Could “Fantastic Beasts” beats “Moana”?

Could Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them edge out Moana this weekend?

Looking at the numbers for Wednesday, Fantastic Beasts grossed just $42,772 less than Moana.

Given the weak slate of new releases this weekend, do you think there is a chance Fantastic Beasts could reclaim the #1 spot from Moana?

I get that Moana is more directly a family film so it will perform weaker on weekdays while school is in session than a movie appealing to a wider audience but – at the very least – I think this weekend is going to be much closer than people were expecting a couple weeks ago.

My buddy thinks it’s unlikely.

She thinks Moana will probably go the “Frozen”-like trajectory with a 50-55% decrease and Fantastic Beasts will likely go the “Hunger Games”-like trajectory and go down 58-62%. The post-Thanksgiving weekend is almost always a really down weekend.

Well … Let’s have have a look what made up the “Fantastic Beasts” ?

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

PG-13

2016 ‧ Fantasy/Action ‧ 2h 13m

Play trailer on YouTube

7.8/10IMDb
75%Rotten Tomatoes
66% Metacritic

The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Release date: November 18, 2016 (USA)

Director: David Yates

Film series: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Film Series

Box office: 281.8 million USD

Music composed by: James Newton Howard

Critic reviews

Fancy phony special effects aren’t enough to make a fantasy flick click.Full review

Joe Dziemianowicz
New York Daily News

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a solid Harry Potter series movie but often prioritizes setup over memorable drama or spellbinding action. Full review

Ben Kendrick
Screen Rant

“Fantastic Beasts” does double-duty as yet another imagination-tickling fantasy adventure and a deeply troubled commentary on tolerance, fear, and bigotry in the world today. Full review

Peter Debruge
Variety

With the debut of this new character, Redmayne has a tall order: make himself not just lovable, in two hours, but indispensible. There are already four “Beasts” sequels planned. Full review

Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post

Cast

Ezra Miller, Katherine Waterston, Faith Wood-Blagrove, Eddie Redmayne, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Carmen Ejogo, Ron Perlman and John Voight

Director David Yates and the cast of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International.

- Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander: an eccentric, introverted wizard, magizoologist and an employee at the Ministry of Magic. Scamander is the future author of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry standard textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

- Katherine Waterston as Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein: a grounded, down-to-earth witch and a former Auror employed by the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA). She longs to fight for what is right, but was demoted to a position well below her skill level.

- Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski: a genial No-Maj cannery worker and aspiring baker who is accidentally exposed to the New York City magical community after meeting Newt.^[8]

- Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein: Porpentina’s younger sister and roommate, described as a bombshell, free-spirited, and big-hearted, and is accomplished in Legilimency.

- Colin Farrell as Percival Graves: a high-ranking Auror and Director of Magical Security for MACUSA. He is charged with the protection of wizards and assigned to track down Newt.

- Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina Picquery: the President of MACUSA.

- Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone: Mary Lou’s troubled and mysterious adopted son.

- Samantha Morton as Mary Lou Barebone:^[15] a narrow-minded No-Maj and the sinister leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society (the NSPS, or “The Second-Salemers”), an extremist group whose goals include exposing and killing wizards and witches.

- Ron Perlman as Gnarlack: a goblin gangster who owns a speakeasy nightclub called The Blind Pig.

- Jon Voight as Henry Shaw Sr.: the father of U.S. senator Henry Shaw Jr. and Langdon Shaw.

- Josh Cowdery as Henry Shaw Jr.: a U.S. senator who holds a rally picketed by the New Salem Philanthropic Society.

- Ronan Raftery as Langdon Shaw: the youngest of Henry Shaw Sr.’s sons, who begins to believe in magic.

- Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty Barebone: a haunted young girl and the youngest of Mary Lou’s adopted children.

- Jenn Murray as Chastity Barebone: the eldest of Mary Lou’s adopted children

- Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald: one of the most dangerous dark wizards of all time.

- Zoë Kravitz as Leta Lestrange: Newt’s former love while the two attended Hogwarts. Leta betrayed his trust, leaving him bitter, but he still carries her picture.