Xuenou > Movies > The Secrets of Dumbledore’s box office hasn’t killed Fantastic Beasts – yet
The Secrets of Dumbledore’s box office hasn’t killed Fantastic Beasts – yet
Despite the travails of Johnny Depp and JK Rowling, the third Harry Potter spin-off isn't quite the flop we were expecting

Warner Bros always knew it had a battle on its hands at UK and Ireland cinemas with its third Fantastic Beasts film, The Secrets of Dumbledore. After all, the first film in the magizoologist series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, grossed a very spiffy £54.7m in its home market, but follow-up The Crimes of Grindelwald suffered a big drop: £34m. The pressure was on to reverse this precipitous slide.

After two weekends of release, it looks like The Secrets of Dumbledore is not set to herald a box office recovery for the franchise in UK and Ireland: the film stands at £12.7m after 10 days of play, a period that coincided with the Easter school holiday. That number compares with £22m for The Crimes of Grindelwald at the same stage of its run, and £30.1m after 10 days of play for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The reasons for the drop will be contested. Warner Bros UK will point to the warm spring sunshine that dampened cinemagoing over the Easter holiday weekend. Some may reckon that the controversy surrounding JK Rowling’s gender views has especially impacted the generation that grew up reading her books, and ditto Johnny Depp’s lost UK libel case over accusations of domestic violence. (The actor has been replaced in his role by Mads Mikkelsen in the latest film.)

However, was it ever reasonable to expect the Fantastic Beasts films to perform at the level of the eight Harry Potter movies (which ranged between £46m and £73m at UK and Ireland cinemas)? Those were all based on inpidual bestsellers, and fans were invested in seeing how treasured moments played out on the big screen. 

The Fantastic Beasts series is inspired by a slender guide book to the magical creatures of Rowling’s wizarding universe, and relies on an original story arc and characters with little pre-existing audience investment. Telling fans that they should buckle up for five of these films, before audiences had seen any of them, may be considered presumptuous over-reach.

Brad Pitt, Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock in The Lost CityCredit: Paramount

Indian hits

For the second time in a month, an Indian film has scored big numbers globally, with K.G.F.: Chapter 2 following in the footsteps of recent hit RRR. The gangster action film – which is set in the Kolar Gold Fields of Karnakata state, India, and is a sequel to 2018’s K.G.F.: Chapter 1 – grossed $72m at the weekend (mostly from India), and was second only to The Secrets of Dumbledore at the global box office. In the UK and Ireland, Hindi and Kannada-language versions have generated £612,000 in box office, including previews. Fellow Indian film Beast has debuted in the UK and Ireland with £506,000 including previews. RRR has racked up just over £1m in UK and Ireland since its late-March release.

UK and Ireland box office

Top 10 Films April 15-17

  • The Lost City, £2.74m from 617 sites (new)
  • Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, £2.64m from 727 sites. Total: £12.7m (2 weeks)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2, £2.05m from 677 sites. Total: £16.4m (3 weeks)
  • The Northman, £898,000 from 528 sites (new)
  • Operation Mincemeat, £895,000 from 621 sites (new)
  • The Bad Guys, £807,000 from 654 sites. Total: £7.59m (3 weeks)
  • K.G.F.: Chapter 2, £612,000 from 171 sites (new)
  • Beast, £506,000 from 153 sites (new)
  • The Batman, £319,000 from 373 sites. Total: £40.1m (7 weeks)
  • Morbius, £248,000 from 418 sites. Total: £5.89m (3 weeks)

Thanks to Comscore; @cSMoviesUK