Fantastic Beasts is a hit, and a critic's darling for Warner Bros

Los Angeles

WARNER Bros and JK Rowling pulled off an exceptionally difficult magic trick over the weekend. Not only did they bring the Harry Potter film franchise back to life, they also did it without Harry Potter.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a movie burdened with laying the foundation for four planned sequels, as well as strengthening the entire Harry Potter business empire, arrived to a solid US$75 million in ticket sales in North America.