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On the heels of topping the box office in its opening weekend, the widely acclaimed magical adventure “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” surpassed half a billion dollars at the global box office on Tuesday, November 29, following its second weekend in release. The announcement was made today by Sue Kroll, President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
Audiences everywhere have flocked to theatres, eager to experience the new era in the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling. To date, the film has earned $161 million domestically and $344 million internationally for a global box office cume of $505 million and counting. “Fantastic Beasts,” which is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, has also received praise from critics everywhere.
In making the announcement, Kroll stated, “We are thrilled by the success of this new adventure, which is also the start of an exciting new franchise for the studio. With ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ the brilliant J.K. Rowling has created an immersive story with timeless themes that are resonating with both critics and audiences in every corner of the world. We congratulate her, our director David Yates, the wonderful cast and everyone involved in the film on this milestone.”
Jeff Goldstein, President, Domestic Distribution, said, “Anticipation grew exponentially in the weeks leading up to the release of ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ and now with the film in theaters we are seeing strong word of mouth and repeat attendance, which should carry the film through the holiday season and beyond.”
Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President, International Distribution and Growth Initiatives, added, “The enthusiastic global response to ‘Fantastic Beasts’ proves once again that the appeal of the wizarding world transcends language and borders. We, too, foresee strong holds through the holidays and well into the new year.”
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” takes us to a new era in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, decades before Harry Potter and half a world away.
Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) stars in the central role of wizarding world Magizoologist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates, who helmed the last four “Harry Potter” blockbusters.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” also stars Katherine Waterston (“Steve Jobs,” “Inherent Vice”), Tony Award winner Dan Fogler (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”), Alison Sudol (“Dig,” “Transparent”), Ezra Miller (“Trainwreck,” upcoming “Justice League”), two-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (“In America,” “Sweet and Lowdown”), Oscar winner Jon Voight (“Coming Home,” TV’s “Ray Donovan”), Carmen Ejogo (“Selma”), and Colin Farrell (“True Detective”).
The film marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, whose beloved Harry Potter books were adapted into the top-grossing film franchise of all time. Her script was inspired by the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by her character Newt Scamander.
In addition to Yates, the film reunited a number of people from the “Harry Potter” features, including producers David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram. Tim Lewis, Neil Blair and Rick Senat served as executive producers.
