Editorial

The Bottom Line: November 16, 2018: A HARRY POTTER Story: Part 2 vs. WIDOWS

Eddie Redmayne Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

The Bottom Line November 16, 2018

Quick Takes

The Grinch was the holiday film that movie-goers were waiting for last weekend but will Christmas cheer ring twice this weekend.  The Grinch was the Number One at the box office during the previous weekend, defeating Bohemian Rhapsody.

Box Office Top Five

The Grinch premiered in the Number One spot at the box office last weekend with $66 Million. Bohemian Rhapsody was Second with $30.8 Million for $100 Million. Worldwide, Bohemian Rhapsody has made over $285.2 Million. Overlord premiered in Third Place with $10.1 Million. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms was Fourth with $9.5 Million. The Girl in the Spider’s Web premiered in Fifth Place with $8 Million.

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A Closer Look at Some of this Week’s Films

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (PG-13) 124 mins.

A Harry Potter Story: Part 2 a.k.a. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will be a tough film to beat this weekend, especially with the legions of Harry Potter fans (books and films) that this film will drag into theater seats. The film also has a returning all star cast as well as newcomers (A-list actors and the characters they will portray) for this second installment.

Instant Family (NA) 116 mins.

Instant Family looks like a disposable, assembly line, Hollywood comedy that checks all of the perquisite boxes. I am not saying that the film does not look funny or does not have a gimmick. It does. As I said, the necessary boxes have been checked. What I am saying is that the film does not seem to possess anything that sets it apart.

Green Book (PG-13) 120 mins.

Green Book looks like it is a good drama during a time period of racial tensions in America. Both lead performances seem top notch with a story that contains two people, from two vastly different backgrounds learning from each other as they travel together, a reinvention of Driving Miss Daisy.

Widows (R) 128 mins.

Widows looks like the best pure action release of the weekend. The film looks like a good mix of tragedy, resilience, drama, and suspense. FilmBook writer Deyan Angelov reviewed Widows and had this to say about the film:

McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave reduced the audience at the 2013 London Film Festival to sobs and tears. Five years later, at the same event, when Widows ended and the lights went up, viewers walking out of the theater were discussing how cute and cuddly the white dog of the Veronica character was. They obviously had fun but McQueen can do so much better. His films were special because they aimed for the unfamiliar and the bold and went to places that others didn’t even want to approach. Too much of Widows is familiar and convenient.

The Bottom Line

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will open this weekend in First Place. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has already performed very well at the Thursday night screenings for the film ($9.1 Million). The Grinch will be second this weekend. It’s getting close to the holidays and The Grinch is an animated kids film, constructed from classic story. Widows will premiere in Third Place. Many are going to want to see what a collaboration between Steve McQueen and Viola Davis produces on-screen in the action genre. Bohemian Rhapsody will be Fourth at the box office this weekend. Instant Family will premiere in Fifth Place.

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A Look Forward To:

Instant Family (Nov 21), Ralph Breaks the Internet (Nov 21), Anna and the Apocalypse (Nov 30), Mary Queen of Scots (Dec 7), Vox Lux (Dec 7).

Leave your thoughts on The Bottom Line November 16, 2018 for the films opening this weekend in movie theaters below in the comments section. Readers seeking more The Bottom Line can visit our The Bottom Line Page. Want up-to-the-minute notification? Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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