This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah fans of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world came out in force for this weekend's release of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" — and a Utah theater chain reaped the benefits.
Officials of the Megaplex Theatres chain reported Monday that the Megaplex at Jordan Commons in Sandy ranked first among theaters nationwide for drawing audiences for the movie's opening weekend.
The Megaplex at The District, in South Jordan, ranked fifth nationwide. The Megaplex locations at Geneva (in Utah County), Thanksgiving Point (Lehi), Gateway (downtown Salt Lake City) and Legacy Crossing (Centerville) all placed in the top 100.
The Jordan Commons location, which opened in 1999, placed No. 1 nationally for each of the eight "Harry Potter" films.
The Megaplex chain is part of the Larry H. Miller Group, which also owns the Utah Jazz, the Vivint Smart Home Arena, the Salt Lake Bees, the Tour of Utah bike race, a string of auto dealerships, the Fanzz sports-apparel store chain, various real estate ventures and other companies.