Despite its mixed reviews, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore avoided an unwanted Harry Potter record at the box office. The third entry in the Fantastic Beasts series journeys with Albus Dumbledore, the Harry Potter films’ most powerful wizard, and his allies as they fight Gellert Grindelwald and his army of evil. The film boasts an ensemble cast including Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Katherine Waterston, and Mads Mikkelsen, taking over the role of Grindelwald from Johnny Depp. While the film has earned a rather lukewarm reception, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has steered away from earning the worst Harry Potter record.
One of the highest-grossing film franchises, the Harry Potter series introduced audiences to the Wizarding World of J.K. Rowling. Despite its story ending in 2012, the Fantastic Beasts series continued to expand on this magical world. As such, the third entry in the series, The Secrets of Dumbledore deviated further from Newt Scamander and his supernatural creatures and explored the relationship and backstory of Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
After being postponed several times, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore finally arrived in theaters on April 15, 2022. The film hit its opening weekend gross projections, earning $42 million in the United States and Canada and $57 million internationally. This earned The Secrets of Dumbledore the unfortunate distinction of earning the lowest opening weekend in Harry Potter history, despite being among the franchise's most expensive productions. The film did, however, manage to avoid setting another unwanted record in its second week in theaters.
Secrets Of Dumbledore's 2nd Weekend Box Office Drop Explained
After having the Wizarding World franchise’s lowest opening weekend, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore had a massive box office drop in just its second weekend of release. The film lost 67% of its business in a week, only gaining $14 million in the process. This decline is mostly because of newer, more interesting releases, such as Universal Pictures’ animated adventure film The Bad Guys, which topped the weekend box office for April 25, 2022. Additionally, although The Secrets of Dumbledore performed better internationally, it remained a commercial disappointment domestically. This arguably reveals a disinterest in the franchise, thus raising questions about its future.
Secrets Of Dumbledore's Box Office Drop Isn't Harry Potter's Worst
Surprisingly, despite the box office drop of The Secrets of Dumbledore, it is not the worst within the Wizarding World franchise. That still-unbeatable record belonged to the final film of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. In 2011, its second Friday box office dropped 83%, while its second-weekend box office declined by 72%.
Fantastic Beasts 3's Box Office Drop Is Still A Lot Worse Than Deathly Hallows
Although the Deathly Hallows Part 2 box office drop was still more weighty, at least it came from a record-breaking $169 million opening weekend. Consequently, it still grossed an impressive $47 million despite the large drop, eventually contributing to the film’s $1.3 billion total box office. Meanwhile, the case of the plot hole-riddled Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is worse. Because it has only opened with a $42 million gross, its impactful drop means its earnings are bordering on negligible, and its domestic box office will be disappointing.
Why Fantastic Beasts 3's Box Office Is So Bad
Since Fantastic Beasts 3 is released in a pandemic world, it is natural for its box office numbers to fluctuate. However, even with that primary factor into consideration, The Secrets of Dumbledore is still not doing well at the box office. Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the movie industry, the film has also suffered from numerous on-screen and behind-the-scenes obstacles. For starters, the decision to shift the focus of the Fantastic Beasts franchise from Newt Scamander and his adventures to the backstory of Dumbledore and Grindelwald was not received well by viewers. It did not help that alongside the incessant retcons to the Wizarding World franchise, The Secrets of Dumbledore was met with divisive reviews criticizing its underdeveloped characters, uninteresting tone, and bland premise. While it is not the worst-rated film in the series—that distinction remains with The Crimes of Grindelwald—The Secrets of Dumbledore's 47% critical score (at press time) on Rotten Tomatoes is still a far cry from the first nine films in the franchise, which all arrived in theaters "certified fresh".
Even beyond the screen, the Fantastic Beasts film series has also been riddled with controversies surrounding its cast members. Johnny Depp, who originally played Grindelwald, was coerced to resign due to the negative publicity brought by his tumultuous divorce from Aquaman actress Amber Heard. These legal proceedings led to Depp losing his acting roles, including his part as Captain Jack Sparrow in future installments of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Mads Mikkelsen was brought in as the replacement, and although his performance has been praised, Depp’s firing was unacceptable for some viewers. Also, Ezra Miller, the center of the Aurelius Dumbledore/ Credence Barebone twist, has a recent string of arrests due to his bursts of aggression and disorderly conduct. However, the issues that affect Fantastic Beasts 3’s box office do not end there. The Wizarding World’s creator JK Rowling has shared transphobic comments on social media, prompting discussions and shows of support from the franchise’s actors and other celebrities and dividing its once-solid group of viewers.
What Secrets Of Dumbledore's Box Office Means For Fantastic Beasts' Future
While the initial plans for the Fantastic Beasts film series involved at least a trilogy, it was revealed in 2016 that it would instead comprise five films. However, days before the theatrical release of The Secrets of Dumbledore, it was reported that the fate of the franchise will depend on the film’s performance. This meant that if the Fantastic Beasts 3’s box office turned out to be disappointing, the remaining two installments will not be greenlit. Unfortunately, looking at the mixed critical reception and bad box office of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, the future remains questionable, especially since the film has already wrapped up the major plot points neatly.