The third entry in the Wizarding World spin-off series, following the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander, played by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne, opened on Friday 8 April in select markets – including the UK – before opening this weekend in the US.
The movie, which has received a mixed to bad reception from critics, is sitting on an uninspiring 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, although its audience rating is currently a much more positive 85%.
In terms of box office, the film managed to scrape a $43million (£33m) opening weekend in the US, although a better performance worldwide saw it add $71.7m (£55m) internationally in its second week to a total in released territories outside the US of $150.4m (£115.2m), and $193.4m (£148.2m) overall.
However, this figure sees it behind both of its predecessors.
According to Deadline, The Secrets of Dumbledore is down 38% on The Grimes of Grindelwald and 42% lower than the first film’s opening in 2016.
However, the film is not being released in Russia and much of China (for which references to Dumbledore’s gay relationship were edited out) remains under strict Covid protocols, affecting performance in another major territory.
The film, slated to be the third in a series of five written by Harry Potter author JK Rowling for the screen, is directed by David Yeates and also stars Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, William Nadylam, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams and Victoria Yeates.
It has had a bumpy ride to release following original Gellert Grindelwald star Johnny Depp stepping aside after losing a High Court battle against The Sun newspaper over an article that labelled him a ‘wife beater’; he is currently locked in a legal battle over domestic abuse allegations – which he denies – with ex Amber Heard.
Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen was cast as his replacement, to plenty of praise, but revealed in a new interview that he was given just two days to decide on whether he wanted to accept the role.
Miller also faced legal troubles following their recent arrest after a recent karaoke bar incident in Hawaii, which has left future projects ‘in jeopardy’, it has been claimed.
Finally, author JK Rowling has faced ongoing criticism over her comments on the transgender community.
In better news for studio Warner Bros though, The Batman has soared past $750m at the global box office, making it the top grossing film of 2022 to date as well as one of the biggest releases of the pandemic.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is in cinemas now.
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