The domestic box office for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was $43 million over the weekend, a franchise low for Harry Potter films. According to Variety, The Secrets of Dumbledore, the third instalment in the Harry Potter prequel series, had the lowest North American opening weekend of the Wizarding World franchise to date, with an estimated $43 million. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them grossed $74 million domestically in 2016, while The Crimes of Grindelwald grossed $62 million in 2018.

 

Secrets of Dumbledore also performs poorly in comparison to other recent releases, such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which launched to $71 million earlier this month, and The Batman, which debuted to $134 million.

 

J.K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter and the screenplays for the Fantastic Beasts films, has become a controversial figure due to her outspoken opinions. Longtime Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves was brought back to co-write the third Fantastic Beasts picture after penning the first two solos. Rowling previously stated that she plans for Fantastic Beasts to be a five-film series, however Warner Bros. has yet to confirm a fourth instalment.