Friday box office: “Fantastic Beasts” did almost $30 million last night. The David Yates- JK Rowling spectacle is heading to a $75-$80 mil weekend. They’ve got another $53 mil overseas. Today– Saturday– could surprise everyone as kids could pump up the receipts even more.
Elsewhere things are not so great. Tom Cruise’s “Jack Reacher 2” made just $276,000 last night after a month in release. The sequel to “Jack Reacher” is now at $56 million. A $60 million total seems unlikely. This will be Cruise’s lowest US total for a film since “Lions for Lambs” ($15 mil, 2007), “Rock of Ages” ($38 mil, 2012) or — for a film in which he is the star–“Eyes Wide Shut” ($55 mil, 1999). “Never Go Back” has not had much luck abroad, either.
The other Tom, Tom Hanks, also has a disaster in “Inferno”– just $32 million US. At least they made over $171 million internationally. So Sony has $200 million in the bank all told. Complete disaster averted. Now Sony has to deal with “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” which has made $12 mil in China, but doesn’t look promising here. I wonder why the Chinese are interested in this very American movie? It must be the technology aspect of it– filmed in 3D, 4K, whatever. Good marketing in China if so.
