![]() ![]() But the follow-up, “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” was dinged by negative reviews and stalled out with $650 million worldwide, a nearly 20% decline from the first film. “This is a confluence of events that does not bode well.”Īt the box office, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was commercially successful, grossing more than $800 million globally. “There have been franchises that have been hit with problems, but not like this,” said Stephen Galloway, the dean of the Chapman University film school. Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge called the latest entry a “vastly improved sequel,” but for the most part, “The Secrets of Dumbledore” hasn’t been particularly well received. It also involved relegating once-prominent characters, like Katherine Waterson’s Tina Goldstein, to the fringes in favor of elevating the screen time of Jude Law’s Dumbledore and Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald. That meant hiring screenwriter Steve Kloves, who penned seven “Harry Potter” movies, to co-write “Fantastic Beasts 3” with Rowling. ![]() and returning director David Yates took painstaking steps to retool the story and recapture the charm of the original saga. After frequent complaints from moviegoers about tangled plotting, an overabundance of characters and not enough meaningful connection to the deeply admired books, Warner Bros. In case those entanglements weren’t taxing enough, audiences don’t really seem to like the series. Pictures Group chairman, and Courtenay Valenti, president of production and development, manage the film franchise, so the spellbound property isn’t entirely in limbo. (Kevin Tsujihara was initially at the helm of everything Potter before he was ousted as chairman in 2019.) Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. And last week, WarnerMedia chairman Ann Sarnoff, who was responsible for overseeing the larger Harry Potter universe, was ushered out of the company ahead of its merger with Discovery. Rowling went from beloved author to deeply polarizing figure due to her controversial views on sex and gender identity. In that time, Johnny Depp, who portrayed the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the first two installments, was forced to exit the movies after losing a libel case against the British tabloid The Sun, which published an article calling the actor a “wife beater.” (He was replaced by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.)ĭuring the same period, “Harry Potter” creator J.K. initially postponed filming in 2019 to retool the third movie rather than churn out follow-ups on an assembly line. Given lackluster reception for 2018’s sequel “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” Warner Bros. Miller’s arrest, which took place nearly two years after footage surfaced of the actor appearing to choke a woman outside a bar in Iceland, adds to the troubles that have mounted since the third “Fantastic Beasts” was greenlit. But what happens when your Tiffany brand starts to rust? “This is supposed to be a crown jewel, and it’s not behaving like one.”įor Warner Bros., “Harry Potter” is one of the two flagship franchises (DC Comics is the other) intended to prop up the studio’s film strategy in an era where streaming services have fashioned themselves as major rivals to traditional players. You expect more,” says Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock, in reference to Disney’s premier franchise set in a galaxy far, far away. Rather than expanding the franchise’s relevance beyond Potter and his pals, “Fantastic Beasts” hasn’t managed to justify its existence without everyone’s favorite boy wizard. But through a combination of bad luck, casting choices gone wrong, creative shortfalls and diminishing box office returns, the prequel story - which is set decades prior to the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione - has become a headache for Warner Bros. It’s the latest in a long list of controversies plaguing “Fantastic Beasts.” The fantastical series was intended to wring newfound riches from author J.K Rowling’s sprawling Wizarding World after 2011’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” capped off a decade of generation-defining blockbusters that turned Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson into household names. Complicating matters is the fact that Miller also headlines next year’s DC Comics adaptation “The Flash” for Warners. to downplay Miller’s involvement in the film franchise. Instead, that incident and other eyebrow-raising events forced Warner Bros. In another timeline, Miller, known for striking red carpet outfits and zany interviews, would have been front and center to promote “The Secrets of Dumbledore,” which opens in North American theaters on April 15. A day prior to the glitzy world premiere of “ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” Ezra Miller, who has a key role in the upcoming “ Harry Potter” spinoff sequel, was arrested for disorderly conduct and harassment. ![]()
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