While the domestic box office shows signs of life after an era of COVID lockdowns, it seems that not every movie franchise is being propped up by the return of theatergoers. “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” Warner Bros. The latest entry in the prequel series to the “Harry Potter” franchise is off to a rather rough start and is expected to make a record low debut for Wizarding World.
The third Fantastic Beasts movie earned $20.1 million in Friday and Thursday night previews from 4,753 North American locations, the lowest opening-day number for the “Potter” movie next door. Industry analysts expect a three-day opening in the $40 million range, with some upside potential.
This isn’t exactly the most disastrous outcome for a theatrical release in 2022, but it’s a disappointing opening for a movie franchise that’s supposed to act like a juggernaut at the box office. Dumbledore’s Secrets carries a massive $200 million production budget, swelled by COVID-related delays and safety costs. Warner Bros. will have to Looking forward to international audiences to give the magical sequel a thriving experience.
The opening of “Secrets of Dumbledore” continues the downward trend of the “Fantastic Beasts” series. The first domestic entry in 2016 attracted a domestic opening of $74 million, while the sequel to 2018, “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” dropped to $62 million for the first time. While one can forgive Dumbledore’s Secrets as a victim of a theater scene that wasn’t quite as powerful as it was before the pandemic, things aren’t quite that simple. A lot of the sequels released in the past few months have garnered bigger appearances than their predecessors, such as “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.” Last week, Fantastic Beasts didn’t seem to get that level of enthusiasm for moviegoers.
Directed by David Yates, Fantastic Beasts 3 sees Jude Law return as beloved Hogwarts professor Albus Dumbledore and Eddie Redmayne reprising his role as wizard Newt Scamander. Also co-stars are Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner and Jessica Williams.
In his review of the film, diverseMajor film critic Peter Debruge called “The Secrets of Dumbledore” a “dramatic improvement” with the participation of Mikkelsen. “Devotees will likely adore what is revealed in the store, including a deeper commitment to the tragic love story between beloved Hogwarts principal Albus Dumbledore and the wizard determined to settle the score with a Muggle-kind,” DeBrugge wrote.
More is coming…
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