'Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald' Tracking for $63M-$75M U.S. Launch

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Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne's comedy 'Instant Family' and Steve McQueen's heist pic 'Widows' also came on tracking Thursday.


Early forecasts for J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald are in.


With three weeks left to go before the sequel opens Nov. 16, tracking services show the pre-Thanksgiving event film debuting in the $63 million-$75 million range in North America. Warners has yet to make its final marketing push, so those projections could easily increase.


In November 2016, the original Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opened to $74.4 million domestically on its way to grossing $234 million domestically and $814 million globally.


Eddie Redmayne returns in the title role as Newt Scamander, while Jude Law makes his debut in the Harry Potter spinoff franchise as a young Albus Dumbledore.


Additionally, Johnny Depp returns to play Gellert Grindelwald. The star's personal life, including allegations of domestic violence, led to his continuation with the franchise becoming so controversial that Rowling issued a statement in December defending his ongoing involvement.


Not surprisingly, tracking is far more modest for Paramount's comedy Instant Family, starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, and Fox's Steve McQueen heist pic Widows, both of which are also set to debut Nov. 16 in advance of the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday corridor. Early forecasts for both films are bows in the $10 million-$17 million range.