'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore' Casts Lackluster Magic at Box Office
Warner Bros. Pictures
Movie

The third and latest installment of the 'Harry Potter' spin-off movie series posts the lowest opening of any movie in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World franchise.

AceShowbiz - The magic has apparently begun to fade for the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. Being one of the biggest movies released by Warner Bros. Pictures this year, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" posted a lackluster debut at box office.

The third and latest installment of the "Harry Potter" spin-off movie series barely defeats "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" to take over the top spot at the North American chart. It pulled in an estimated $43 million over the Easter weekend, the lowest opening of any movie in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World franchise.

"Dumbledore" performs better overseas, having grossed $150.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $193.4 million. The movie earned mixed reviews, with an approval rating of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. Moviegoers were nicer, giving the movie an average grade of B+ on CinemaScore, while those at PostTrak gave it an 81% positive score, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend it.

"Recapturing the original 'Harry Potter' magic that began some 20 years ago in cinemas is a tall order," Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, weighs in on "Dumbledore" lackluster performance. "The 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise, while seeing diminishing returns with each successive installment, still has enough of a devoted fanbase to conjure up respectable numbers - particularly with international audiences, which have always provided the lion's share of the box office for these films."

It didn't help that some of the stars were engulfed in scandal prior to the release. Johnny Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen as Grindelwald early during the production following his loss in the libel case with News Group Newspapers Ltd. Meanwhile, Ezra Miller was arrested in Hawaii for disorderly conduct and harassment, just a day before the movie premiere in London.

The number, however, is still enough to push aside "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" to No. 2 on the latter's second week. It added an estimated $30 million, dropping nearly 60 percent from its first weekend. It has grossed $119.6 million domestically so far.

"The Lost City" stays steady at No. 3 with approximately $6.5 million. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" rises up two places to No. 4 with an estimated $6.2 million, while "Father Stu", a religious-themed movie starring Mark Wahlberg, took the momentum by debuting during the Easter holiday and rounds out the top five with approximately $5.7 million.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Apr.15-17, 2022):

  1. "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" - $43 million
  2. "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" - $30 million
  3. "The Lost City" - $6.5 million
  4. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - $6.2 million
  5. "Father Stu" - $5.7 million
  6. "Morbius" - $4.7 million
  7. "Ambulance" - $4 million
  8. "The Batman" - $3.8 million
  9. "K.G.F: Chapter 2 " - $2.9 million
  10. "Uncharted" - $1.2 million

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