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As J.K. Rowling continues to expand the "Harry Potter" universe, the generation that grew up watching the adventures on the screen of the boy who survived remained a loyal group.
This is clear from the opening weekend of "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald", the latest installment of the seemingly endless series of sequels, prequels, spin-offs and Harry Potter shows. . The umpteenth return of the fantastic series launched with 62 million dollars at the national box office, a considerable and potentially problematic fall of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them". As in the first installment of "Fantastic Beasts," the audience was far older movies focused on the wizard-to-glasses.
The lower-than-expected starting displays show that beyond the hardcore, the wizarding world had a hard time attracting a new wave of Potterheads. Unless the fantastic saga proves its relevance to a younger audience, Warner Bros. could think that each new installment of the contemplated franchise of five films represents a case of diminishing returns. And is it a wonder? After all, "Harry Potter" became a literary sensation in 1997, when Bill Clinton was president and Donald Trump was still bogged down in chapter 11 and the celebrity reality show, let alone the White House, was even not a reflection of reality. the eye of the real estate developer. A whole new generation has reached maturity since then.
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This is a problem that the original films have never faced. In fact, what makes the eight "Harry Potter" movies so magical is that the kids were as interested as their parents in seeing how the exploits of Harry, Hermione and Ron would play on the big screen. The new saga just did not have the same universal appeal. Despite the rich mythology that Rowling has been able to explore through spin-offs, teens have not been captivated by the new chapter that follows the magizoologist Newt Scamander, a character portrayed by Eddie Redmayne and whose only connection to the films of Harry Potter "was out of topic about topic, you guessed it, fantastic beasts.
This is "Harry Potter," we're talking about that, and that means the muggles who massed for the midnight show of the first eight movies were going to see what events would take place in the Prequel series if the new chapters were worth it. This is again verified with "Crimes of Grindelwald", with 69% of viewers over 25 and just 14% of viewers under 18. It's even slightly older than the first entry of 'Fantastic Beasts', where 65% of ticket buyers were over 25 and 18% under 18. For comparison, well over 50% of the crowd for each "Harry Potter" movie were teenagers and younger.
Enthusiasm, at least in North America, has already begun to dwindle and the question arises as to how long these films can last without a growing fan base. One studio hopes that the long-awaited sequel to one of the biggest franchises of all time will have an opening weekend stronger than that of its predecessor, or at least comparable to the result of the first film. Instead, "The Crimes of Grindelwald" started slower at the national box office and may have trouble keeping up momentum as the Thanksgiving setting is overcrowded.
This did not help that the follow-up generated the worst criticism so far for a slice of "Harry Potter". Critics have criticized the messy plot that follows less established characters and imposed it with a 40% deception rate on rotten tomatoes. As a measure, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" averaged 74%, while "Harry Potter" films were all in the range of 78% to 96%. Even the audience was less welcoming, attributing to this movie a B + CinemaScore, while the first spin-offs generated an A-.
The feeling of concern about Warner's fate is the reality: these films are becoming increasingly expensive to produce. "Crimes in Grindelwald" cost $ 200 million, while the first cost $ 175 million. Budgets do not tend to diminish as a franchise approaches its conclusion.
A common misconception to "Fantastic Beasts" is that the prequel series had anything but abandoned the "Harry Potter" appeal for kids. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" was composed of an almost entirely adult cast, but the title promised a profusion of fantastic creatures that could appeal to teens. Instead of changing this surveillance for future chapters, "Crimes of Grindelwald" is reminiscent of an even younger audience after the fact that wizards and wizards are preparing for a full-fledged world war. Maybe the next sequel should include a pre-adolescent protagonist (maybe we've already met in "Harry Potter") to help Newt?
"When you exclude a majority of your potential audience, the problem is huge," said Jeff Bock, Exhibitor Relations Analyst.
In all fairness, "Harry Potter" has always been much more than his national fan base. International crowds have reliably boosted box office receipts, and foreign markets have represented more than twice as much ticket sales per slice. Abroad, "The Crimes of Grindelwald" debuted with $ 191 million, which is a step ahead of its predecessor. The sequel was exceptionally successful in Europe compared to the last film of "Fantastic Beasts", while the gang goes to Paris to try to stop the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. The first "Fantastic Beasts" took place in New York.
"All films, including" Harry Potter ", have an international bias," said Ron Sanders, head of global distribution at Warner Bros. "Having foreign places featured helps the movies."
There is no doubt that Rowling will throw in the keys and raise the stakes as she continues to shape a story in which Potter aficionados, in general, know the outcome. But with three other tours planned, Warner Bros. will need more than a little magic for the public to come back. At one point, every franchise gets tired. The fact is that two films of "Fantastic Beasts" are beginning to show signs of fatigue.
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