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Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore opened this weekend in the US, and it a broke a record–but not the record that Warner Bros. would have wanted. The film earned $43 million over its opening weekend in the US, which is the lowest of all time for any Harry Potter film.
The 2016 Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them made $74 million over its opening weekend in the US. The 2018 sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, earned $62 million for its opening weekend.
According to Deadline, there are “no immediate, concrete plans” for any further Harry Potter franchise content for film or TV. This is no surprise, as a previous report said a fourth Fantastic Beasts film (of five planned movies) was not a guarantee and would depend on how well The Secrets of Dumbledore performed at the box office.
Whether or not the slow start for The Secrets of Dumbledore is enough for Warner Bros. to put the film series on hiatus is unknown, though Deadline said there is currently no script for a fourth film. A Harry Potter spinoff series for HBO Max was also discussed as an idea, but it’s unknown if this is moving forward.
Box office comparisons are never perfect or complete, and that’s especially true given the impact of the pandemic. But still, looking at the wider Harry Potter universe, The Secrets of Dumbledore ranked lowest for its domestic opening weekend by far. You can see the full rankings below.
Globally, The Secrets of Dumbledore has made more than $190 million so far.
Unlike Crimes of Grindelwald, The Secrets of Dumbledore wraps up the story and doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, so if this indeed the end, fans won’t necessarily be left wanting more immediate answers.
GameSpot’s Secrets of Dumbledore review scored the film a 6/10. “Once upon a time, the Wizarding World was a crown jewel movie franchise that seemingly couldn’t be stopped. Those days are gone, though, and what we’re left with is a lackluster trilogy of films that pale in comparison to the original series,” reviewer Chris Hayner said.
While no further Harry Potter films or TV series may be happening anytime soon, a big open-world game called Hogwarts Legacy is due out this year on console and PC. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been criticized for her comments on trans issues in recent years. If you’d like to know more, read about why Rowling’s statements have been hurtful to the trans community.
Wizarding World US Box Office Opening Weekend
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) — $43 millionFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) — $62 millionFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) — $74 millionHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) — $77.1 millionHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) — $77.8 millionHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) — $88.4 millionHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) — $90 millionHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) — $93.7 millionHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) — $102.7 millionHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) — $125 millionHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) — $169 million
