Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is projected to make over $40 million on opening weekend after earning $6 million from Thursday previews. This will be the lowest-earning debut weekend for the franchise to date. The 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them earned $74 million, and its sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, garnered $62 million in 2018.

Despite the seemingly low-profit margins for the finale, it cost over $200 million to film, with budget increases deriving from COVID-19-related delays and safety precautions. The Fantastic Beasts franchise was an attempt at revitalizing and expanding the Harry Potter world; however, the success rates for the films have been decreasing with each new release.

The film franchise reports financial dependency on international audiences. Yet, due to COVID-19 surges around Asia coupled with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is little hope for international success for this latest movie. More fans have refused to support the latest movie due to J.K. Rowling’s controversial opinions on gender identity and Johnny Depp’s recasting due to domestic abuse allegations against the actor.

Clearly, this film has had a tumultuous journey from filming to the ultimate release. The film releases on April 15, 2022. While Mads Mikkelsen replaces Depp as Grindelwald, the original cast is set to complete the final movie in the franchise. Check our review for the third Fantastic Beasts film here.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is now playing in theaters!