thursday, +1% from Wednesday.