December 12, 2016 - 11:18 AMT
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” tops foreign box office

With the movie-going world holding its collective breath for “Rogue One,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” took advantage of the last “Star Wars”-less weekend for awhile to top the foreign box office, Variety said.

The fantasy adventure earned $33.1 million internationally on approximately 14,200 screens in 67 markets, pushing its global gross to $680 million. “Fantastic Beasts” is a spinoff of the Harry Potter series. Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, hopes there will be at least four sequels.

In second place, Disney’s “Moana” grossed $23.5 million. The animated fantasy is now screening in more than half of all foreign territories, and added Israel and Lebanon to its array of markets. “Moana,” the story of a princess who embarks on an oceanic journey to lift a curse, has made $238.8 million globally.

World War II drama “Hacksaw Ridge” nabbed third place, earning $15 million. The Mel Gibson film has grossed $98.1 million globally.

“Your Name,” a Japanese anime smash, grabbed fourth place with $14.7 million, while Clint Eastwood’s “Sully” rounded out the top five with $13.6 million. The drama about the investigation into Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River has grossed $218.7 million worldwide.

Universal and Illumination’s “Sing” doesn’t hit the U.S. for two weeks, but the animated musical got a head start on its rollout, opening to $9.6 million in 12 territories. The studio wanted to capitalize on early school vacations and public holidays in markets like Austria and Germany. “Sing” is expected to be one of the major hits of the Christmas season.

Next weekend, “Rogue One” opens in nearly every major market except China and South Korea.

Photo: EW