Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has earned the lowest box office weekend in Harry Potter history.
The film, starring Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen, landed in cinemas on Friday, 8 April. The film has received generally negative reviews from critics and has earned a shocking 49 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the US, the movie made a mere $43 million at box office on opening weekend. Deadline reports that Secrets of Dumbledore is down 38 per cent on its predecessor The Crimes of Grindelwald and 42 per cent on the first film in the series.
In comparison, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two raked in over $125 million and The Prisoner of Azkaban brought in over $93 million on their opening weekends in the US.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore faced multiple issues during production. Due to the spread of COVID, the movie faced multiple delays and the studios had the task of recasting Grindelwald.
Johnny Depp was asked to step down from the franchise after losing his high court battle against The Sun. Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen took on the role of Grindelwald after a two-day decision.
Depp losing his role as Grindelwald may be of the reasons why the film is underperforming, as fans show their support for the actor. The controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling’s comments against the transgender community could also be a contributing factor.
The film is not being shown in Russia or parts of China, due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine which has stopped Hollywood movies being shown in Russia. Parts of China are also under strict lockdown due to the COVID pandemic, preventing audiences from getting out to see the movie.
Despite the failure for the franchise, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is currently the highest grossing film in the US.
Will there be any more Fantastic Beasts films?
The franchise is currently signed on for two more films, but there are no details for the fourth movie as of yet.
